Preventing Cyber Breaches

Preventing Cyber Breaches Jacob Malone The digital universe is growing at an astonishing 40% every year. With this kind of growth cyber security is more import today than any time in history. Cybersecurity is the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access (Rouse, 2016). In 2015 the global cybersecurity market hit $75B and is expected to reach over $170B by 2020. Cyber risk has become an international priority due to fears that cyber-attacks or security failures could lead to a global economy collapse. Cyber crime costs the global economy over US$400 billion per year, according to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2013, some 3,000 companies in the United States had their systems compromised by criminals, the Center reports (Gabel, Liard, Orzechowski, 2015). These cyber-attacks fall into two main categories: breaches in data security and sabotage. A security breach can be anything from targeting personal data to gaining trade secrets to information pertaining to bids or mergers. On the other hand attackers my send denial of service attacks in order to sabotage the infrastructure in order to gain information. Since the late 1980s there have been several critical cyber-attacks. In 1989 the first computer worm was created by Robert Morris that spread so hastily that it shut down the majority of the internet. Fast forward to 2008 and Heatland Payment Systems suffered suffered from one of the largest credit card information breaches in history. It is estimated that over 130 million records were compromised. Their system was corrupted by malware that was inserted into their network that recorded credit card data as it was received from retailers. Finally, in 2015, China attacked the federal government in which they stole PII for over four million federal employees spanning almost every government agency. Officials said the thieves broke in by using stolen contractor logins and passwords (Nakashima, 2015). Once the attackers gained access to OPMs network they installed a malware package the created a backdoor. From there they were able to escalate their rights and privileges in order to access more of OPMs network. The hackers got away with names, birth dates, home addresses, and Social Security numbers (Castelluccio, 2015, p. 79). Almost a year passed before OPM realized they had a problem that discovered irregular SSL traffic by using a decryption tool that was install a few months earlier. Once discovered they reported the discovery to DHS U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team which began the investigation. The discovery of a threat to the background investigation data led to the finding two days later, on April 17, of a risk to the personnel records. US-CERT made the discovery by loading data on the April 15 incident to Einstein, the departments intrusion-detection system. On April 23, US-CERT spotted signs of the Dec. 15 exfiltration in historical netflow data, and OPM decided that a major incident had occurred that required notifying Congress. (Lyngaas, 2015) After a thorough investigation it was undetermined how the hackers acquired the credentials from the contractor KeyPoint Government Solutions. In the wake of the disaster OPM deployed a predictive malware prevention across their network in order to sever the attackers network access. In addition, the agency used an advanced host-based security tool to discover, quarantine and eliminate [the] malware (Lyngaas, 2015). In the end, the Chinese government arrested the hackers that were responsible for the attack. OPMs network was protected by one major Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program called Einstein. The Einstein system, which DHS began deploying in 2005, focuses on the perimeter of federal networks by installing sensors at Web access points and sifting through that data for vulnerabilities (Lyngaas, 2015). This system is only a first line of defense with nothing else to help back it up in case of an intrusion. In order to have avoided this attack or minimize the devastation these programs needed to be accompanied with tools such as masking, redaction, and encryption. OPM could have also used data masking or redaction and encryption techniques to minimize the damage done by the attackers. Data masking obfuscates sensitive data by replacing it with other data typically characters that will meet the requirements of a system designed to test or still work with the masked results. Masking ensures vital parts of personally identifiable information (PII) (Simpson, n.d.). This is commonly used in organizations that work with sensitive data like PII. The sensitive data is masked or redacted in order to protect the information since it passes through so many hands. For example, the first five digits of a social are typically covered or masked is Xs in order to protect the information leaving only the last four digits legible. This process, once completed, is irreversible. Data encryption involves converting and transforming data into scrambled, often unreadable, cipher-text using non-readable mathematical calculations and algorithms. Restoring the message requires a corresponding decryption algorithm and the original encryption key (Simpson, n.d.). This process is used in organizations where data needs to be transferred between networks or computers. During this process the data is converted to non-legible gibberish like ciphertext. The only real way to gain access to this data is to have a special key or password that only authorized users have access to. Encryption Masking Reversible Highest security Trusted with security proofs Realistic data Format-preserving and partial reveals Range and value preserving De-centralized architectures Format-preserving and partial reveals Complex No performance impact on usage Key management Zero need for authentication and authorization and key management Useless without robust authentication and authorization Not as well marketed Data value destruction Not reversible Table 1 Given the scenario of OPMs data breach encryption would not have prevented the breach or loss of data. This is largely due to the fact that the perpetrators had valid user credentials and would be able to access the network just like any other user. The best way to have prevented this attack would have been the timely detection of the intrusion. It can take days or weeks for an intruder to navigate their way around a system and successfully compromise data. During this point if you can identify a breach you can contain the infiltrator before he can accomplish his mission. This could mean the difference between a catastrophic breach and unauthorized user access. Since the attack DHS developed the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program. It focuses on endpoint security and identity management. Furthermore, it provides a dashboard to allow network administrators to view vulnerabilities and provides continuous monitoring. Finally, it also has the ability to identify bad sectors of the network once an attacker is through the perimeter. Also, President Obama signed an Executive Order to create the Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAOs) to buffer between government and industry. The Order presented a framework for enhanced information sharing with the purpose of encouraging private sector companies to work together and work with the federal government to identify cyberthreats (Russo Rishikof, 2016, p. 427). In conclusion, it is highly unlikely that OPM could have completely prevented this attack. However, there are steps they could have taken in order to mitigate the devastation that was caused. Although if encryption techniques were used it would not have protected the information due to the fact the intruders were operating under valid credentials. However, if the data was masked then a limited amount of PII would have been available. Furthermore, if there was a more timely detection of the attackers the damage would have been significantly less. Finally, with the new Executive Order signed by President Obama is a step in the right direction to strengthen cyber security and prevent future attacks. References Castelluccio, M., (2015). The biggest government hack yet. Strategic Finance, 97(8), 79-80 Gabel, D., Liard, B., Orzechowski, D. (2015, July 01). Cyber risk: Why cyber security is important. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://www.whitecase.com/publications/insight/cyber-risk-why-cyber-security-important Lyngaas, S. (2015, August 21). Exclusive: The OPM breach details you havent seen. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://fcw.com/articles/2015/08/21/opm-breach-timeline.aspx Lyngaas, S. (2015, June 5). Security experts: OPM breach shows Einstein isnt enough. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://fcw.com/articles/2015/06/05/opm-einstein.aspx Nakashima, E. (2015, July 09). Hacks of OPM databases compromised 22.1 million people, federal authorities say. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/federal-eye/wp/2015/07/09/hack-of-security-clearance-system-affected-21-5-million-people-federal-authorities-say/?utm_term=.976d563a63f2 Rouse, M. (2016, November). What is cybersecurity? Definition from WhatIs.com. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/cybersecurity Russo, K., Rishikof, H., (2016). Cybersecurity: Executive Orders, Legislation, Cyberattacks, and Hot Topics. Chapman Law Review, 19(2), 427. Simpson, J. (n.d.). Data Masking and Encryption Are Different. Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://www.iri.com/blog/data-protection/data-masking-and-data-encryption-are-not-the-same-things/

