Information Security CSC-407| spring 2023

Term Definition Example

Snooping casual observance
Masquerading Uses a fake identity, such as a network identity, to gain
unauthorized access to personal computer information
through legitimate access identification
watching what someone else is typing, remotely monitor activity
on a computer
Eg: keylogger (keystroke logger or system monitor)
Stolen passwords and logons

Replay A replay attack is a kind of man-in-the-middle attack in

which an attacker sniffs messages being sent on a
channel to intercept them and resend them under the
cloak of authentic messages

Availability DoS, DDOS

Security Attack 1. Security attack –Any action that
compromises the security of information Passive ACTIVE
owned by an organization.
2. Security mechanism –A mechanism that is
designed to detect, prevent or recover from a Encipherment, Access Control, Notarization, Data Integrity ,
Security security attack. Authentication exchange, Bit stuffing ( Error Detection), Digital
mechanism 3. Security service –A service that enhances Signature
Security the security of the data processing systems
service and the information transfers of an Authentication, Access Control, Availability, Confidentiality,
organization. The services are intended to Integrity, Non-Repudiation
counter security attacks and they make use of
one or more security mechanisms to provide
the service.

Classification 1. Confidentiality: Ensures that the information

of security in a computer system and transmitted
services information are accessible only for reading
by authorized parties. E.g. printing,
displaying and other forms of disclosure.
2. Authentication: Ensures that the origin of a
message or electronic document is correctly
identified, with an assurance that the identity
is not false.
 3. Integrity: Ensures that only authorized
parties are able to modify computer system
assets and transmitted information.
Modification includes writing, changing
status, deleting, creating and delaying or
replaying of transmitted messages.
4. Non repudiation: Requires that neither the
sender nor the receiver of a message be able
to deny the transmission.
5. Access control: Requires that access to
information resources may be controlled by
or the target system.
6. Availability: Requires that computer system
assets be available to authorized parties when
needed.

Security Interruption
Attacks An asset of the system is destroyed or becomes
unavailable or unusable. This is an attack on availability.
As per X.800 Examples: destruction of piece of hardware, Cutting of a
and RFC 2828. communication line or disabling of file management
system.
Interception:

An unauthorized party gains access to an asset. This

is an attack on confidentiality. Unauthorized party
could be a person, a program or a computer.

Examples: wiretapping to capture data in the

network, illicit copying of files

Modification:

An unauthorized party not only gains access to but

tampers with an asset. This is an attack on integrity.
Examples: changing values in data file, altering a
program, modifying the contents of messages being
transmitted in a network.

Fabrication:

An unauthorized party inserts counterfeit objects

into the system. This is an attack on authenticity.

Examples: insertion of spurious message in a

network or addition of records to a file.