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Security Architecture

MIS 5214 - Section 001 - David Lanter

Security Architecture

MIS 5214.951 ■ Spring 2024 ■ Jose Gomez
  • Homepage
  • Instructor
  • Syllabus
  • Schedule
    • First Half of the Course
      • Unit 0a – Introduction
      • Unit 0b – The Threat Environment
      • Unit 1a – System Security Plan
      • Unit 1b – Planning and Policy
      • Unit 2a – Case Study 1 – A High Performance Computing Cluster Under Attack: The Titan Incident
      • Unit 2b – Cryptography
      • Unit 3a – Secure Networks
      • Unit 3b – Firewalls, Intrusion Detection and Protection Systems
    • Second Half of the Course
      • Unit 4b – Case Study 2 Data Breach at Equifax
      • Unit 5a – Access Control
      • Unit 5b Host Hardening
      • Unit 6a Application Security
      • Unit 6b Data Protection
      • Unit 7a – Incident and Disaster Response
  • Deliverables
    • Assignments
    • Case Studies
      • Case Study 1 – A High Performance Computing Cluster Under Attack: The Titan Incident
      • Case Study 2 – Data Breach at Equifax
    • Team Project Instructions
  • Harvard Coursepack

Boyle and Panko Chapter 5 Access Control

January 1, 2022 by Jose Gomez 25 Comments

Post your thoughtful analysis about one key point you took from this assigned reading.

Filed Under: 5a - Access Control Tagged With:

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Comments

  1. Chun Liu says

    February 29, 2024 at 12:38 am

    Access control is a fundamental element of security that determines who can access specific data, applications, and resources and under what circumstances. Just as keys and pre-approved guest lists protect physical space, access control policies protect digital space in the same way. In other words, it lets the right people in and keeps the wrong people out. Access control policies rely heavily on technologies such as authentication and authorization, which allow organizations to explicitly verify that a user’s identity is genuine and that the appropriate level of access is granted to the user based on context such as device, location, role, and so on.
    Access control protects confidential information, such as customer data and intellectual property, from theft by unscrupulous individuals or other unauthorized users. Access controls also reduce the risk of employee data leakage and keep Web-based threats out. Rather than managing permissions manually, most security-driven organizations rely on identity and access management solutions to implement access control policies.

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  2. Xiaozhi Shi says

    February 29, 2024 at 7:09 am

    According to the reading, access control is defined as policy-driven control of access to systems, data, and dialog. There are various ways to implement access control such as physical or logical (passwords and biometrics). Access control has three functions: authentication, authorization and auditing. Authentication is the process of identifying the person requesting information to ensure that the person has the right to access the information and providing access accordingly. Authorization is the level of authority a user should have to access information. Auditing records user activity in real time and allows checking if there are any policies that violate the authentication or authorization process.
    The access control method that stands out for me is biometrics. Biometric authentication is the security process of verifying a user’s identity through unique biometric features such as retina, iris, voice, facial features and fingerprints.

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  3. Guanhua Xiao says

    February 29, 2024 at 7:32 am

    The main purpose of access control is to prevent unauthorized entities from accessing protected network resources, allow legitimate users to access protected network resources, and prevent unauthorized access by legitimate users to protected network resources. In order to achieve this goal, access control needs to verify the legitimacy of user identity, and use control policies to select and manage.
    Access control is generally used by system administrators to control users’ access to network resources such as servers, directories, and files. It involves many aspects, including network access control, network permission restriction, directory level security control, attribute security control, network server security control, network monitoring and locking control, network port and node security control, and firewall control.