Title IX Essay -- Physical Education

In recent years, there has been a passionate debate that has gained considerable attention between same-sex physical education classes and coeducational physical education classes. Coeducation physical education classes were executed in an attempt to meet and sustain the requirements of Title IX. Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972, prohibits discrimination, exclusion of participating in, or receiving benefits of any academic program or activity, based on sex, in an educational institution receiving federal financial funds. Title IX provides integration of males and females in physical education classes; however, unfortunately, it does not guarantee equal treatment. Derry and Phillips (2004) stated in their study entitled, â€Å"Comparisons of Selected Student and Teacher Variables in All-Girl and Coeducational Physical Education Environments† that â€Å"physical education is the learning environment provided for youth in the United States to become successful in motor movement, skills, and game play†. Recent research has leading evidence to support that during coeducational academic classes and physical education classes, girls receive significantly less amounts of attention, feedback, participation opportunities and support and encouragement. Physical education classes should offer development of high levels of competence and self-esteem through a variety of physical activities, games and sports. However, research implies that coeducational physical education classes may not provide the optimal environment needed for learning certain specific skills. Furthermore, research also suggests that this environment in coeducational p hysical education classes’ changes due to one’s perception based on different developmental periods in t... ...gs. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 24(2), 149. Retrieved from SPORTDiscus with Full Text database. Derry, J., & Phillips, D. (2004). Comparisons of Selected Student and Teacher Variables in All- Girls and Coeducational Physical Education Environments. Physical Educator, 61(1), 23- 34. Retrieved from SPORTDiscus with Full Text database. Treanor, L., Graber, K., Housner, L., & Wiegand, R. (1998). Middle school students' perceptions of coeducational and same-sex physical education classes. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 18(1), 43-56. Retrieved from SPORTDiscus with Full Text database. Derry, Julie A. (2002). Single-Sex and Coeducation Physical Education: Perspectives of Adolescent Girls and Female Physical Education Teachers - Research. Melpomene Journal, Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0LJP/is_3_21/ai_94771954/

