Many companies and agencies conduct IT audits to test and assess the rigor of IT security controls in order to mitigate risks to IT networks. Such audits meet compliance mandates by regulatory organizations.

Federal IT systems follow Federal Information System Management Act (FISMA) guidelines and report security compliance to US-CERT, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which handles defense and response to cyberattacks as part of the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, the Control Objective for Information Technology (COBIT) is a set of IT security guidelines that provides a framework for IT system security in the commercial sector.

These audits are comprehensive and rigorous, and negative findings can lead to significant fines and other penalties. Therefore, industry and federal entities conduct internal self-audits in preparation for actual external IT audits, and compile security assessment reports.

In this project, you will develop a 12-page written security assessment report and lab report for a company and submit both reports to the leadership of that company.

There are six steps to complete the project. Most steps in this project should take no more than two hours to complete, and the project as a whole should take no more than two weeks. Begin with the workplace scenario and then continue to Step 1.

 

Step 1: Conduct a Security Analysis Baseline

In the first step of the project, you will conduct a security analysis baseline of the IT systems, which will include a data-flow diagram of connections and endpoints, and all types of access points, including wireless. The baseline report will be part of the overall security assessment report (SAR).

You will get your information from this data-flow diagram and report, which is generated by the Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool 2016. The scope should include network IT security for the whole organization.

Include the following areas in this portion of the SAR:

• Security requirements and goals for the preliminary security baseline activity.
• Typical attacks to enterprise networks and their descriptions. Include Trojans, viruses, worms, denial of service, session hijacking, and social engineering. Include the impacts these attacks have on an organization.
• Network infrastructure and diagram, including configuration and connections. Describe the security posture with respect to these components and the security employed: local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), enterprise. Use these questions to guide you:
  • What are the security risks and concerns?
  • What are ways to get real-time understanding of the security posture at any time?
  • How regularly should the security of the enterprise network be tested, and what type of tests should be used?
  • What are the processes in play, or to be established to respond to an incident?
  • Workforce skill is a critical success factor in any security program, and any security assessment must also review this component. Lack of a skilled workforce could also be a security vulnerability. Does the security workforce have the requisite technical skills and command of the necessary toolsets to do the job required?
  • Is there an adequate professional development roadmap in place to maintain and/or improve the skill set as needed?
  • Describe the ways to detect these malicious codes and what tactics bad actors use for evading detection.
• Public and private access areas, web access points. Include in the network diagram the delineation between open and closed networks, where they coexist, and show the connections to the internet.
• Physical hardware components. Include routers and switches. What security weaknesses or vulnerabilities are within these devices?
• Operating systems, servers, network management systems as they relate to data in transit vulnerabilities:
  • endpoint access vulnerabilities
  • external storage vulnerabilities
  • media access control and Ethernet vulnerabilities
  • virtual private network vulnerabilities
• Possible applications. This network will incorporate a BYOD (bring your own device) policy in the future. The IT auditing team and leadership need to understand current mobile applications and possible future applications and other wireless integrations. You will use some of this information in Project 2 and also in Project 5.

The overall SAR should detail the security measures needed, or implementation status of those in progress, to address the identified vulnerabilities. Include:

• remediation
• mitigation
• countermeasures
• recovery

Through your research, provide the methods used to provide the protections and defenses.

From the identification of risk factors in the risk model, identify the appropriate security controls from NIST SP 800-53A and determine their applicability to the risks identified.

The baseline should make up at least three of the 12 pages of the overall report.

When you have completed your security analysis baseline, move on to the next step, in which you will use testing procedures that will help determine the company’s overall network defense strategy.

Step 2: Determine a Network Defense Strategy

 

You’ve completed your initial assessment of the company’s security with your baseline analysis. Now it’s time to determine the best defenses for your network.

Start by reading a publication by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Special Publication 800-115, Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment, and outline how you would test violations. Identify how you will assess the effectiveness of these controls and write test procedures that could be used to test for effectiveness. Write them in a manner to allow a future information systems security officer to use them in preparing for an IT security audit or IT certification and accreditation. Within this portion of the SAR, explain the different testing types (black, white, and gray box testing).

Include these test plans in the SAR. The strategy should take up at least two of the 12 pages of the overall report.

Click the following link to learn more about cybersecurity for process control systems.

After you’ve completed this step, it’s time to define the process of penetration testing. In the next step, you’ll develop rules of engagement (ROE).

Step 3: Plan the Penetration Testing Engagement

Now that you’ve completed your test plans, it’s time to define your penetration testing process. Include all involved processes, people, and time frame. Develop a letter of intent to the organization, and within the letter, include some formal rules of engagement (ROE). The process and any documents can be notional or can refer to actual use cases. If actual use cases are included, cite them using APA format.

This portion should be about two pages of the overall 12-page report.

After you have outlined the steps of a penetration testing process, in the next step you will perform penetration testing. During the testing, you will determine if the security components are updated and if the latest patches are implemented, and if not, determine where the security gaps are.

Rules of Engagement (ROE)

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Penetration tests are often used to identify existing vulnerabilities in an entity’s network or system, and are performed by skilled and trusted security professionals. These tests can range from simple vulnerability scans of the network to exploiting vulnerabilities that compromise systems. These results are properly documented and presented to corporate leadership and system owners to improve the cybersecurity posture of an organization.

Penetration testing can cause unforeseen complications such as network traffic congestion and system downtime, and may cause the same vulnerabilities and compromises it was designed to prevent. Due to the potential consequences of penetration testing, it is vital to create a comprehensive rules of engagement (ROE) before carrying out the test.

Regardless of who performs the penetration test, parameters identifying who will be made aware of the testing and what actions will be performed must be determined. According to FedRAMP’s penetration test guidance, the ROE must account for affected systems and targetable ranges, the acceptable means of social engineering, and the testing timeframe. Penetration testers and system administrators must agree on a scope, testing schedule, methodology, and overall test plan (FedRAMP).

Rules of Engagement Items:

• Timeline
• Locations
  • i.e., sites chosen for testing
• Evidence handling
  • i.e., encryption, sanitization
• Regular status meetings
  • discuss: plans, progress, problems
• Time of the day to test
• Permission to test
• Legal considerations

The rules of engagement are important to provide a successful penetration test.

References

FedRAMP Program Management Office. (2015, July 6). FedRAMP penetration testing guidance.  https://www.fedramp.gov/files/2015/01/FedRAMP-PenTest-Guidance-v-1-0.pdf

 

Step 4: Conduct a Network Penetration Test…..

Don’t worry about the lab. I’ll do it

Step 5: Complete a Risk Management Cost Benefit Analysis

 

You’ve completed the penetration testing, and now it’s time to complete your SAR with a risk management cost benefit analysis. Within this analysis, think about the cost of violations and other areas if you do not add the controls. Then add in the cost for implementing your controls.

When you have finished with the cost benefit analysis, which should be at least one page of your overall report, move to the final step, which is the completed SAR.

Step 6: Compile and Submit the SAR and Lab Report

You have completed comprehensive testing in preparation for this audit, provided recommended remediations, and developed a set of recommendations. Now you are ready to submit your SAR.

The requirements for Project 1 are as follows:

• Security assessment report (SAR): Your report should be 12 pages minimum, double-spaced with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables, or citations.
• Lab report: A document sharing your lab experience and providing screenshots to demonstrate that you performed the lab. Attach it to the SAR as an artifact.