Computer Security

(CE-408)
An Overview

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Course Tutors
 Kashif Habib (A,B)
 Ibrahim M. Hussain (C)
 Najmul Islam Farooqi (D,E)

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 Course Outline
Introduction: (chapters 1,2)
 Introduction to Computer Security
 Introduction to Cryptology
 
Part One: Symmetric Ciphers: (chapters 2-7)
 Classical Encryption Techniques
 Feistel Structure and S-DS
 DES and mode of operation
 Linear and differential cryptanalysis
 3-DES and IDEA
 Finite field and AES
 Confidentiality Using Symmetric Encryption
 Key distribution
 Random number generators

Part Two : Public Key Encryption and Hash Algorithms: (chapters 8-13)
 Number theory
 Public Key Cryptography
 RSA Algorithm
 Public Key Exchange Methods
 Key exchange management (Diffie-Hellman)
 Introduction to message authentication and Hash Functions
 MD-5, SHA
 Digital Signatures –An application of Hash Functions
 
Part Three: Network Security and System Security: (chapters 15-20)
 Electronic Mail Security (PGP)
 IP Security
 Intrusion Detection
 Viruses
 Firewalls
 Web and WAP Security 3
Text Book
 Cryptography and Network Security:
Principles & Practice (Third Edition)
 By William Stallings – Prentice Hall Publication

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Network Security
CE-408

Introduction (Chapter 1)

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What is Computer Security?
 Computer Security: The generic name for collection of
tools designed to protect data and to thwart attackers.

 The protection afforded to an automated information

system in order to attain the applicable objectives of
preserving the integrity, availability and confidentiality of
information system resources (includes hardware,
software, firmware, information/data, and
telecommunications).

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 Network Security: Security issues involving all
business, government and academic organizations
interconnected for sharing data. It involves protection of
data during their transmission.

 Internet Security: no precise definition of this type of

security but mainly involves security of multiple networks
interconnected. It involves protection of data during their
transmission over a collection of interconnected
networks

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Security Trends
 The Value of Computer Assets
and Services
 Most companies use electronic information extensively to
support their daily business processes. Data is stored on
customers, products, contracts, financial results, accounting
etc.

 If this electronic information were to become available to

competitors or to become corrupted, false or disappear,
what would happen? What would the consequences be?
Could the business still function?

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Computer Crimes
 Computer fraud in the U.S. alone exceeds $3 billion each year

 Computer fraud in the U.K. exceeds £2.5 billion each year

 Less than 1% of all computer fraud cases are detected

over 90% of all computer crime goes unreported

 "Although no one is sure how much is lost to Exchange-Traded

Fund (EFT) crime annually, the consensus is that the losses run
in the billions of dollars. Yet few in the financial community are
paying any heed.”

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 Average computer bank theft amounts to $1.5 million
Computer Crimes ...

 Over 25% of all Fortune 500 corporations have been victimized

by computer crime with an average loss of $2-10 million

 Total estimated losses due to computer crime range from $300

million to $500 billion per year

 "Computer-related crime has been escalating at a dramatic rate”

 "Computer crimes continue to grow and plague companies”

 "Computer crime is almost inevitable in any organization unless

adequate protections are put in place." 11
Computer Viruses

 There are over 2500 viruses with new ones

developed daily

 A survey of over 600 companies and government

agencies in the U.S. and Canada shows that 63%
found at least one virus on their PCs last year.

 Over 85% of the destruction of valuable computer

data involves inadvertent acts

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Computer Security Losses
Security Technologies Used
Complexity of Internetwork
Security
 Major requirements: Secrecy, Integrity, Availability,
Authenticity, Non-repudiation and Access control

 In developing a security mechanism, one should consider

the potential attacks first.

 Where to use the designed security mechanisms (i.e. at

which layer)

 Security mechanism is not only about creating algorithms.

