Security Challenges Flashcards
(18 cards)
What are Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks?
DoS attacks-launched from a single internet connection, often from one computer - aim to overwhelm network resources, making them unavailable to legitimate users. These attacks can be launched by flooding the network with excessive traffic, exploiting vulnerabilities, or consuming system resources. The consequences can be anything from service disruptions to complete system failures, leading to significant operational and financial losses.
What is Malware propagation?
Network traffic can be a vector for the spread of malicious software, such as viruses, worms, and trojans. These malicious programs can infiltrate systems, steal sensitive data, disrupt operations, and potentially cause widespread damage across the network.
What is Data interception and eavesdropping?
Unencrypted network traffic can be intercepted and monitored by unauthorized parties, posing a significant risk to data privacy and confidentiality. Eavesdroppers can potentially gain access to sensitive information, such as login credentials, financial data, or intellectual property, leading to data breaches and theft.
What is the Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks?
In a MitM attack, an attacker intercepts and potentially modifies the communication between two parties, impersonating each party and deceiving them into believing they are communicating directly. This type of attack can lead to data manipulation, theft, and unauthorized access to systems.
What are insider threats?
While external threats are often the focus of security efforts, insider threats posed by malicious or negligent employees, contractors, or partners can be equally damaging. Insiders with access to network resources and sensitive data can intentionally or unintentionally compromise security and privacy.
What is data leakage?
One of the primary privacy concerns related to network traffic analysis is data leakage. As network traffic traverses various network segments, it can inadvertently expose sensitive information. This includes personally identifiable information (PII) like names, addresses, and social security numbers, financial records such as credit card details and transaction histories, or confidential business data including trade secrets and proprietary information. Data leakage can occur through several vectors.
What are misconfiguried systems?
Incorrectly configured network devices or applications can unintentionally expose data. For example, a misconfigured database might be accessible online without proper authentication.
What is insecure protocols?
Using outdated or insecure network protocols can lead to data being transmitted in clear text, which makes it easy for eavesdroppers to intercept and read the data.
What is improper encryption?
Failing to encrypt sensitive data properly or using weak encryption methods can allow attackers to decrypt and access the information.
Define user tracking and profiling?
Another significant privacy challenge arises from the potential for user tracking and profiling based on their network traffic. Analyzing traffic patterns can reveal a lot about a user’s online behavior, preferences, and routines. This information can be exploited in several ways.
What is targeted advertising?
Companies may use this data to deliver highly targeted advertisements, raising concerns about invasive marketing practices.
What is surveillance?
Governments or malicious actors could use traffic analysis to monitor individuals or groups, potentially leading to unwarranted privacy invasions.
What are privacy-invasion purposes?
The aggregated information could be used for profiling that impacts an individual’s privacy rights and freedoms.
How is encryption important for data security?
Encryption plays a pivotal role in protecting the confidentiality and integrity of network traffic. Using strong cryptographic algorithms and protocols, sensitive data is transformed into an unreadable format, making it useless to unauthorized parties who may intercept or eavesdrop on the communication.
How are VPNs important for network security?
Virtual private networks are effective for securing network traffic, particularly when communicating over public or untrusted networks. VPNs create a secure, encrypted tunnel between the client and the remote network, protecting the data transmitted across the network.
How are firewalls important for network security?
Firewalls are essential network security components that control and filter incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined rules. Implemented at various network levels, firewalls mitigate threats like unauthorized access, malware propagation, and malicious activities.
What is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
This EU regulation imposes stringent data protection requirements on organizations processing the data of EU citizens, including how they handle network traffic data.
What is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?
In the United States, HIPAA sets the standard for protecting sensitive patient data, affecting how healthcare providers manage network traffic that contains health information.