The economist Keynes

The author should address the use of labor laws to increase productivity and rebuild family bonds as our previous economy. The labor laws must reflect the new changes in our New Economy in order for traditional workers and corporations to flourish. Increased productivity can reduce the workloads of all workers once our economy reaches a successful standpoint in comparison to our forefathers. Economists call this movement a revolution, but many workers are still experiencing a mind numbing career due to the long hours placed on their positions within corporations.The total mindsets of corporations replacing the â€Å"family† aspect are visible in today’s new society as well; for instance, new technologies are replacing workers and outsourcing has reduced costs. These affiliations with other corporations have become a society within their own rights – IT firms and real estate industries. The economist Keynes understands that the work being put into the economy now will reduce the problems and fix the way our society functions today.Families have been disrupted due to the increased work weeks, single-family homes, and outsourcing in which some employees have relocated into foreign countries. Our economy may reach full potential if the government enforces vacation days as a requirement for all companies. This will give workers time to recuperate from the hard work they have placed into their jobs during the week. In a way, this is a very clever argument because there is a possibility that worker will increase their productivity after a slight rest.Civil activities can be attended to as they were before, more money will flow through the economy, and the technologies can alter or require workers to return to school for higher education. Our New Economy demands a high-performance individual with working knowledge of the latest technologies; higher education requirements are signaling an improved economy too. National awareness of the advanced tech nology may make labor laws suitable for high-performance workers as well as traditional workers.

Cynics and Cynosures

Cynics and Cynosures Cynics and Cynosures Cynics and Cynosures By Maeve Maddox These two â€Å"doggy† words have quite different meanings. The word cynic comes from a Greek word meaning â€Å"dog-like, currish, churlish.† The word became a nickname for a school of Greek philosophers who disdained the luxuries and polite behavior of cultivated Greeks. Cynic is capitalized when it is used to refer to the philosophers. Pronunciation Note cynic [SIN-ik], cynical [Sin-uh-kl], cynicism [SIN-uh-sizm] cynosure Am. [SYNE-uh-SHOOR] Br. [SIN-uh-SHOOR] The most famous Cynicone might even say the cynosure of Cynics–was Diogenes. A most committed curmudgeon, Diogenes is remembered for having chosen to live in a tub instead of a house, and for telling Alexander the Great to move because he was blocking the sun. The word cynosure comes from a Greek word meaning â€Å"dog’s tail.† This was the name given by the Greeks to the northern constellation Ursa Minor, the â€Å"Small Bear† in whose tail is the Pole-star, also known as the North Star. Because the North Star is bright and a means of finding the direction of north, the word cynosure acquired the figurative meaning of â€Å"something that is bright and serves as a guide.† The philosophy of the Cynics had much to recommend it. Their goal was to live life according to Nature, a philosophy similar to that expressed by Thoreau in Walden. Thoreau, however, minded his manners and didn’t despise creature comforts. The Cynics embraced poverty, hardship, and toil. They criticized the emptiness and hypocrisy of social convention and organized religion; as a result they earned the reputation of people-haters and grumps. In modern usage, a cynic is a person disposed to find fault with everything and to rant about it to everyone. A cynic trusts no one’s sincerity or good intentions. The adjective is cynical; the noun is cynicism. Here are a few current applications of these words: Bill Maher is a playful microphone-toting cynic, roaming the landscapes of Christianity, with a few references to Judaism, Islam, and Scientology. Cynical politicians disingenuously mouth slogans of liberty and national security in order to manipulate the uncertain masses. The media framing of political news is implicated in activating, if not creating, cynicism about campaigns, policy, and governance. Social cynicism results from excessively high expectations concerning society, institutions and authorities: unfulfilled expectations lead to disillusionment, which releases feelings of disappointment and  betrayal. A few commenters on cynicism, it appears, are a bit limited in vocabulary: As I got older I found my cynical-ness had mostly gone away. Thats just pure speculation based on my cynicalness that companies always make deals better after Ive already gotten mine to make me feel bad. I think another technique that the author uses is Holden’s cynicalness and over all hypocriticalness. Cynicism is the noun; no â€Å"ness† needed. Hypocrisy is the noun for hypocritical. Unlike cynic, the word cynosure has positive connotations. A cynosure is someone or something that serves for guidance or direction, a â€Å"guiding star.† Not as common as cynic and its related forms, cynosure is nevertheless in current use: One critic wrote that admiration has grown such that Vemeer is now â€Å"displacing Raphael as Europe’s cynosure of artistic perfection. They have been the subject of many sighs and the cynosure of billions of eyes I am talking about the paintings that have defined the world of art. Da Vinci Robotics Exhibitions-conceptualised by  Leonardo da Vinci, Open vibe- the brain-computer interface show how brain activity, PR2 Robot, Eccerobot 2–an anthropomimetic robot acting as a human replica–were the cynosure of all eyes in 2011. Deepika Padukone, who was once a hot favourite with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, will be  the cynosure  of all eyes this cricket  season. If you decide to use cynosure, be sure to avoid the clichà © â€Å"cynosure of all eyes.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers10 Colloquial Terms and Their MeaningsEnglish Grammar 101: Prepositions

