Alternatives to Proprietary Digital Forensics for SMEs

Alternatives to Proprietary Digital Forensics for SMEs Realistic alternative to expensive  Proprietary Digital Forensics  and Security products for SMEs. Alan David Blais Abstract Organisations have recently developed an awareness about the necessity of having their systems secure and protected from external as well as internal threats. This sudden awareness is believed to be due to recent major events about breaches and security issues faced by many organisations. The consequences of these breaches and security issues had so many negative impacts that it has created a real awareness. Although the UK is among the leading countries in this regard Europe, it still has a long way to go, according to training director for the Sans Securing The Human Program, Lance Spitzner. (Cybersecurity Awareness SANS 2015) Many organisations have already invested very considerable amount of money into making their systems securer while other are still thinking whether investing money in security has a return on investment (ROI) or not. On the other hand, for small and medium enterprises (SME), it is an entirely different story, with the world financial crisis, it is already particularly difficult for SME to survive, and some of them are struggling to keep their companies running and many of them cannot afford the cost for improving the security of their system as it should be. Most of them, try to use short-term fix like cheap firewall and anti-virus, free patches and updates despite knowing that having a single/some layer/s of security is not enough. Some of the SMEs also uses free available tools and applications but most of these tools are specialised in only one aspect of security, thus several different applications are needed to provide better security. It is difficult to manage several different tools and applications at the same time. This projects aims at finding a solution to solve the above mentioned problem by designing a software/platform for managing different tools and applications remotely using the designed software/platform. 1. Background – 2 Pages 1.1 Introduction According to a new study on the main causes of European privacy, breaches come from organisations own errors, insider abuse and other internal mismanagement issues. The director of the study, P. Howard believe that only 41% of the incidents reported are external attacks by hackers and that 57% of the incidents which were caused by administrative error, exposed online, insiders or caused by missing hardware configuration. (Most European Breaches Caused by Organizational Error, Insider Attacks 2015) Based on the above study findings, we can therefore assume that having proper internal security mechanism within an organisation can significantly reduce the number of incidents. Despite knowing that, some organisations are still not improving their security as it should be. The main reason is the cost associated to security; some people at management level still think that investing on security has no direct impact on the main objective of business which is to make profit. It is true that many organisations awareness about security have recently changed due to the consequences of breaches on other organisations but Cyber Security awareness is still in its infancy in most organisations and not all organisations can afford the cost associated to security, Small and medium enterprises are generally not able to afford it. Moreover, much of the software available on the market focus on one particular aspect of security rather than having a single platform that caters for different aspect of security at an affordable price for SMEs. It seems that a growing trend is growing within SMEs, which is the use of open source software (An evaluation of open source software adoption by UK SMEs in the IT industry.) such as Volatility. But even that, it is not an efficient way to manage several applications all at the same time. A possible solution would be to use an application as a platform for using other open source software with the capability of managing all these remotely. This project is about designing that platform to provide incident response, digital forensics, host and network security as well as malware analysis capability. The platform will provide all the above mentioned capability remotely and having a server-client architecture. 1.2 Relevant past and current work Alien Vault has a software which provides a platform to manage different aspect of security all on one platform called Unified Security Management (USM). The software is a commercial one and provides the management of tools which themselves are commercial software whereas this project aims at using available free software and in-house built features to provide a platform for managing different aspects of security at an affordable price. Below is the management features available in Alien Vault USM and other traditional SIEM. As we can see from both screen capture, many traditional SIEM require 3rd party product to provide some features. Below are the security features provided by alien vault. The USM provides a single platform for managing and monitoring different aspect of security. 2. Project Description – 1 Page 2.1 Project Overview This project aims at designing a platform for managing open source and free applications/tools as well as providing in-house built features. The platform will be dealing with different aspect of security such as incident response, digital forensics, host and network security and malware analysis. The digital forensics capability will be the central part of the project from which incident response and malware analysis will be derived from. The host and network security will be on top of the base structure which comprises the three other aspects. The digital forensics and malware analysis can be split further at a high level view as we can see from the diagram to the left side. Live and static forensics for digital forensics on the other hand Static and dynamic analysis for malware analysis. 2.2 Importance of this project Security should be the concern of everybody, SMEs should be given alternative option to expensive security products to enable them to provide more secure services to clients, which in-directly or directly can affects anybody. This project aims at providing a cost effective solution by providing a platform to manage open source tools and application. The main assumption will be, despite knowing that free applications and tools have limitations, it is a better option than having no security at all or limited one due to having a limited budget for security. 2.3 Aims and Objectives It is important in a project to properly design the aims and objectives since it allows the setting up of the directionthe direction in which the project must go through. Objectives allow us to measure and assess the outcome of the project. Please refer to Appendix A for the aims and objectives. 3. Programme and methodology – 3 Pages 3.1 Spiral Methodology The spiral methodology seems to be the best option to suit the project. The spiral methodology as compared to waterfall methodology has the advantage of demonstrating that development projects work best when they are both incremental and iterative, where the development is able to start small and benefit from enlightened trial and error along the way. The spiral methodology reflects the relationship of tasks with rapid prototyping, increased parallelism, and concurrency in designing and building activities. The spiral method should still be planned methodically, with tasks and deliverables identified for each step in the spiral. Throughout the entire project we are going to use the spiral methodology for the design and development of the software/platform. The next part of this section will be the planning of tasks and deliverables as well as expected Milestone. Why do you think the spiral best suits your project? Not the other methodology give concrete examples. 3.2 Project Management 3.2.1 Budget Planning 3.2.1.1 Milestone The table below is just an estimation of how much time each task will take and gives us enough information to plan the project in a more realistic way. Generally tasks will be performed in parallel rather than in a linear way which has its advantages and disadvantage such as time saving and whereby some tasks must be completed prior to some other tasks. 