Unit 5 – “Countermeasures Against Attacks”
32 Days
Unit 5 further develops understanding of data security controls and includes authentication, identification, authorization, and access controls. These tools are examined from the perspective of their function in terms of preventing disclosure, deception, disruption, destruction, or usurpation. From here this unit introduces important terms and concepts in cryptography, and then covers how symmetric and asymmetric cryptosystems work. The unit returns to policy controls and students will analyze laws to discern what type of data are being protected, for whom, and under what circumstances. The unit also covers physical policies as part of a comprehensive defense-in-depth protection strategy.
From there, the unit moves on to discuss network security controls with topics like protocols that build in security, firewalls, intrusion detection, and intrusion prevention systems. The unit discusses important topics such as input validation, state analysis of software, dynamic analysis of software, the role of patching in software security, and the challenge of zero-day vulnerabilities. Regarding hardware security controls, the unit presents how physical controls are used to secure hardware. By the end of this unit, students will also begin to think about the “bigger picture” of systems to develop a strong understanding of how (and which) controls are used in securing a system from attacks.