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  4. Yawen Du says

    February 29, 2024 at 9:07 am

    The main purpose of access control is to prevent unauthorized access, tampering, and misuse of information while ensuring that legitimate users are able to function under the system security policy. The key components involved in access control include: subject, object, access control list, and access control model. The implementation of an access control mechanism may include authentication (verifying a user’s identity), authorization (determining whether a user has the right to perform a particular action), and auditing (tracking and logging access activities for subsequent review). Careful consideration needs to be given to the security requirements of the system, the needs of the users, and the potential security risks when designing and implementing access control policies. Improper access control may lead to data leakage, malware infection, illegal operation or other security problems. Therefore, access control is an integral part of an overall network security strategy.

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  5. Shijie Yang says

    February 29, 2024 at 11:30 am

    The industry needs to use physical and electronic methods to control access to resources. AAA protection, which represents authentication, authorization, and auditing. The most interesting part for me is biometric authentication. It’s not just based on the user’s fingerprint, iris pattern, face, voice, or hand geometry. It also includes what the user does, such as writing, typing, and walking. The goal of biometric authentication is to make reusable passwords obsolete. It builds user templates by scanning and extracts key characteristics for future identification or verification of users. Even biometrics seems to be relatively safe because it is unique to each person. However, it still has an error rate. Sometimes, it may allow an attacker to gain access to a system by using false acceptance, or simply cause inconvenience by using false rejection. Yes. For different reasons, some people may not have clear fingerprints. Fingerprint authentication might not be much use to them.

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  6. Xinyi Peng says

    February 29, 2024 at 9:41 pm

    access control plays a critical role in safeguarding information assets, maintaining privacy, and ensuring the integrity and availability of systems and resources within an organization. By implementing appropriate access control measures and policies, organizations can mitigate security risks and protect against unauthorized access and data breaches.Access control is a fundamental concept in computer security that involves regulating and managing access to resources, systems, or data within an organization. It aims to ensure that only authorized users, devices, or processes are granted access to specific resources while preventing unauthorized access and protecting against potential security threats.

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  7. Yuanjun Xie says

    February 29, 2024 at 10:07 pm

    Access control is a technology that almost all systems (including computer systems and non-computer systems) need to use. Access control is a technology that restricts the user’s access to certain information items or the use of certain control functions according to the user’s identity and a defined group to which the user belongs. For example, the principle of UniNAC network access control system is based on this technology. Access control is generally used by system administrators to control users’ access to network resources such as servers, directories, and files.
    Its functions are mainly reflected in:
    (1) Prevent illegal entities from accessing protected network resources.
    Allow legitimate users to access protected network resources.
    Prevent unauthorized access to protected network resources by legitimate users.
    Effective control through the following strategies:
    1. Network access control
    2. Network permission restriction
    3. Directory level security control
    4. Attribute security control
    5. Network server security control
    6. Network monitoring and lock control
    7. Security control of network ports and nodes
    8. Firewall control

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  8. Zhang Yunpeng says

    February 29, 2024 at 10:32 pm

    Access control plays a pivotal role in safeguarding information assets, maintaining privacy, and ensuring the integrity and availability of systems and resources within an organization. Its primary objective is to prevent unauthorized entities from accessing protected network resources, while allowing legitimate users to do so and preventing legitimate users from unauthorized access. To achieve this, access control verifies the legitimacy of user identity and employs control policies for selection and management.

    System administrators utilize access control to regulate users’ access to network resources such as servers, directories, and files. This involves various aspects, including network access control, permission restrictions, directory-level security control, attribute security control, network server security control, monitoring and locking control, network port and node security control, and firewall control.

    By implementing appropriate access control measures and policies, organizations can mitigate security risks, protect against unauthorized access, and prevent data breaches. Access control is a fundamental concept in computer security, regulating and managing access to resources, systems, or data within an organization. It ensures that only authorized entities, whether users, devices, or processes, are granted access to specific resources, thus maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical information assets.

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  9. Yujie Cao says

    February 29, 2024 at 11:16 pm

    “Access Control” refers to a control method used to determine which users or systems have access to a particular network resource or information. This is a security measure that prevents unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information or performing critical actions.