Nomenclature for hazard and risk assessment in the process industries essay

Nomenclature for hazard and risk assessment in the process industries essay Nomenclature for hazard and risk assessment in the process industries essay Nomenclature for hazard and risk assessment in the process industries essayThe choice of the bank is very important for me because it determines the safety of my funds. This is why reliability of the bank and its stability are the major factors that determine my choice of the bank. At the same time, the choice of the bank also depends on other factors that may be revealed through the analysis of the bank’s performance and its history, both long-run and short-run. At this point, I would consider carefully whether to support or not the decision to remove some of the over-burdening regulations since the performance and history of the bank can help to determine, whether the bank can afford such changes without any considerable threats and risks to its clients or not.The reasons I chose this bank are diverse but the major reason or the choice of the bank was its reliability since the bank has managed to stumble through the last economic recession and mortgage crisis successfully. M oreover, as I studied the history of the bank, which dates back to the middle of the 20th century, the bank has managed to overcome other economic crises successfully too. This is why the bank has proved to be reliable and stable. Therefore, I decided that the bank is unlikely to face a steep decline in the nearest future and I can deposit my free funds into this bank,The special features this bank offers that attracted me the most is the relatively high benefits which I could obtain for my deposits that make it more profitable than the average bank in the industry can offer to me at the moment. At least, I am taking into consideration only those banks, which have proved to be reliable and stable and which have been operating over two decades at the least (Finley, 2007). The analysis of the history of the bank is very important because it does not only shows that the bank has managed to overcome serious financial crises but also the bank’s history reveals how the bank deals w ith difficult, challenging situations, which may emerge unexpectedly. My bank has proved to be able to deal with those challenges successfully. At the same time, the ‘special feature’ of the bank is the current focus on the increasing deposit of customers of the bank. The bank has declared the increase of customers’ deposits as one of its major priorities at the moment. This is why the bank offers attractive interest rates for consumers, who want to deposit their money into the bank. The relatively high or above the average interest rate makes the bank attractive for customers, at any rate in terms of short-run investment of free funds.The regulations this bank faces concern the shift toward the effective management of customers’ deposits and increase of deposits made by consumers with regard to the level of capitalization of the bank (Seitanidi, 2008). At the moment, the bank insists on the liberalization of its policies concerning the attraction of new c ustomers and their deposits, on the one hand, and the level of capitalization of the bank on the other. The bank stands on the ground that it has sufficient capital and can raise more funds, if necessary, to cover unexpected risks and threats since the bank has extensive experience of risk management in the time of economic crises and financial difficulties, which accompanied those crises.In this regard, it is necessary to take into consideration recent changes this bank has gone through. To put it more precisely, the bank has undergone a considerable change in the course of its business development recently. The bank used to focus on both investment projects and deposits of customers. However, after the economic recession of 2008, the bank had to refuse from its investment banking operations and focused on deposits entirely. At first, the shift seemed to be painful for the bank, which was quite successful in both deposit and investment management. However, the bank preferred to foc us on more reliable branch, which was vulnerable to fewer risks compared to investment banking branch, which has started to bring the bank considerable financial losses, especially in 2007-2008 (Jones, 2012). As a result, the bank had to obey to new regulations and focused on deposits entirely. However, the bank decided to boost its deposit branch which required more liberal policies and decreasing of regulations in this field.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As for the manager’s request, I would rather support it than decline it because I believe the bank is at the strong position to keep growing and enhancing its performance, while the decrease of the overregulation will stimulate the further growth of the bank and its business development. In fact, the bank should get a chance and boost its business development after the completion of the shift toward a deposit banking business only.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, I believe that the request o f the manager should receive my support to help the bank to enhance its business development and bring me profits in the future.