3.2.1.2 Gantt Chart Please find below a Gantt chart representing the planned tasks over the budget allocated to us. 3.3 Project Approach The first part of the project will focus on the literature review where we are going to analyse tools, applications and process/features which are relevant to the project. The next part, we will be talking about why the features/applications/tools might be important for SMEs and their security from a technical and non-technical perspective. The third step will be to developed the features and integrate the tools/applications within the designed platform. The final step will be the testing and documenting of the results obtained and makes sure that the aims and objectives are satisfied. 4. Ethical and Legal Consideration – 1 page Before starting a project, it is crucial to properly understand the internal policies of the organisation you are developing something for and any local laws that might apply to the project. Some features of the project might invade the privacy of the users which in our case will be employees. It is a good practise to have policies about the possibility of company’s resources being monitored and might be investigated without prior notice or user permission but this might not be enough in a trial. One alternative would be to make sure the company where we are going to implement this project displays a well-defined warning banner. Without a banner, the right to investigate or monitor a system used by employees might conflict with user’s expectation of privacy. The EU and its member nations which include UK impose a strict fine for information that crosses national boundaries without the person’s consent. 4.1 Law in UK According to the UK Government’s website (https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-your-business/monitoring-staff-at-work), it is possible for employer to monitor employees at workplace if the below conditions are met: Be clear about the reasons for monitoring staff and the benefits that this will bring. Identify any negative effects the monitoring may have on staff. This is called an impact assessment. Consider whether there are any, less intrusive, alternatives to monitoring. Work out whether the monitoring is justified, taking into account all of the above. Monitoring employees’ activities on a computer system is cover by the data protection act. Data protection law doesnt prevent monitoring in the workplace. However, it does set down rules about the circumstances and the way in which monitoring should be carried out. Based on UK law, it is also for employers to monitor their employees without their consent for specific reasons. (Please refer to Appendix B for the reasons) 4.2 Ethics The question about whether it is ethical to monitor or investigate on employees can be debate on different point of view which can include the privacy of users, the need to protect client’s data, to provide reliable and trustful services to client by minimising the risks of external as well as internal threats such as insiders. But at the end of the day, the majority always win over the minority, what would be more ethical? Monitoring hundreds of employees or having more than one million client’s credit card details unprotected from insiders? 5. Impact 0.5 – 0.75 page 5.1 National Importance Services provided by SMEs such as data storage, client’s data management, POS information management, companies’ secret industrial process and many others will be more secure since the SMEs will improve on their security using a cost saving solution and providing several layers of security. Risks associated to insiders will be minimised. 5.2 Commercial Impact The platform could be sold at an affordable price or via a donation mechanism. The money can then be used for developing new features, improves existing features and provide upgrades. 5.3 Academic Impact This project can provide a platform for further research opportunity such as: Research can be done about why despite knowing that security is crucial still SMEs are not improving their security? Cost associated with security products? The assessment of the impacts on security in general if security products were cheaper and easily available for on SMEs. Does security improved if managed and monitored using a single platform rather than using several different security products (Efficiency and conflict arise when using several security products). References Cyber security awareness still in its infancy, says Sans Institute. 2015.Cyber security awareness still in its infancy, says Sans Institute. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240234932/Cyber-security-awareness-still-in-its-infancy-says-SANS-Institute. [Accessed 18 May 2015]. Information Security Awareness Training | Cybersecurity Awareness | SANS. 2015.Information Security Awareness Training | Cybersecurity Awareness | SANS. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.securingthehuman.org/. [Accessed 18 May 2015]. Study Finds Most European Breaches Caused by Organizational Error, Insider Attacks | The State of Security. 2015.Study Finds Most European Breaches Caused by Organizational Error, Insider Attacks | The State of Security. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/latest-security-news/study-finds-most-european-breaches-caused-by-organizational-error-insider-attacks/. [Accessed 18 May 2015]. Brunel University Research Archive: An evaluation of open source software adoption by UK SMEs in the IT industry. 2015.Brunel University Research Archive: An evaluation of open source software adoption by UK SMEs in the IT industry. [ONLINE] Available at:http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/4509. [Accessed 18 May 2015]. Brian Buffett, UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2014)Factors influencing open source software adoption in public sector national and international statistical organisations, [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.50/2014/Topic_1_UNESCO.pdf [Accessed: 18 May 2015]. SME’s help Governments make huge IT savings. — PretaGov. 2015.SME’s help Governments make huge IT savings. — PretaGov. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.pretagov.co.uk/news/sme2019s-help-governments-make-huge-it-savings. [Accessed 18 May 2015]. How SMEs can drive growth through new technologies. 2015.How SMEs can drive growth through new technologies. [ONLINE] Available at:http://yourbetterbusiness.co.uk/how-smes-can-drive-growth-through-new-technologies/. [Accessed 18 May 2015]. Unified Security Management (USM) Platform. 2015.Unified Security Management (USM) Platform. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.alienvault.com/products. [Accessed 19 May 2015]. James R. Chapman 1997, Software Development Methodology, Project Management Training. [ONLINE] Available: http://www.hyperthot.com/pm_sdm.htm [Accessed 19 May 2015] NELSON, B., PHILLIPS, A. ET STEUART, C , 2010. Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations. 4th Edition. Course Technology Data protection and your business GOV.UK. 2015.Data protection and your business GOV.UK. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-your-business/monitoring-staff-at-work. [Accessed 20 May 2015]. Monitoring at work Citizens Advice . 2015.Monitoring at work Citizens Advice. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/rights-at-work/monitoring-at-work/. [Accessed 21 May 2015]. Appendix – A A1 Aims of the project Please find below the aims of the project: Provide a cost effective IT Security solution. Provide security in its different aspects all under one platform. Provide remote management capability. A2 Objectives of the project Please find below the objectives of the project: Secure communication between server and clients. Ability to monitor and detect suspected behaviour/activities. Ability to remotely manage clients from server (Platform). Ability to capture relevant information from clients to server for investigation. Ability to provide Confidentiality and integrity on clients. More detailed and technical objectives are to be derived at a later stage of the project, which will in-turn be translated into features that will be provided by the platform. Appendix – B B1 – Reasons for monitoring employees To establish facts which are relevant to the business, to check that procedures are being followed, or to check standards, for example, listening in to phone-calls to assess the quality of your work To prevent or detect crime. To check for unauthorised use of telecommunications systems, such as whether you are using the internet or email for personal use. To make sure electronic systems are operating effectively, for example, to prevent computer viruses entering the system. To check whether a communication you have received, such as an email or phone-call is relevant to the business. In this case, your employer can open up your emails or listen to voice-mails but is not allowed to record your calls. To check calls to confidential help lines. In this case, your employer can listen in, but is not allowed to record these calls in the interests of national security.