    Access control is usually based on the identity of the user and the group or role to which they belong. For example, employees of a company may have different access rights depending on their position and department. Some employees may only have access to the company’s internal documents, while others may have access to customers’ personal information or financial data.

    Access control can be achieved in a variety of ways, including passwords, biometrics (such as fingerprints or facial recognition), dynamic tokens (such as smart cards or mobile phone apps), etc. Some systems also use more complex policies, such as role-based access control (RBAC) or attribute-based access control (ABAC), which define access rights based on a user’s role or attributes, such as geographic location, time of day, and so on.

    Overall, access control is an important part of cybersecurity and information security, helping to protect sensitive information and resources from unauthorized access and disclosure.

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  10. Shuting Zhang says

    March 1, 2024 at 1:45 am

    An agency RP should select individual assurance levels based on risk, This point involves guidelines for selecting individual assurance levels in an information system based on risk. The purpose of this approach is to determine appropriate levels of identity verification and authentication based on varying levels of risk, thereby mitigating potential authentication and authorization errors, as well as federation errors. This risk-based selection method helps ensure the adoption of appropriate security measures in digital systems to protect individual identity and attribute information. By choosing the appropriate individual assurance levels, risks can be effectively managed, and system security can be enhanced.

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  11. Hongli Ma says

    March 1, 2024 at 6:10 am

    Access control is a crucial security mechanism that determines who is allowed to access or use resources in a computing environment. Access control is its ability to enforce the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users only have access to the resources necessary for their tasks. This helps prevent unauthorized access and reduces the risk of data breaches or malicious activity. Access control can also be implemented at various levels, including physical access to buildings, logical access to computer systems, and even within individual applications or databases. Overall, access control plays a vital role in maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information and resources.

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  12. Shuyi Dong says

    March 1, 2024 at 6:31 am

    Access control technology is a crucial security mechanism in computer systems, responsible for ensuring that resources are accessed and used only by authorized users. This technique provides fine-grained control of access rights by verifying the identity of users and the groups to which they belong. For example, the UNINAC network access control system is designed based on this principle.

    The core purpose of access control is to effectively manage data resources within a legitimate scope and prevent unauthorized access and misuse. To achieve this goal, access control must accomplish two core tasks: authentication and permission assignment. Authentication is the process of confirming a user’s identity to ensure that only legitimate users can access the system. Permission assignment, on the other hand, is the process of determining what resources users can access and what operations they can perform based on their identity and group.

    Access control involves three key elements: subject, object, and access policy. The subject is the entity requesting access to a resource, which can be a user or a system process. The object, on the other hand, is the resource that is being requested to be accessed, such as a file, a database, and so on. Access policy, on the other hand, is a set of rules that defines which subjects can access which objects under which conditions. By reasonably configuring these elements, access control techniques can ensure the security and integrity of computer system resources and reduce risks such as unauthorized access and data leakage.

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  13. Haoran Wang says

    March 1, 2024 at 10:23 am

    After read this chapter I realized that ,access control is not only technical,it also include physical.For example,unauthorized people not able to access organization’s data,files,and information.It is very important for the organization focus on both technical and physical area to ensure the safety of the data and files.Also,organization needs to review and renew their policy every year to ensure their policy keep on track.

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  14. Yiwei Hu says

    March 1, 2024 at 10:49 am

    Access control is the policy-driven control of access to systems, data, and conversations. This chapter discusses a variety of ways to control access, including physical barriers, cryptography, and biometrics. Access control is a technology used by almost all systems, including computer and non-computer systems. It has three functions: authentication, authorization and auditing (AAA). The purpose of access control is to effectively manage data resources within the legal scope, prevent unauthorized access and abuse, and improve system security. In our daily life, we are most exposed to the password form of access control, which was a very effective access control in the early days, but now with the development of science and technology, the password is sometimes not competent. So some organizations design passwords with complex requirements. The other is multilevel security, and general military and national security organizations have multilevel security that grades documents by sensitivity. There are various levels of confidentiality, such as secret, top secret, sensitive but unclassified, and public. Individuals should obtain appropriate permission before accessing confidential information.