There are other aspects which go side by side. e.g. key
distribution, protocol compatibility. 15
Services, Mechanism and Attacks

 Attack: Any action that compromises the security of

information owned by an organization.

 Mechanism: Used to detect, prevent and recover from

the security attacks.

 Services: Enhances the security requirement for an

organization using security mechanisms.

 e.g. see Table 1.1 and 1.2

 Paper versus Electronic documentation. 16

 Computer Security
Requirements and Services

 Secrecy
 Integrity
 Availability
 Authenticity
 Non-repudiation
 Access control

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Computer Security
Requirements

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Secrecy
 Secrecy requires that the information in a computer system
only be accessible for reading by authorized parties.
 This type of access includes printing, displaying, and other forms of disclosure,
including simply revealing the existence of an object.

Integrity
 Integrity requires that the computer system asset can be modified only by
authorized parties.
 Modification includes writing, changing, changing status, deleting, and creating.
 Data integrity versus System integrity

Availability
 Availability requires that computer system assets are available to authorized
parties.
 “Requirement intended to assure that systems work promptly and service is not
denied to authorized users." (Computers at Risk, p. 54.)
 Access control - Unauthorized users are kept out. 19
Authenticity
 Authenticity means that parties in a information services can ascertain
the identity of parties trying to access information services.

Non-repudiation
 Originator of communications can’t deny it later
 Associates the identity of the originator with the transaction in a non-deniable
way

Access Control
 Unauthorized users are kept out of the system
 Unauthorized users are kept out of places on the system/disk

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Security Requirements are
often Combined
 For example:
 User authentication
used for access
control purposes
 Non-repudiation
combined with
authentication

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Type of Attacks/Threats in
Computer Systems
 A threat is a danger which could affect the
security (confidentiality, integrity, availability)
of assets, leading to a potential loss or
damage.
 Interruption
 Interception
 Modification
 Fabrication
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Possible Scenarios

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Normal Flow of Information

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 Interruption

 An asset of the system is destroyed or

becomes unavailable or unusable.

 This is an attack on the availability.

 Examples include destruction of a piece of

hardware, such as a hard disk, the cutting
of a communication link, or the disabling of
the file management system.
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Interruption

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 Interception
 Information disclosure/information leakage

 An unauthorized party gains access to an asset.

 This is an attack on confidentiality.

 The unauthorized party could be a person, a program, or a

computer.

 Examples include wiretapping to capture data in a

network. And the illicit copying of files or programs.

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Interception

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Modification
 Modification is integrity violation

 An unauthorized party not only gains access to but

tampers with an asset

 This is an attack on the integrity

 Examples include changing values in a data file,

altering a program so that it performs differently, and
modifying the content of a message being
transmitted in a network
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Modification

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Fabrication
 An unauthorized part inserts counterfeit
objects into the system.

 This is an attack on the authenticity.

 Examples include the insertion of spurious

messages in a network or the addition of
records to a file.
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Fabrication

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 Classification of Attacks
 Computer Security attacks can be classified into two broad
categories:

 Passive Attacks can only observe communications or data

 Active Attacks can actively modify communications or data, Often
difficult to perform, but very powerful

 Mail forgery/modification
 TCP/IP spoofing/session hijacking

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 Passive Attacks
 eavesdropping on or monitoring of transmission.
 The goal of the opponent is to obtain information that
is being transmitted.
 Two types:
 Release-of-message contents:
 Opponent finds out the contents or the
actual messages being transmitted

 Traffic Analysis
 More subtle than release-of-message contents
 Messages may be kept secret by masking or encryption.
 The opponent figures out information being carried by the messages based on
the frequency and timings of the message

 Problems:
 Difficult to detect because there is no modification of data
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 Protection approach should be based on prevention rather than detection
Active Attacks
 Active attacks involve some sort of modification of the data
stream or the creation of a false stream. Four sub-categories:
 Masquerade
 An entity pretends to be another
 For the purpose of doing some other form of attack
 Example a system claims its IP address to be what
it is not, IP spoofing
 Replay
 First passive capture of data and then its retransmission
to produce an unauthorized effect.
 Modification of Messages
 Some portion of a legitimate message is altered or messages
are delayed or reordered to produce an unauthorized effect.
 Denial of service
 Prevents the normal use or management of communication facilities.

