Network Security11what Is The Osi Security Architectureosi Security ✓ Solved
Network Security 1.1 What is the OSI Security architecture? OSI Security Architecture is a composition providing an orderly way of requirement's definition of security and the unique approaches to satisfying the desired requirements. The document focuses on the understanding of security attacks, mechanism and services. 1.2 What is the difference between passive and active security threads? Passive attacks are the attacks which involve unauthorized attacker indulges in data monitoring of information transfer between sender and receiver.
Active attacks are attacks involving an authorized attacker focusing on altering information being transferred hence conveying the wrong message to the receiver. The two attacks have differences, and active attacks create serious harm to the system because of data alteration while passive attackers do not. A passive attack is associated with adverse effects to data confidentiality, and in contrast, the active attack is prone to affecting integrity and availability of data (Zhu, Hu, Hou & Ding, 2014). The active attack involves achieving the physical control of the communication channel while passive attack focuses on observing transmission of information. 1.3 List and briefly define categories of passive and active security attacks.
Passive Attacks Release of Message Contents The attack requires monitoring messages conveyed, exposing confidential information to unauthorized individuals. Traffic Analysis Traffic analysis involves analyzing the information transfer from the sender to the receiver. Increase in traffic is associated with an increase in the number of message transfer, while a decrease caused by minimal information transfer (Kolias, Meng, Kambourakis & Chen, 2019). Active attacks Masquerade The category of security attack occurs when an unauthorized attacker impersonates authorized individual in terms of message transmission. Modification of messages The classification of active attacks involves altering the desired information by adding or omitting the messages.
Denial of Service The attack involves tampering with the system, making it unavailable to the intended users. 1.4 List and briefly define categories of security services The security service consists of several security services which consist the following, Authentication The services offered involve checking the end user’s legitimacy by checking on both peer entity and data origin authentication. Focus is on communicating entities’ legitimacy. Access Control Data The security service involves avoiding unauthorized use of resources, after authentication control of access is efficient limiting resource access. Data confidentiality Data is protected to ensure that the access is only limited to the right users avoiding disclosure to attackers.
Data integrity The service involves assurance that information sent should be exact as the one received from an authorized entity. Nonrepudiation The service protects information transfer to ensure no entity denies participating in a communication process. Availability of Service The system resource should be available always when demanded by authorized individuals. 1.5 List and briefly categories of security Mechanisms. Security mechanisms include, Digital signature The mechanism involves cryptographic transformation which allows data recipient to provide evidence on data integrity and help protect against forgery.
Encipherment It is a data transformation mechanism using a mathematical algorithm to a data form which is not readily intelligible. Access Control The mechanism deals with monitoring and enforcing access rights to resources. Authentication Exchange The mechanism purposely identifies the target entities through exchange of information. Routing Control It ensures that data passes through selected physical secure routes and also allows routing changes when data is affected by security breaches (Grierson, 2015).. Notarization The mechanism involves including a third party in assuring typical and specific properties of data exchange.
1.6 List and briefly define the fundamental security design principles. Security design principles are as follows, Isolation It consists in separating processes, systems files and security and allowing accessibility when needed. Psychological Acceptability The usability of the system should not be interfered by security mechanisms and the security purpose to meet authorization needs achieved (Grierson, 2015). Layering The method involves the use of many overlapping protections. Fail-Safe-Default A security mechanism should focus on offering permission monitoring rather than excluding users.
Economy of Mechanism The system design should be small and straightforward. 1.7 Explain diff. between an attack surface and an attack tree. Attack surface is the available and readily exploited problems in a functioning system including ports, interface and employees. Attack tree is a formal, ranked and systematic way of describing the security system in terms of data structure and represent the potentiality of set techniques to curb the vulnerabilities. References 1.
Grierson, H. (2015). A Set of Principles for Distributed-Design Information Storing. Design a. n Principles And Practices: An International Journal—Annual Review , 5 (3), . doi: 10.18848//cgp/v05i03/38088. 2. Kolias, C., Meng, W., Kambourakis, G., & Chen, J. (2019).
Security, Privacy, and Trust on a. Internet of Things. Wireless Communications And Mobile Computing , 2019 , 1-3. doi: 10.1155/2019/. 3. Zhu, X., Hu, D., Hou, Z., & Ding, L. (2014).
A location privacy preserving solution to resist a. passive and active attacks in VANET. China Communications , 11 (9), 60-67. doi: 10.1109/cc.2014..
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Understanding the OSI Security Architecture
In the realm of network security, the OSI Security Architecture provides a comprehensive framework that aids in understanding the security requirements, mechanisms, and services essential for secure communication across networks. This architecture reflects a structured approach to defining security within the context of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model, ensuring that all necessary aspects of security concerns are covered (Zhu et al., 2014).
1.1 Overview of OSI Security Architecture
The OSI Security Architecture is segmented into three core components: security attacks, security mechanisms, and security services, each providing a unique perspective on achieving a reliable security posture. It outlines a systematic methodology for identifying and addressing the risks associated with information exchange over networks (Kolias et al., 2019).
Security services encompass functions such as confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and availability while addressing the protection of information from unauthorized access and modifications. Conversely, security mechanisms are the technical implementations used to provide these services (Grierson, 2015).
1.2 Differentiating Between Passive and Active Security Threats
Understanding the difference between passive and active security threats is crucial for developing effective security strategies.