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  15. Chenhao Zhang says

    March 1, 2024 at 10:05 pm

    Access control is a security measure that restricts access to resources, systems, or areas based on specific criteria, such as user identity, role, or privilege. It is a fundamental component of information security and is used to prevent unauthorized access, misuse, or disclosure of sensitive information.
    In the context of federal information systems, access control is crucial to protecting against cyberattacks, unauthorized intrusions, and data breaches. NIST SP 800-34r1, the Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems, recognizes the importance of access control in contingency planning.
    Here are some key considerations for access control in contingency planning:
    Identification and Authorization: Ensure that only authorized personnel have access to critical systems and components. This involves properly identifying users, assigning them appropriate roles and privileges, and implementing mechanisms to authenticate and authorize access.
    Least Privilege Principle: Follow the principle of least privilege, which states that users should only have the minimum level of access necessary to perform their job functions. This helps minimize the potential for misuse or malicious activity if an account is compromised.
    Segregation of Duties: Separate incompatible duties among different individuals to reduce the risk of fraud or error. For example, different personnel should be responsible for managing user accounts, approving access requests, and performing sensitive operations.
    Monitoring and Auditing: Implement systems to monitor and audit access to critical systems and data. This helps detect unauthorized access or suspicious activity and allows for timely response and investigation.
    Contingency Planning for Access Control: Develop contingency plans that address access control issues during a disruption. This may include implementing alternative authentication methods, temporarily elevating privileges for emergency response personnel, or implementing emergency access controls to protect critical systems.
    Training and Awareness: Provide training and awareness sessions to employees on the importance of access control and their role in protecting sensitive information. This helps create a culture of security within the organization and enhances the effectiveness of access control measures.
    By integrating access control into contingency planning, federal agencies can ensure that their information systems are protected from unauthorized access and misuse during times of crisis. This is crucial for maintaining the availability, integrity, and security of critical systems and data.

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  16. Hao Zhang says

    March 2, 2024 at 12:18 am

    Access Control is essential for sensitive resource. It is interesting to know that password is one of weakest level of authentication. we all are familiar to password function and it is built into every kind of computer operating system. If attackers crack the root account password, they will “own” the machine and server. To reduce the risk, firms need strong password policies to ensure that passwords are long and complex. They specifically should not be common words or slight variations on common words. The company also needs to develop a password reset system for lost passwords.

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  17. Yuming He says

    March 2, 2024 at 3:44 am

    Access control is the first line of defense against unauthorized access to network resources and systems, enabling organizations to control, restrict, monitor, and protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of resources
    To access network resources, users must:
    • Prove their identity (i.e. have necessary certificates).
    • Has been granted permission to perform the operations they requested.
    • Being tracked to enforce accountability for their actions.

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  18. Chunqi Liu says

    March 2, 2024 at 5:59 am

    Industries need to control the access of resources by using physical and electronic methods. There are AAA protections, which indicate authentication, authorization, and auditing. The most interesting part for me is biometric authentication. It is not only base on the users’ fingerprint, iris pattern, face, voice, or hand geometry. It is also included something users do, like write, type, and walk. The purpose of biometric authentication is to make reusable passwords obsolete. It sets up a users’ template by scan and extracts key features for identifying or verify users in the future. Even biometrics seems relatively secure because it is unique to every individual; however, it is still having an error rate. Sometimes, it might allow attackers into the system by using false acceptance, or simply an inconvenience by using the false rejection. Also. Some people might not have well-defined fingerprints for different reasons. Fingerprint authentication may not be useful for them.