 Problems
 Easy to detect but difficult to prevent
 Efforts are directed to quickly recover from disruption or delays
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 Good thing is that detection will have a deterrent effect
Methods of Defense
 Encryption

 Software Controls (access limitations in a data base, in

operating system protect each user from other users)

 Hardware Controls (smartcard)

 Policies (frequent changes of passwords)

 Physical Controls

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Model for Network Security

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Using this model requires us to:
 Design a mechanism or algorithm to perform the security
task without been defeated and challenged.

 Generate secret information as an integrated part with

the algorithm.

 Design methods to distribute the secret information.

 Specify protocols in accordance with both the algorithm

and secret information distribution.
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Model of Network Access
Security

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using this model requires us to:

1. select appropriate gatekeeper functions to

identify users

2. implement security controls to ensure only

authorised users access designated information
or resources

 trusted computer systems may be useful to

help implement this model
Program or Software Threats
 Information access threats intercept or
modify data on behalf of users who should
not have access to that data

 Service threats exploit service flaws in

computers to inhibit use by legitimate users.

 Examples: viruses and worms

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Computer security is based on
eight major elements:
1. Computer security should support the mission of the organization.
2. Computer security is an integral element of sound management.
3. Computer security should be cost-effective.
4. Computer security responsibilities and accountability should be
made explicit.
5. System owners have computer security responsibilities outside their
own organizations.
6. Computer security requires a comprehensive and integrated
approach.
7. Computer security should be periodically reassessed.
8. Computer security is constrained by societal factors.

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 Security Services
 X.800:
“ a service provided by a protocol layer of
communicating open systems, which ensures
adequate security of the systems or of data
transfers”

 RFC 2828:
“ a processing or communication service
provided by a system to give a specific kind of
protection to system resources”
 OSI Security Architecture
 ITU-T X.800 “Security Architecture for OSI”
 defines a systematic way of defining and
providing security requirements
 for us it provides a useful, if abstract,
overview of concepts we will study
Security A p p lic a tio n E m a il - S /M IM E A p p lic a tio n

Protocol P r e s e n ta tio n P r e s e n ta tio n

Layers S e s s io n SSL S e s s io n

•The further T ra n s p o rt T ra n s p o rt

down you go, N e tw o rk IP S e c N e tw o rk

the more
transparent it is D a ta lin k PPP - ECP D a ta lin k

P h y s ic a l P h y s ic a l
•The further up
you go, the
E n c r y p tin g E n c r y p tin g
easier it is to N IC
P H Y S IC A L N E T W O R K
N IC

deploy
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Security Services
 From the OSI definition:
 Access control: Protects against unauthorized use.
 Authentication: Provides assurance of someone's
identity.
 Confidentiality: Protects against disclosure to
unauthorized identities.
 Integrity: Protects from unauthorized data alteration.
 Non-repudiation: Protects against originator of
communications later denying it.

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Security Mechanisms (X-800)
 Three basic building blocks are used:
 Encryption is used to provide confidentiality, can
provide authentication and integrity protection
 Digital signatures are used to provide
authentication, integrity protection, and non-
repudiation
 Checksums/hash algorithms are used to provide
integrity protection, can provide authentication
 One or more security mechanisms are
combined to provide a security service
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Services, Mechanisms,
Algorithms
 A typical security protocol provides one or
more security services (authentication,
secrecy, integrity, etc.)
 Services are built from mechanisms
 Mechanisms are implemented using
algorithms

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 Summary

 Definitions for computer, network and

internet security
 Security attacks, services, mechanisms
 Classification of Attacks
 X.800 standard
 Models for network (access) security