Title: Module 2 Introduction
Course: CET 2660 Network Security Fundamentals > Section: Module Two - Attacks, Assessments, and Mitigation

Introduction

"Mafiaboy," a.k.a. 15-year-old Michael Calce, set out to make a name for himself in February 2000 when he launched "Project Rivolta," which took down the website of…Yahoo.

January 2008: Anonymous Vs. Scientology

In Anonymous’s big “coming out party,” the now infamous group of loosely-connected “hacktivist” computer users targeted the Church of Scientology in an operation dubbed “Project Chanology.” The group’s mass-DDoS attack, coordinated using the same software program used to fight for Wikileaks this week, targeted Scientology.org, momentarily knocking it offline. Their goal: to “save people from Scientology by reversing the brainwashing."

Starting in late-2008, the “Conficker” worm exploited vulnerabilities in a number of Microsoft operating systems. Once it takes over an infected machine, it links unwilling computers together into a massive botnet that can be controlled by its authors, whomever, and wherever, they are. Since its first detection, “Conficker” has infected millions of computers and business networks in countries around the world, as authorities struggle to identify its authors—some say they may be military agents - and stamp out the threat.

It is unthinkable today to imagine a world without Internet. Yet, with the introduction of the Internet, we are attacked with every imaginable ways. Anonymity can be used by the attackers, and it becomes even more difficult for the authorities to prevent finding these criminals and prosecuting them. Having said this, today, organizations are faced with the question of “How vulnerable are we?” It is a fact that all computer systems and information contained on those systems are vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, organizations must protect themselves by realistically evaluate their vulnerabilities, realistically assessing how an attacker could penetrate the system, and then take proactive steps to defend against those attacks. In this module, we will explain the different types of Web application attacks. We will also define vulnerability assessment and its importance, and techniques for mitigating and deterring attacks.

Objectives

Upon completion of this module, the student will be able to:

List and explain the different types of Web application attacks
Define client-side attacks
Explain how a buffer overflow attack works
List different types of denial of service attacks
Describe interception and poisoning attacks

Define vulnerability assessment and explain why it is important
List vulnerability assessment techniques and tools
Explain the differences between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing
List techniques for mitigating and deterring attacks

Readings & Resources

Chapter 3: Application and Network Attacks p. 82-105
Chapter 4: Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigating Attacks p. 124-144