Advantages, Disadvantages, and Threats Associated with IT Environments

Demonstrate an understanding of the advantages, disadvantages, threats, and vulnerabilities associated with various IT environments.

Background:

Jack Doe is the Community Liaison Officer for 3D Media Comm. Ltd based in Perth, Western Australia. 3D Media Comm. Ltd is an inventive company developing and selling social media marketing to small businesses. The design and production of all products is handled electronically, directly with each business. 3D Media Comm. Ltd currently has 40% of the market in WA, with the remaining 50% held by much larger advertising agencies, and the final 10% by those developing mobile apps for social media marketing. Jack spends half of his day on the road in the Perth metro area visiting small businesses who may wish to purchase and social media marketing into their existing marketing activities. Consequently, Jack carries a laptop, smart phone and Surface Pro 4 with him everywhere he goes. The laptop encompasses an Intel i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, and is running Windows 10 Professional with the last Windows update applied towards the end of January, 2015. When in the office Jack connects his laptop and Surface Pro to the company network.

Jack predominantly uses Microsoft Office Professional 2013 for all his business needs.

Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel contain the information for all clients within Western Australia, as well as client confidential business and financial information. Jack is not well informed about information security although he uses computing technology to support his job. As a result Jack does not use third party firewalls, anti-virus software, encryption, or authentication mechanisms.

While on the road, Jack occasionally leaves his laptop in the car. He also frequently visits Internet cafes for lunch where he utilises the Internet for up to an hour each day. The confidentiality of information is important as any disclosure could cause significant embarrassment to him and the company, as well as impact client privacy and confidence. Also, Jack must provide correct, factual information to all clients hence ensuring the integrity of information is vital. Lastly, should any information not be available when needed, this may result in clients taking their business to the new to market competitor.

Task:

Utilising the background information, draw a concept map or annotated attack tree which represents the context of Jack’s 3D Media Comm. Ltd work environment and also demonstrates:

• the links the data Jack uses and keeps, and the aims of security (CIA) –i.e. what information needs protecting, why and what aspect of CIA does this related to?;
• the associated attacks which could breach each of these aims in this scenario;
• the likelihood (risk) that any attack in this scenario poses;
• the impact each attack may have;
• the resultant countermeasures which could be applied in this scenario;  the relative cost of each countermeasure; and the mitigation effect of the countermeasure.(CSI2102)