Analyzing Computer Security: A Threat/Vulnerability/Countermeasure Approach, Rough Cuts

Description

This is the Rough Cut version of the printed book.

“In this book, the authors adopt a refreshingly new approach to explaining the intricacies of the security and privacy challenge that is particularly well suited to today’s cybersecurity challenges. Their use of the threat–vulnerability–countermeasure paradigm combined with extensive real-world examples throughout results in a very effective learning methodology.”

—Charles C. Palmer, IBM Research 

Analyzing Computer Security is a fresh, modern, and relevant introduction to computer security. Organized around today’s key attacks, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures, it helps you think critically and creatively about computer security—so you can prevent serious problems and mitigate the effects of those that still occur.

In this new book, renowned security and software engineering experts Charles P. Pfleeger and Shari Lawrence Pfleeger—authors of the classic Security in Computing—teach security the way modern security professionals approach it: by identifying the people or things that may cause harm, uncovering weaknesses that can be exploited, and choosing and applying the right protections. With this approach, not only will you study cases of attacks that have occurred, but you will also learn to apply this methodology to new situations.

The book covers “hot button” issues, such as authentication failures, network interception, and denial of service. You also gain new insight into broader themes, including risk analysis, usability, trust, privacy, ethics, and forensics. One step at a time, the book systematically helps you develop the problem-solving skills needed to protect any information infrastructure.

Coverage includes 

• Understanding threats, vulnerabilities, and countermeasures
• Knowing when security is useful, and when it’s useless “security theater”
• Implementing effective identification and authentication systems
• Using modern cryptography and overcoming weaknesses in cryptographic systems
• Protecting against malicious code: viruses, Trojans, worms, rootkits, keyloggers, and more
• Understanding, preventing, and mitigating DOS and DDOS attacks
• Architecting more secure wired and wireless networks
• Building more secure application software and operating systems through more solid designs and layered protection
• Protecting identities and enforcing privacy
• Addressing computer threats in critical areas such as cloud computing, e-voting, cyberwarfare, and social media

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Foreword xxiii

How Dependent Are We on Computers? 6

What Is Computer Security? 8

Threats 11

Harm 24

Vulnerabilities 30

Controls 30

Analyzing Security With Examples 33

Conclusion 34

Exercises 35

Attack: Impersonation 39

Attack Details: Failed Authentication 40

Vulnerability: Faulty or Incomplete Authentication 41

Countermeasure: Strong Authentication 47

Conclusion 64

Recurring Thread: Privacy 67

Recurring Thread: Usability 69

Exercises 71

Attack: Program Flaw in Spacecraft Software 74

Threat: Program Flaw Leads to Security Failing 75

Vulnerability: Incomplete Mediation 77

Vulnerability: Race Condition 79

Vulnerability: Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use 82

Vulnerability: Undocumented Access Point 84

Ineffective Countermeasure: Penetrate-and-Patch 85

Countermeasure: Identifying and Classifying Faults 86

Countermeasure: Secure Software Design Elements 90

Countermeasure: Secure Software Development Process 97

Good Design 103

Countermeasure: Testing 114

Countermeasure: Defensive Programming 122

Conclusion 123

Recurring Thread: Legal—Redress for Software Failures 125

Exercises 128

Attack: Malicious Code 131

Threat: Malware—Virus, Trojan Horse, and Worm 132

Technical Details: Malicious Code 138

Vulnerability: Voluntary Introduction 155

Vulnerability: Unlimited Privilege 157

Vulnerability: Stealthy Behavior—Hard to Detect and Characterize 157

Countermeasure: Hygiene 158

Countermeasure: Detection Tools 159

Countermeasure: Error Detecting and Error Correcting Codes 166

Countermeasure: Memory Separation 170

Countermeasure: Basic Security Principles 171

Recurring Thread: Legal—Computer Crime 172

Conclusion 177

Exercises 178

Attack: Keylogging 181

Threat: Illicit Data Access 182

Attack Details 182

Harm: Data and Reputation 186

Vulnerability: Physical Access 186

Vulnerability: Misplaced Tr

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