ASSIGNMENT 1

1. Analyze three(3) specific potential malicious attacks and/or threats that

could be carried out against the network and organization.
a. Phishing
b. Password Attacks
c. Insider threats
2. Explain the potential impact of the three (3) selected malicious attacks
in detail.
a. Phishing
- Phishing is a sort of fraud in which an attacker impersonates a
legitimate entity or person via email or other means of contact.
Attackers regularly use phishing emails to provide malicious links
or files. Some will steal login credentials or account information
from their victims. Cybercriminals prefer misleading phishing
because persuading someone to click a harmful link in a seemingly
legitimate phishing email is far easier than breaching a computer’s
defenses. To detect and prevent phishing, you must first learn about
it. Social networking tactics are widely used in phishing efforts
via email or other electronic communication. Two examples of tactics
are direct communications sent via social media and SMS text
messaging. Using public sources of information, phishers can learn
about the victim's personal and professional past. Cybercriminals
are employing the same tactics used by professional marketers to
determine the most effective types of messaging. Fake websites are
set up to deceive people into giving over personal and financial
information. The goal is to infect the user's device with malware or
redirect the victim to a bogus website. Many are victims of
phishing, not only in organizations; anyone can fall victim to it.
At the height of the pandemic, phishing is rampant.
b. Data breach
- A data breach is a security incident in which unauthorized access to
private or sensitive information (such as student data) occurs. Data
breaches involving students and educators were among the most common
cyber events in 2019.
c. Ransomware
- Ransomware encrypts data and documents using malicious software
(also known as malware). Malware can impact a single computer or an
entire network, including servers. It’s one of the internet’s most
critical cybersecurity threats right now. Victims have two options
for regaining access to their data: pay a ransom or start again with
a new hard drive and restore data from backups. Some cyber-attacks
are caused by people clicking on what appears to be a harmless email
attachment, only for it to contain a malicious payload that encrypts
the victim's computer and hard drives. Ransomware campaigns have
increasingly targeted the educational sector. Due to the coronavirus
outbreak, schools and institutions are increasingly dependent on
remote learning, and cyber hackers took notice. Thousands of people
use the networks, many of whom use personal devices, and all it
takes for a malevolent hacker to get access to the network is a
successful phishing email or the cracking of one account's password.
3. Propose the security controls you would consider implementing to protect
against the selected potential malicious attacks.
- To protects the institution from selected potential malicious
attacks, there are security controls that could be considered for
implementation:
a. To be protected against phishing attacks, consider the following safety
measures:
 a.1 Include security awareness in the organization’s culture. Personnel
or employees will be able to detect and be likely to fall for phishers
if they are made aware of the indications and hazards. They will also
be able to flag an issue and report in order to take appropriate action
to manage the incident.

a.2 Do not provide information to unverified sources. Consult the

4. Analyze three (3) potential concerns for data loss and data theft that may
exist in the documented network.

5. Explicate the potential impact of the three (3) selected data loss and
data theft concerns.

6. Propose the security controls you would consider implementing to protect

against the selected concerns for data loss and data theft.

7. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment (no more than
2-3 years old) from material outside the textbook.
a. Https://Www.Cybsafe.Com/Community/Blog/How-Can-Phishing-Affect-a-
Business/. Accessed 1 June 2022.
b. “Cybersecurity in Education: What Teachers, Parents and Students Should
Know | Berkeley Boot Camps.” Berkeley Boot Camps,
bootcamp.berkeley.edu, 3 Sept. 2020,
https://bootcamp.berkeley.edu/blog/cybersecurity-in-education-what-
teachers-parents-and-students-should-know/.
c. “What Is Ransomware? Everything You Need to Know about One of the
Biggest Menaces on the Web | ZDNet.” ZDNet, www.zdnet.com,
https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-an-executive-guide-to-one-of-
the-biggest-menaces-on-the-web/. Accessed 1 June 2022.
d. Https://Ovic.Vic.Gov.Au/Privacy/Phishing-Attacks-and-How-to-Protect-
against-Them/. Accessed 1 June 2022.