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Cyber Security
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Intro to Cyber Security
As the world around us is increasingly reliant on technology, the risk of cyber attacks and natural disasters causing devastating damage to the infrastructure becomes greater. As the security increases the attacks end up becoming more sophisticated so the need for infrastructure to be in place to protect organizations and businesses is very important as they could lose a lot of money and information. -
AO1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of technical language, security threats, system vulnerabilities and security protection methods, and implications resulting from successful threats -
AO2
Apply knowledge and understanding of security threats, system vulnerabilities and security protection methods and implications in order to risk assess systems and select appropriate tools to secure them -
AO3
Analyse forensic evidence data and information to identify security breaches and manage security incidents -
AO4
Evaluate protection methods and security documentation to make reasoned judgements and draw conclusions about their efficacy -
AO5
Be able to plan a secure computer network and manage security incidents with appropriate justification -
Period: to
Cyber Security
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Lesson 1 Review
Last week we learnt about the different types of hackers such as white hat, black hat and grey hat. We also learned about different methods of attack such as algorithm and DDOS attacks. We also learned about Bring Your Own Device, which lets users bring their own laptops/tablets and connect to an organisations network from them. -
Lesson 2 Review
We discussed the vulnerability database that collects and maintains information about compute vulnerabilities along with the Infragard program the FBI runs to help protect organisations from cyber crime. We discussed why hackers might want to access your personal information, medical records, education records and employments and financial records. We also discussed the difference between internal and external threats and what the main skills of a cyber security specialist are. -
Lesson 3 Review
Today we discussed different hashing functions such as SHA-1 and MD5, they are used to encrypt plaintext and make sure that either end is encrypted.
We also discussed AAA which is authentication, authorization and accountability, these are the 3 main ways in which we can make sure users who have access to data are verifiable and held accountable for their actions. -
Lesson 3 Review (2)
Last week we discussed different encryption methods and hashing functions such as SHA-1 and MD5, we also made a start on a simple network in packet tracer and connected everything up but still need to configure the IP addresses. -
Lesson 4 Review
This week we started learning about the different type of threats that can affect your computer such as worms, trojan horses and spyware. We also learned about network attacks such as Dos attacks and sniffing tools. -
Lesson 4 Review (2)
Last week we learned about the different types of threat you can face, we researched various threats such as worms, trojan horses and spyware, we then tried to find real world examples to get a better grasp on how they work and spread to infect peoples machines. -
Lesson 5 Review
Today we have learned about the different ways of encrypting data such as Asymmetric and Symmetric algorithms which are complex mathematical functions to enforce data integrity on both ends while keeping it secure. We also learned about one time pads which are useful for authentication in modern times. -
Lesson 6 Review
Today we discussed the different bit lengths of hashing algorithms and the how many possible combinations they each have along with the pigeonhole principle. We also talked about digital signatures which are used to determine a users authenticity when signing documents online. We then talked about PKI which is public key infrastructure which is a system used for the creation, storage and distribution of digital certificates. -
Lesson 6 Review (2)
Last week we discussed the different bit lengths of hashing algorithms and the how many possible combinations they each have along with the pigeonhole principle. We also talked about digital signatures which are used to determine a users authenticity when signing documents online. We then talked about PKI which is public key infrastructure which is a system used for the creation, storage and distribution of digital certificates. -
Lesson 7 Review
This week we learned about the five 9's which in networking is 99.999% uptime of a network, where the allowance for network outage is only 5 minutes per year! We discussed what type of business would require five 9's such as banking, health services etc. We also discussed single points of failure and how it is critical to have backups in case something fails. We also learned about Spanning tree protocol which prevents loops in networks which in turn reduces load. -
Lesson 7 Review (2)
Last Lesson we covered the 5 9's which stands for 99.999% uptime of a network, which is a very important target to have. This only gives you around 5 minutes a year of downtime so it requires you to have multiple failsafes and reduction of single points of failure. We also learned about spanning tree protocol which is an automatic network routing protocol that stops looping on a network -
Lesson 8 Review
Today we did a packet tracer exercise where we set up a network so that files and Email could be sent, it involved configuring the FTP, DNS, Web, Email, NTP and AAA servers. I then started the 2nd exercise which then actually used these systems by uploading a file to the server and sending emails. -
Lesson 9 Review
This week i finished off the 2nd lab for packet tracer which involved using the network we established in our last exercise to send a file using the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server. We then were issued with a revision workbook which covers all of the material we will need for the exam. -
Lesson 8 Review (2)
Last week we set did a packet tracer exercise where i had to configure a network so that files and emails could be sent, after verifying the servers were configured correctly i started the 2nd exercise where I set up the accounts for the email server then sent emails and files then verified that everything was sent. -
Thoughts on Cyber Exam
- The exam is 5 hours but we will have a break in between
- I have found it helpful to go through the requirements and write my thoughts under each one.
- I read the brief multiple times to give me a clear vision of it.
- Risk assessment = common sense mostly
- Bulk of marks achieved in activity 2
- I will need to revise for the cyber security action plan
- Management report should be easy after completing activity 1 + 2.
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Thoughts on cyber exam
8.will need to revise private ipv4 adresses
9.will need to revise VPN's and how the work and are implemented in business
10.will need to revise connection points and patch panels and how they work. -
Lesson 9 Review (2)
Last lesson we started to do practice paper A for the cyber security exam, the exam consists of receiving a brief and getting a general overview of the current state of the security in a business, we then have to assess the risks associated and develop a plan on improving the security of the business. -
Lesson 10 Review
Today we looked at Practice paper B which involves being briefed on a cyber security incident that is related back to part A, we have to review evidence given and then give an incident analysis for each piece of evidence and then a security report which involves suggesting improvements and how they could avoid the situation occurring again. -
Cyber Examiners Report + Mark Scheme
Last week we looked over past papers and went over the marking scheme in which there were example answers from differing grades this was helpful as you can see the kind of level we need to be at. The paper also featured common mistakes students made and i found this very helpful. -
25/11/2021
This week i completed the 4th packet tracer task which covered downloading compromised files from an ftp server and cross-referencing the hashes with the backup files from the backup ftp server to make sure they weren't altered. -
02/12/2021
Facts: Last week i completed the 4th packet tracer lab
Emotion: I feel it was very useful and gave me a taste of what its like to be a cyber investigator
Benefit: It helped me understand hashing a lot more and accessing ftp servers using the command line.
Ideas: I would like to try different encryption methods using the same process.
Planning: Next i plan to do the 5th lab and learn more about cyber security
Judgement: I honestly enjoy doing these labs as they help me understand the subject. -
02/01/2022 (2)
Facts: Today I completed the 5th lab in packet tracer which was all about configuring WPA (Wi-Fi protected access)
Emotion: It was a bit tedious having to set up each individual user
Benefit: It arms me with the knowledge of securing a wireless network which is very useful in this era.
Ideas: Could make a macro that autogenerates usernames and passwords to save time.
Planning: I will do the next PT exercise
Judgement:Wireless setup is pretty boring but important to the way in which work is done.