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  19. Yue Wang says

    March 2, 2024 at 6:51 am

    By learning about the book, I think this question is answered as follows:
    1. Access control is any hardware, software or management policy or process that controls access to resources. The goal is to provide access to authorised subjects and prevent unauthorised access attempts. Access control consists of the following general steps: (1) Identify and authenticate the user or other subject attempting to access a resource. (2) Determine whether access has been authorised. (3) Granting or restricting access based on the identity of the subject. (4) Monitor and log access attempts.
    These steps involve a wide range of controls. The three main types of controls are prevention, detection, and correction. There are four other types of access control, namely, deterrent, recovery, directive and compensatory access control.
    2. An effective access control system also requires strong identification and authentication mechanisms. Subjects have unique identities and prove their identities through authentication. The administrator grants corresponding access rights based on the subject’s identity. Recording user actions based on the proven identity provides accountability.
    3. Access Control Models include Mandatory Access Control, Discretionary Access Control, and Role-Based Access Control.
    4. Access Control Methods include Administrative Controls, Physical Controls, and Technical Control.

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  20. Xuanwen Zheng says

    March 2, 2024 at 6:59 am

    As the basic concept in the field of computer security, access control mainly involves the standardization and management of the internal resources, systems or data of the organization. Its core goal is to ensure that only authorized users, devices, or processes have access to specific resources, while guarding against unauthorized access and potential security threats. Access control plays an important role in protecting information assets, maintaining privacy, and ensuring the integrity and availability of systems and resources within the organization. By adopting appropriate access control measures and strategies, organizations are able to reduce security risks and prevent unauthorized access and data leakage.

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  21. Nana Li says

    March 2, 2024 at 8:15 am

    Access control is an important computer security protection technology, mainly used to prevent unauthorized access to any resource, so that the computer system can be used within the legal scope. It is a means of control that permits or restricts access in some way, and can protect systems and data from unauthorized access, theft, destruction, and tampering.

    Access control can be divided into physical access control and logical access control. Physical access control involves requirements on users, devices, doors, and security environments that meet specified standards. Logical access control is implemented through various levels of networks and permissions.

    Access control can be divided into two types: authentication and authorization. Authentication is confirming the identity of a user or entity to determine if they have access to a resource. Authorization is the permission granted to a user or entity to access a resource. These two types of access control are often used together to ensure that only authenticated users are authorized to access resources.

    The implementation of access control can be based on several basic principles, including the principle of least permission, the principle of hierarchical access control, and the principle of auditing and monitoring. The principle of least permission is the minimum permission granted to a user or entity to access a resource in order to reduce potential security risks. The hierarchical access control principle refers to dividing resources into different levels and controlling access based on the identity and permissions of users or entities. Auditing and monitoring principles refer to the monitoring and recording of access to resources by users or entities for investigation and audit in the event of a security incident.

    Access control can also be applied to a variety of systems and resources, including computer systems, networks, databases, applications, files, and folders. It can be achieved through a variety of means, including passwords, biometrics, access tokens, and digital certificates.

    In general, access control is an important computer security protection technology, which protects the security of systems and data by restricting users’ access to resources.

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  22. Zhaomeng Wang says

    March 2, 2024 at 1:02 pm

    Network security access control is a security mechanism that restricts and manages user or entity access to network resources through various technical means and policies in a computer network. Its purpose is to ensure that only authorized users can access legitimate network resources, and to prevent unauthorized users or attackers from engaging in illegal activities such as unauthorized access, tampering, and destruction of network resources.

    Network security access control typically involves the following aspects:

    1. Authentication: User authentication is performed through methods such as usernames and passwords to ensure that the user’s identity is trustworthy. Common authentication methods include single-factor authentication, two-factor authentication, and multi-factor authentication.

    2. Authorization management: Once a user has been authenticated, authorization management determines the specific resources and permissions that the user can access. This is often achieved through mechanisms such as Access Control Lists (ACLs) or Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). ACLs determine whether a user can access a resource based on the user’s identity and permission rules, while RBAC grants permissions based on the user’s roles.

