Day 8
Day 8
Day 8
Compliance
Objectives
• Understand organization approach to
cybersecurity
The blueprint for an organization’s cybersecurity program, this policy serves as the
strategic plan for implementing cybersecurity controls.
This measure is often put in place to ensure that more than one employee is required to
complete a particular task, effectively adding in extra checks and balances for security. This
distribution of control limits the power of any single employee over critical processes and
reduces the risk of a task being compromised.
Mandatory Vacation
Most organizations will insist that employees take a minimum period of vacation every year,
during which time another employee will cover their role. This helps an organization discover if
any employees have been involved in long-term, malicious activities.
Corporate Accounting
Following several high-profile corporate accounting scandals in the U.S., Congress
passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002 to overhaul financial and
corporate accounting standards. Specifically, it targeted the financial standards
and practices of publicly traded firms in the country.
Credit Card
Private industry also recognizes how important uniform and enforceable
standards are and, in 2006, a Security Standards Council composed of the top
organizations in the payment card industry designed a private sector initiative to
improve the confidentiality of network communications.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of
contractual rules that seek to protect payment cardholder payment data during a
transaction and reduce fraud. In theory, the PCI DSS is a voluntary standard.
However, in practice, any organization that stores, processes or transmits
cardholder data that fails to comply with the PCI DSS standard may face
significantly higher transaction fees, fines up to $500,000 and, in extreme
circumstances, lose the ability to process payment cards.
Cryptography
Organizations that import or export commercial encryption products are
subject to regulations that are overseen by the Bureau of Industry and Security in
the Department of Commerce.
Export restrictions to rogue states and terrorist organizations may be in place due
to national security concerns.
Also, some countries may decide to restrict the import of cryptography
technologies due to concerns that:
• The technology contains a backdoor or security vulnerability.
• Citizens can use this technology to communicate anonymously and elude
monitoring by the authorities.
• Privacy levels could increase above an acceptable level.
Security Breach Notification
Law
There are several laws in the U.S. that require organizations to notify individuals
if a breach of their personal data occurs.
Security Policy
This document addresses the constraints and behaviors of individuals within an
organization and often specifies how data can be accessed, and what data is
accessible by whom.
Asset Management
This is an inventory of and classification scheme for information assets within an
organization.
Human Resources Security
This refers to the security procedures in place that relate to employees joining, moving
within and leaving an organization.
Compliance
This describes the process of ensuring conformance with information security
policies, standards and regulations.
Control Objectives
These twelve domains are made up of control objectives (ISO 27001) and controls (ISO
27002).
Control Objectives
Control objectives define the high-level requirements for implementing a comprehensive
information security management system within an organization, and usually provide a
checklist to use during an ISMS audit.
Passing this audit indicates that an organization is ISO 27001 compliant and provides
partners with confidence in the security of the organization’s data and operations.
Controls
Controls set out how to accomplish an organization’s control objectives. They establish
guidelines for implementing, maintaining and improving the management of information
security in an organization.
For example...
An organization’s control objective is to control access to networks by using the
appropriate authentication mechanisms for users and equipment.
A relevant control, therefore, is to use strong passwords consisting of at least
eight characters and a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and
symbols.
Remember, controls are like guidelines. They are not mandatory and there is
often more than one way to comply with a control objective. But controls should
always be neutral and not endorse a specific product or organization.
ISO 27001 & CIA Triad
ISO 27000 is a universal framework that is applicable to every type of
organization. In order to use it effectively, an organization must identify which
domains, control objectives and controls apply to its environment and operations.
Most organizations do this by producing a statement of applicability (SOA) which
allows it to tailor the available control objectives and controls to best meet its
priorities around confidentiality, integrity and availability.
Different organizations will prioritize confidentiality, integrity and availability
differently.
For example, data Confidentiality and Availability are the highest priorities
at Google, while Integrity is a lower priority (Google does not verify user
data). While Amazon places priority on Availability
The National Cybersecurity
Standard Framework
The National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) created the National
Cybersecurity Workforce Framework to support organizations seeking
cybersecurity professionals. The framework organizes cybersecurity work into
seven categories, outlining the main job roles, responsibilities and skills needed
for each one.
Operate and Maintain
Provides the support, administration and maintenance required to ensure
effective and efficient IT system performance and security.
Protect and Defend
Identifies, analyzes and mitigates threats to internal systems and networks.
Investigate
Investigates cybersecurity events and/or cyber attacks involving IT resources.
Collect and Operate
Provides specialized denial and deception operations and collection of
cybersecurity information.
Analyze
Performs highly specialized review and evaluation of incoming cybersecurity
information to determine its usefulness for intelligence.
Oversea and Govern
Provides leadership, management, direction or development and advocacy so an
organization may effectively conduct cybersecurity work.
Securely Provision
Conceptualizes, designs, procures or builds secure IT systems.
CIS Control Structure
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) developed a set of critical security
controls to help organizations with different levels of resources and expertise at
their disposal to improve their cyber defenses.
Basic Control
Organizations with limited resources and cybersecurity expertise available should
implement:
• Inventory and control of hardware assets.
• Inventory and control of software assets.
• Continuous vulnerability management.
• Controlled use of administrative privileges.
• Secure configurations for hardware and software.
• Maintenance, monitoring and analysis of audit logs.
Foundational Control
Organizations with moderate resources and cybersecurity expertise available
should implement the basic controls as well as:
• Email and web browser protections.
• Malware defense.
• Limitation and control of network ports, protocols and services.
• Data recovery capabilities.
• Secure configurations for network devices.
• Boundary defense.
• Data protections.
• Controlled access based on the ‘need to know’ principle.
• Wireless access control.
• Account monitoring and control.
Organizational Control
Organizations with significant resources and cybersecurity expertise available
should implement the basic and foundational controls, as well as:
• A security awareness and training program.
• Application software security.
• Incident response and management.
• Penetration tests and red team exercises (simulated attack exercises to gauge
an organization’s security capabilities).
Compliance
Service providers may need to provide assurances to their client organizations
that the security controls they implement are properly designed and operate
effectively.
Statement on Standards on Attestation
Engagements (SSAE)
This is an independent audit of an organization’s reporting controls as they relate
to the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy of a
system. An attestation report will confirm that controls are in place at a specific
point in time (Type I) or managed over a period of at least six months (Type II).
These reports provide assurance to a client organization that there are controls in
place and operating to protect sensitive data.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification
(CMMS)
This certification is aimed at any organizations providing a service to the U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD) and verifies that these organizations have
adequate cybersecurity practices and processes in place to ensure ‘basic’ cyber
hygiene at a minimum.
The CMMC establishes five certification levels that range from ‘basic cyber
hygiene practices’ to ‘enhanced practices that provide more sophisticated
capabilities to detect and respond to APTs.’ It is likely that service providers will
have to achieve the appropriate CMMC requirement in order to be considered for
a DoD contract award.
Thank You