How To Tame a Wild Tongue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How To Tame a Wild Tongue - Essay Example In order to engage the reader with a topic and understanding, Anzaldua finds it necessary to fully utilize Aristotle’s three strategies of argumentation: ethos, logos, and pathos. As a function of this particular understanding, this brief analysis will seek to analyze and draw inference upon the way in which Anzaldua utilizes rhetoric as a means of proving the points that she illustrates within her essay. Within Aristotle’s definition of the word â€Å"ethos†, the understanding and importance of character and the means by which this character is related is ultimately the most important aspect. Likewise, in seeking to understand the rhetorical means by which Anzaldua utilizes ethos as a means of engaging the audience, the reader need look no further than the fact that she does so not by setting herself up as an exception to the norm but rather by exhibiting her personal story through the likely and believable lens that it is necessarily indicative of a broader hum an experience. Although Anzaldua places a strong level of focus upon the personal struggle and unique aspect of identity robbery that language is ultimately affected upon her, this close level of analysis does not preclude the means by which Anzaldua’s character is analogous to humanity in general. In such a way, the defaults that she displays within her argument is born not upon the shoulders of a hero that exhibits a hyper intellects or some other amazing attribute; rather, the strength of her rhetoric buys upon the foundation that it is exhibited within each and every individual. Similarly, with regards to the logos of Anzaldua’s claim, this is clearly exhibited with regards to the sociological and psychological aspects of culture and development that she references within the text. Although the main point of her essay is to underscore the importance that formative experience has upon identity creation, it is impossible to perform such a task without first seeking t o direct a level of analysis based upon the academic understandings of the terms in which she uses. This should not be understood to mean that Anzaldua relies heavily upon an academic interpretation of the experience which she had; rather, it merely illustrates the point that for argument is fully cognizant of the fact that the subject matter in which she attempts to grapple with is ultimately something that can be understood far outside the scope of personal experience. Finally, the last rhetorical approach that Anzaldua utilizes is with regards to pathos. Aristotle necessarily defines pathos as a means of rhetorical argument in which emotional appeal is utilized. It should be understood from a careful analysis of Anzaldua’s essay that this particular method of rhetorical argument perhaps utilize the most. Typically, arguments that are steeped in pathos have traditionally been understood as necessarily weaker. However, within the case of this particular essay, it must be und erstood that the utilization of pathos as a legitimate means of which workable argument is not misplaced nor is it overstated. This is of course due to the fact of the subject matter in which Anzaldua seeks to engage the reader with is naturally one which engenders a great deal of emotion and psychological trauma; both for the writer herself as well as countless other

Defining African Religion and Insiders and Outsiders Essay

Defining African Religion and Insiders and Outsiders - Essay Example African theology is highly felt in present day America due to the presence of the African Americans. Most of the religions are an affirmation of the existence of natural law. Natural laws are sets of unwritten laws that place emphasis on morals and obedience. The cultural practices are passed on from one generation to another. Africans practiced their religions before the interference from the white colonialists. At this time, there was no knowledge of factors such as the Holy Trinity or the Bible. Religious practices are geared toward having prosperity, peace and happiness in the community. Each type of religion has a different set of rules that should be followed to the T. lack of commitment to the religion displays disregard for the community. People who are caught committing an offence face a number of punishments which range from minor punishments to cases of exile (Magesa, 1997). Jacob Olupona offers an alternative view of the practice of African religion in most of the African communities. The writer takes a different outlook towards the practices of different communities. The book thus gets its inspiration from countries like South Africa and Nigeria. Despite the difference of locations, the two countries have some common similarities. Some of the similarities are seen in the use of proverbs. Africans value the opinion of the elder members of the society. Most of the proverbs are created by the ancestors and passed on to the offspring’s. The use of proverbs has thus been incorporated into the religions. They act as a way of guidance in that they have moral codes of behavior. The book mentions the importance of rituals in the African community as a whole. Rituals are reserved for several occasions and celebrations in the community. Each celebration has a special ritual which acts as a symbolic example. In the case of religion, Africans dedicate an immense number of rituals to worship.