Rene Magrittes Ceci nest Pas Une Pipe and Les Deux Mysteres :: Art Painting Artist Essays

Rene Magritte's Ceci n'est Pas Une Pipe and Les Deux Mysteres The aesthetic value of Rene Magritte’s paintings is driven by a relationship manufactured by the artist. By specifically targeting an audience who can recognize that a set of established artistic interpretations are being challenged in his paintings, Magritte generates a dialectic argument that attempts to deconstruct Plato’s mimetic interpretation of art. As a result, the painting of a negated representation contained within a painted representation of that same object necessarily appeals to a subjective and not objective desire to comprehend Magritte’s intent. In other words, because we (the audience) know that you (the artist) know that your breaking the â€Å"rules,† a specific interest rather than a disinterested idea of beauty influences the aesthetic judgment of Magritte’s work. The we know that you know concept in Magritte’s paintings Ceci n’est Pas Une Pipe and Les Deux Mysteres effectively illustrates the nebulous connotations of beauty and the difficulty of determining an objects aesthetic value. Because of the complexity of ideas created by the different perspectives inherent in all creative endeavors, critics and philosophers, such as Joseph Addison and Immanuel Kant, have attempted to define the parameters of aesthetic judgment. Consequently, Addison and Kant each developed an argument that identified the parameters of aesthetic judgment and highlighted the sense of taste necessary for the recognition of beauty. As a result, in the interpretation of Magritte’s paintings, both Addison and Kant would conclude-- from different reasons drawn from their respective arguments--that Magritte’s work fails to attain a level of achievement consistent with the beautiful. At the top of Addison’s triarchy of aesthetic judgment or taste is the idea that â€Å"true wit† (an Addison synonym for beauty) is grounded in the â€Å"resemblance of ideas†¦ that gives delight and surprise† to an individual (Addison, 264). Working primarily as a source of literary criticism, Addison’s argument about the judgment of taste appears in his Spectator essays that are nonetheless dedicated to the defense of all â€Å"higher† forms of artistic endeavors and to the supremacy of â€Å"polite society† as the guardians of true wit (Lecture). For Addison, the ability to recognize true wit represented a necessary prerequisite for an individual’s acceptance into polite society. Further more, Addison’s argument implied that the judgment of beauty, although based on an ideal of objectivity, is in part an empirical knowledge gained from the â€Å"rules and arts of criticism† that provided the â€Å"accuracy and co rrectness† for contemporary true wit to exist (Addison, 261).

