Write two policies to ensure Web browsers and Web servers are secure. All procedures and guidelines will be designed to fulfill the policies you create.
Answer the following questions for Web browser and Web server software:
1. What functions should this software application provide?
2. What functions should this software application prohibit?
3. What controls are necessary to ensure this applications software operates as intended?
4. What steps are necessary to validate that the software operates as intended?
Once you have answered the questions above, fill in the following details to develop your policies to secure application software. Remember, you are writing policies, not procedures. Focus on the high-level tasks, not the individual steps.
Type of application software
Description of functions this software should allow
Description of functions this software should prohibit
Known vulnerabilities associated with software
Controls necessary to ensure compliance with desired functionality
Method to assess security control effectiveness
You will write two policiesone for Web server software and one for Web browser software.
Case Scenario for Rationale
Ken 7 Windows Limited is a manufacturer of Windows for residential and commercial builders. Ken 7 Windows Limited carries a variety of Windows and related products. It supplies builders with all of the tools and supplies to install finished Windows in any type of building.
Ken 7 Windows Limited has just purchased a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package to help control costs and increase both quality and customer responsiveness. The ERP software collects and stores information including:
Raw material costs
Labor costs
Materials and labor requirements for products
Purchasing requirements
Ken 7 Windows Limited has identified six basic roles for users in the new ERP software:
Administratorsmaintain ERP data and system operation.
Plannersrun planning software and generate requirements reports.
Shop Floor users enter operational data (receiving, shipping, and product progress during manufacturing).
Managersmanage department personnel.
Purchasing usersgenerate purchasing documents based on planning requirements.
Accounting usersmaintain cost and accounting data.
Access controls limit what users or roles can do with different types of data. For example, consider the following types of data:
Cost informationraw materials and labor costs, including the cost of finished goods.
Manufacturing detailscost, amount of labor, and time required to produce finished goods.
Purchasing requirementsrules for determining when raw materials, components, or supplies should be purchased.
Through access control:
Cost information can be viewed only by Accounting users.
Manufacturing details can be viewed only by Shop Floor users.
Purchasing requirement can be viewed only by Purchasing users.
During the analysis phase of the ERP implementation, Ken 7 Windows Limited raised concerns about users being able to access restricted data.
Accounting users are able to login to shop floor computers.
Purchasing users are able to access human resource (HR) applications and data.
The ERP implementation team suggested the following access control measures to protect restricted data.
Create an organizational unit (OU) in Active Directory for shop floor computers.
Deploy Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to restrict shop floor users to the shop floor OU.
Define data access controls in the ERP software to deny access for all non-HR users to restricted data.
Implementation of several access control measures helped Ken 7 Windows Limited to restrict the data access. Hence access control and authentication is important, as it helped Ken 7 Windows Limited in reducing costs and increasing profits.