- Passive Attacks involve unauthorized entities monitoring communications and gathering data without altering the data being transferred. Examples include eavesdropping or traffic analysis (Zhu et al., 2014). These attacks primarily threaten the confidentiality of information but do not typically alter the data.
- Active Attacks entail malicious entities taking steps to alter or destroy data as it is transferred. This may involve impersonating a legitimate sender, modifying messages, or conducting denial-of-service attacks (Kolias et al., 2019). Active threats typically compromise data integrity and availability, thereby creating a significant risk to system security.
1.3 Categories of Passive and Active Security Attacks
To navigate the complexities of network security, it is vital to identify specific types of attacks within both passive and active categories.
Passive Attacks
1. Release of Message Contents: This attack involves unauthorized access to the messages being transmitted, allowing attackers to extract sensitive data (Kolias et al., 2019).
2. Traffic Analysis: Attackers analyze patterns and metadata of the data transmission to derive critical information about the communications flow, such as the identity of the communicating parties (Zhu et al., 2014).
Active Attacks
1. Masquerade: This occurs when an attacker pretends to be an authorized user to gain access to sensitive information or systems (Grierson, 2015).
2. Modification of Messages: Involves unauthorized alterations of data during transmission, which can lead to misinformation or data corruption.
3. Denial of Service (DoS): Attackers overwhelm a system, rendering it unavailable to legitimate users by disrupting normal functioning or exhausting resources (Zhu et al., 2014).
1.4 Categories of Security Services
Security services aim to uphold specific standards of protection to ensure secure data transmission.
1. Authentication: This service verifies the identity of entities involved in a communication, ensuring that only legitimate users can access resources (Grierson, 2015).
2. Access Control: This restricts unauthorized users from accessing sensitive data or resources after authentication has taken place (Kolias et al., 2019).
3. Data Confidentiality: This ensures that sensitive data is only accessible to authorized individuals (Zhu et al., 2014).
4. Data Integrity: This provides assurance that the data received by the recipient is the same as what the sender transmitted (Grierson, 2015).
5. Non-repudiation: Non-repudiation prevents entities from denying participation in a communication, ensuring accountability (Zhu et al., 2014).
6. Availability: Services ensure that network resources are consistently available to authorized users when needed (Kolias et al., 2019).
1.5 Categories of Security Mechanisms
Security mechanisms implement the aforementioned security services, producing tangible security capabilities in systems.
1. Digital Signature: Cryptographic transformations facilitating sender authentication and ensuring data integrity (Kolias et al., 2019).
2. Encipherment: A method of altering data using algorithms to conceal its contents from unauthorized access (Grierson, 2015).
3. Access Control Mechanism: This structure protects resources by monitoring user access rights and enforcing policies (Zhu et al., 2014).
4. Authentication Exchange: This facilitates the verification of identities through the exchange of secure information between entities (Kolias et al., 2019).
5. Routing Control: Mechanisms ensuring that data packets traverse secure routes; this is critical in maintaining data’s confidentiality during transit (Grierson, 2015).
6. Notarization: Involving a trusted third party in validating the authenticity and integrity of a message or transaction (Zhu et al., 2014).
1.6 Fundamental Security Design Principles
When designing secure systems, several critical principles guide the development of secure applications.
1. Isolation: Separation of components and processes to limit the scope of potential security breaches (Grierson, 2015).
2. Psychological Acceptability: User interfaces should be intuitive; security should not impede usability (Kolias et al., 2019).
3. Layering: An approach where multiple overlapping protections provide redundancy in security to mitigate risks (Zhu et al., 2014).
4. Fail-Safe Defaults: Permissions should default to the most restrictive settings, enhancing security from the outset (Grierson, 2015).
5. Economy of Mechanism: A system design that remains simple and manageable to avoid complexities that could introduce vulnerabilities (Kolias et al., 2019).
1.7 Attack Surface vs. Attack Tree
The security landscape includes the concepts of attack surface and attack tree, both of which are crucial in understanding vulnerabilities:
- Attack Surface: This encompasses all the possible points (like physical interfaces, network ports, etc.) that an unauthorized individual can exploit to gain access to a system (Grierson, 2015).
- Attack Tree: This is a formal representation of various paths and techniques that could potentially exploit a system's vulnerabilities. This structured diagram helps security professionals analyze the level of risk associated with particular vulnerabilities (Zhu et al., 2014).
Conclusion
In summary, the OSI Security Architecture plays a vital role in the landscape of network security by categorizing essential components and facilitating the design of secure information systems. Understanding the differences between attack types, recognizing security services, and implementing appropriate mechanisms while adhering to fundamental design principles will significantly enhance the security posture of any given network. Security is an ongoing process that requires concerted efforts from all involved stakeholders.
References
1. Grierson, H. (2015). A Set of Principles for Distributed-Design Information Storing. Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal—Annual Review, 5(3). doi:10.18848//cgp/v05i03/38088.
2. Kolias, C., Meng, W., Kambourakis, G., & Chen, J. (2019). Security, Privacy, and Trust on the Internet of Things. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2019, 1-3. doi:10.1155/2019/.
3. Zhu, X., Hu, D., Hou, Z., & Ding, L. (2014). A location privacy preserving solution to resist passive and active attacks in VANET. China Communications, 11(9), 60-67. doi:10.1109/cc.2014.6851100.
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