    3. Auditing and logging: Network security access control also involves auditing and logging user activities. This helps to identify and track abnormal behavior, and enables the timely detection and response to potential threats. Audit and log data can be used for security investigation, troubleshooting, and compliance requirements.

    4. Session control: Session control ensures the security and integrity of user access to network resources. This includes implementing mechanisms for forced logout, limiting session time and concurrent sessions, and using encryption techniques to ensure the confidentiality of session data.

    5. Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Firewalls and IDS play an important role in network security access control. Firewalls monitor and filter network traffic based on rules and policies, blocking unauthorized access and attacks. IDS actively detects and alerts potential intrusion behavior by monitoring and analyzing network traffic.

    Network security access control is the foundation of achieving network security. Its design and implementation need to consider factors such as network architecture, user requirements, and compliance requirements. Additionally, as new technologies develop and threats evolve, network security access control needs to be continuously updated and improved to address increasingly complex network security challenges.

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  23. Haixu Yao says

    March 2, 2024 at 10:16 pm

    Chapter 5 focuses on “Access Control,” a core concept in cybersecurity. The main purpose of access control is to restrict improper access to network resources, allowing only authorized users or systems to perform certain actions. This chapter details the importance, principles, mechanisms, policies, and implementation methods of access control. Access control is a core component of network security, which ensures that only authorized users or systems can access network resources through authentication, authorization, and account management. Understanding and mastering the principles and mechanisms of access control is essential to protect sensitive data and resources.

    Access control: The process of ensuring that only appropriate users or systems have access to network resources.
    Authentication: The process of verifying the identity of a user or system, usually through user names and passwords, biometrics, tokens, etc.
    Authorization: The process of determining which actions an authenticated user or system can perform.
    Account management: The process of managing user accounts and their permissions, including account creation, modification, disabling, and deletion.
    Principle of least Permission: Ensure that a user or system has only the minimum permissions necessary to perform its task.
    Isolation: Separating systems or data by physical or logical means to reduce risk.

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  24. Yue Ma says

    March 3, 2024 at 1:10 am

    After reading this chapter I am more convinced that access control is crucial. Access control significantly contributes to the overarching objective of safeguarding data confidentiality and integrity. By defining and controlling who can access and modify data, access control fortifies security measures to prevent unauthorized exposure or alterations to sensitive information.
    I believe these ways are the best practice of access control:
    1. Developing Access Control Policy.
    2. Setting user identification.
    3. After users have been identified, the ACP must outline how their identities will be authenticated.
    4. Once a user is authenticated, the ACP details the level of access that the user is granted. This process is called authorization.

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  25. Hao Li says

    March 3, 2024 at 7:42 am

    This chapter teaches us several methods of access control, including physical barriers, passwords, and biometrics. It provides us with a complete description of the different access control methods, including usage, limitations, and so on. Each method has its own specific use case. It is best to do a risk analysis and certain business situations. On the one hand, too strong a protection may result in the benefits of risk reduction being weighed against the cost of the protection required to bring those benefits. On the other hand, each access control method has its advantages and disadvantages, so companies need to take an appropriate approach to fully utilize the protection. For example, monitoring devices need to be placed above entrances to sensitive areas and biometric authentication such as iris scanning or facial scanning needs to be performed.

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READINGS & CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

  • 0a – Introduction (1)
  • 0b – The Threat Environment (5)
  • 1a – System Security Plan (4)
  • 1b – Planning and Policy (4)
  • 2a – Case Study 1 (4)
  • 2b – Cryptography (4)
  • 3a – Secure Networks (5)
  • 3b – Firewalls and IDS and IPS (3)
  • 4b – Case Study 2 (4)
  • 5a – Access Control (5)
  • 5b – Host Hardening (3)
  • 6a – Application Security (4)
  • 6b – Data Protection (2)
  • 7a – Incident and Disaster Response (3)
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