ComputerScienceExpert
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HERE IS MY PROJECT WHICH SHOULD BE DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS AND I WILL BE CHECKING FOR PLAGIARISM WORK.
Project instructions (should divide in three parts instruction below.)
You have been recently hired as a network security analyst for a small accounting firm. The firm realizes
that it needs help to secure its network and customers' data. With your background and skills, the firm is
looking to you to provide guidance. In addition to helping the firm secure its network, the firm requires that
you obtain your CompTIA Security+ certification within 60 days of being hired.
In addition to the owner, who serves as the overall business manager, there are about 20 people on staff:
➢ 10 accountants
➢ 3 administrative support specialists
➢ 1 vice president
➢ 1 financial manager
➢ 2 interns
There is also one IT support technician on staff, who has basic computer hardware and networking
knowledge. He has requested that the firm create a website, hosted internally, so that new customers can
get information about the firm. This will be important to remember as you complete your final project.
The firm has a simple network. There are 20 computers and two multipurpose printers. All computers and
printers are connected wirelessly to a NETGEAR MR814 device. This router is connected to a Motorola
SB3100 cable modem. Staff email accounts are set up through the company’s Internet provider.
Employees use a combination of Microsoft Outlook and standard web browsers to access their e-mail.
The owner uses his personal iPad during work hours to check and respond to email messages.
Prior to your hiring, the firm hired a network cabling contractor to run Cat 6 cables from the central wiring
closet to all offices and cubicles. The firm wants to move away from using wireless as the primary network
connection, but wants to keep wireless access for customers coming to the building. The technician who
did the wiring mentioned to your supervisor that he should look into setting up a Windows Server domain
to manage user access, instead of the current peer-to-peer network. He also recommended that the firm
invest in a managed switch and a firewall, and look into having some backups. The internal IT support
technician agreed with these recommendations but needs your help to implement them.
You’ve been asked to assess the current vulnerabilities and provide a recommendation to the firm’s owner
on how to better secure the network infrastructure. Now that you are aware of the firm’s history, your
assessment and recommendation should provide specifics about the network security settings that must
be implemented and the equipment that must be procured, installed, and configured. The firm’s owner
has a basic understanding of computing, so it is important that you explain the technical issues in
layman's terms.
In this learning demonstration, you will use TestOut Security Pro to help you understand how to identify
and assess network infrastructure and pass the CompTIA Security+ certification. In order to identify your
strengths and weaknesses, you will first complete the practice exam that will prepare you for the
certification. The learning materials within LabSim will help you understand the types of vulnerabilities
within a network and how to address them. As you step through each set of activities, you will submit a
Vulnerabilities Assessment and Recommendation Document in three parts. Use the results of the
certification practice exam you took at the beginning of the class to help guide you on which areas within
LabSim you should pay closer attention. You must complete all online labs in LabSim; these are the
activities with the computer mouse icon. Some of the other areas in LabSim are optional. You can
complete any or all of those if you feel you need to learn more about the topics.
There are nine steps in this project that lead you through each deliverable. Templates. Network Security Assessment I. Vulnerability Assessments
Use this section to describe any network security vulnerabilities. Use the scenario along with industry
standards and best practices to identify the vulnerabilities. Describe why it is vulnerable and what the
implication is if it is not mitigated. The example below is of the physical security of a warehouse. (In your submission, you will have several
vulnerabilities identified and mitigated.)
At the Alpha Warehouse, we discovered one key vulnerability to the physical security. This was the use of
a Master Lock combination lock to secure the back entrance. While the use of a combination lock can
limit the number of people who can enter to those given the combination, vulnerability in the design of
these locks was recently exposed. By using “a process that requires less than two minutes and a minimal
amount of skill to carry out” [1], would-be thieves can access the warehouse through a single entrance.
While the thief will need to also have access to an online calculator that helps stream the process, the
prevalence of smartphones makes this a small hurdle to jump, allowing any interested parties quick
access to the Alpha Warehouse. II. Network/System Security Recommendations
This section will provide network/system security recommendations on how to address the
vulnerabilities identified in Section I. Provide specific courses of action along with any pertinent
information about the recommendations. In this section, you will cover recommendations only to
network infrastructure or network devices. Don’t cover software recommendations here.
Example
In order to resolve the vulnerability created by using a Master Lock combination lock, it is recommended
that it be replaced by a more secure deadbolt door lock—specifically, a Falcon D241. This lock is rated as
the top standard lock by Consumer Reports [2]. The magazine rates its resistance to kicking, prying,
wrenching, and hammering as excellent, and the resistance to picking and sawing as very good. The only
thing that was considered poor was its resistance to drilling, but no standard lock was anything other
than poor. Only the high-security locks had higher ratings for drilling, and only one of those, the Medeco
Macum 11WC60L, was rated higher than the Falcon [3]. Given its price of almost three times as much as
the Falcon, the cost does not seem worth the benefit. However, it is a more secure option that the
warehouse administration may want to consider. III. Application/End-User Security Recommendations
This section will provide application/end-user security recommendations. Provide specific courses of
action along with any pertinent information about the recommendations. This section will include any
network protocol or software as well as actions that the end-user must do.
Example
In addition to installing a new lock on the back door of the warehouse, there are policy recommendations
that warehouse administration should implement. The most important policy recommendation is that
the number of keys to the back entrance of the warehouse should be limited to only those that need it
and in most cases only when they need it. As this is a secondary entrance, it is not necessary that all
employees have a permanent key. The warehouse manager should have one key that he keeps at all
times. Additionally, he should have access to a secondary key in the warehouse office that only he can
access. This secondary key can be given on a temporary basis to employees who need to access the back
entrance. Also, this secondary key should be given on a sign-out basis. Employees who are given the key
should have their name noted in a log book. When they return it, another notation is made indicating
such. This tracks who is responsible for the key at any given time, and should it go missing, will serve as a
paper trail for who had the key last. Bibliography
[1] Goodin, D. (2015). How to crack many Master Lock combinations in eight tries or less [Online].
Available: http://www.arstechnica.com/security/2015/04/how-to-crack-any-master-lockcombination-in-8-tries-or-less/
[2] Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure. (2013). Door security: A guide to security
doorsets and associated locking hardware. [Online]. Available:
http://www.cpni.gov.uk/documents/publications/2013/2013012security_doorsets_locking_hardware.pdf
[3] ConsumerReports.org. (2013). Falcon D241 Door Lock Review. [Online]. Available:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/home-improvement/door-locks/door-lockratings/models/overview/falcon-d241-99041055.htm