Cosmopolitans and Locals

Cosmopolitans and locals â€Å"If there were only locals in the world, world culture would be no more than the sum of its separate parts†. Hannerz 1990:249 Ulf Hannerz (1990) argues that the world culture is created through the increasing interconnectedness of varied local cultures where people connect in different ways. He uses Robert Merton's cosmopolitan-local distinctions in a global context, to describe how people identify themselves with the global or not. The term `cosmopolitan' is often used rather loosely to describe just about anybody who moves around in the world. But of such people, Hannerz argue some would seem more cosmopolitans than others and others again hardly cosmopolitans at all. He describes a genuine cosmopolitanism as first of all an orientation – a willingness to engage with the other. The willingness to become involved with the other, and the concern with achieving competence in cultures, which are initially alien, is central. Being on the move is not enough to turn into a cosmopolitan. Due to this Hannerz ask a crucial question: Are tourists, exiles, business people and labour migrants cosmopolitans? And if not: Why? A contemporary writer, Paul Theroux (1986), comments that many people travel for the purpose of `home plus'. They seem cosmopolitans but are really locals at heart. Spain is home plus sunshine, India is home plus servants etc. For business people travel is ideally home plus more and better business. The `plus' has often nothing to do with alien systems of meaning, and a lot to do with facts of nature, such as nice beaches or sunshine. The exiles are often no real cosmopolitan either, because their involvement with an alien culture is something that has been forced on them. At best, life in another country is home plus safety or home plus freedom. For labour migrants going away may be home plus higher income and their involvement with another culture is a necessary cost to be kept as low as possible (Hannerz 1990). Transnational cultures today tend to be occupational cultures (and are often tied to transnational job markets). Konrad (1984) emphasises the transnational culture of intellectuals for instance. â€Å"The global flow of information proceeds on many different technical and institutional levels, but on all levels the intellectuals are the ones who know most about one another across the frontiers, who keep in touch with one another, and who feel that they are one another's allies†¦ † Konrad 1984: 208 Hannerz add that there are transnational occupational cultures also of bureaucrats, politicians, business people, journalists and diplomats, and various others. These people shift their bases for longer periods within their lives and wherever they go they'll find others who will interact with them in the terms of specialised but collectively held understandings. Hannerz argue that because of the transnational cultures, a large number of people are nowadays systematically and directly involved with more than one culture. The transnational and territorial cultures of the world are entangled with one another in manifold ways. Some transnational cultures are more insulated from local practises than others and the transnational cultures are also as wholes usually more marked by some territorial culture than by others. However, most of them are in different ways extensions or transformations of the culture of Western Europe and North America.

Human Trafficking Essay - 1195 Words

In 1865 slavery was abolished in the United States. At least that it was most Americans believe but that is not the case. In today’s society we have an issue that is just a horrific as slavery back in the day. It is the trafficking of women and children. The online Oxford Dictionary defines human trafficking as, â€Å" the illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation.† Therefore, this is modern day slavery. Women and children are being tortured, abused, and scared physically and mentally for the rest of their lives. Also, once in the sex-trade business it is very unlikely that the victim will come out alive. About 30,000 women and children are found dead each year due to them being†¦show more content†¦Even though sex-trafficking victims go through extensive therapy after being rescued it is still very hard to return to everyday life knowing that for some period of time you were enslaved, tortured, and abused. Sex-trafficking victims not only have emotional scars they have physical scars from being tortured and abused by their â€Å"pimps† but they have health issues that they may have to deal with for the rest of their lives. In the Sex/Slavery Trafficking article it asserts, â€Å" Once â€Å"broken in,† sex trafficked victims can service up to 30 men a day, and are vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection and unwanted pregnancy.† This just goes to show to what extent the victims can be traumatized. A girl who is still a virgin is like a pot of gold to these men. They have rape them and then the girls are scared for the rest of their lives knowing that some random man who raped her took her virginity. Also, for the women that are infected with HIV that is just puts an even bigger burden on their shoulders because everyday they will be reminded of what their life once was because they will have this disease for the rest of their life. 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