SE6001 Computer Security - Lecture 1 Introduction

These flashcards cover the fundamental concepts of computer security including the CIA triad, various attack vectors (physical, software, hardware, social), and core security design principles.

CIA Triad

The three important goals of computer security: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Confidentiality

The prevention of unauthorized disclosure of information; protected by tools like encryption, access control, and physical security.

Integrity

Ensuring that information has not been altered in an unauthorized way and was not forged; protected by cryptography (checksums, digital signatures), access control, and physical security.

Availability

The requirement that information and resources are accessible in a timely fashion; protected by physical protections and computational redundancies.

Wannacry

A 2017 ransomware attack that encrypted users' data globally and demanded payment for the decryption key, targeting the availability of information.

Distributed Denial of Service (DOS)

An attack against an information resource, such as the 2018 attack against GitHub servers, to prevent timely access by reaching high packet-per-second speeds.

Security Mindset

The dual approach of thinking like an attacker to understand techniques and look for vulnerabilities, and thinking like a defender to understand what is being protected and against whom.

Direct Physical Attack

An attack launched when the adversary has physical access to a computer, such as taking storage devices or booting from an external USB drive to gain full control.

Shoulder Surfing

A form of eavesdropping where an attacker reads information, such as passwords, over the victim's shoulder.

Hardware Keylogger

A physical device, such as a small connector between a keyboard and computer, used to record a victim's keystrokes to eavesdrop on sensitive information.

Skimmer

A device installed over card slots, typically at ATMs, that reads and stores magnetic stripe information from cards to create duplicates.

Software Vulnerability

Design or implementation flaws in complicated software that allow malicious code with high privilege to be executed, enabling hackers to take control of a computer.

Worm

A type of malicious software that spreads automatically over the internet, such as the Morris Worm of 1988.

ForcedEntry

A 2021 attack against iPhone that exploited a vulnerability in GIF image file processing to execute malicious code and install spyware.

Heartbleed

A 2014 security flaw in OpenSSL caused by a missing bounds check, allowing attackers to read sensitive information such as passwords from a remote server's memory.

Spectre and Meltdown

Vulnerabilities in the CPUs of many manufacturers (Intel, AMD, ARM) that allow a malicious process to read information from other processes or the OS kernel through a side-channel.

Row Hammer

A hardware vulnerability in DRAM memory where repeatedly accessing memory bits can modify values in adjacent bits, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

Intel Management Engine Vulnerability

A 2017 design flaw in a hardware component of certain Intel CPUs that allowed attackers to take full control of a computer remotely.

Social Engineering

An attack type that relies on manipulating people rather than exploiting technical vulnerabilities, treating human beings as the weakest link.

Phishing

A rampant social engineering attack using email, phone calls, or messages to trick users into providing credentials or transferring funds.

Baiting

A social engineering technique that convinces victims to install malicious software by offering free or legitimate-looking software or hardware.

Insider Attack

A security breach committed deliberately by an employee or former employee using their own login credentials.

Prevention

A defense approach involving the design and implementation of security mechanisms like access control and encryption to stop attacks before they occur.

Detection

A defense approach based on attack signatures or abnormal behaviors, used because absolute prevention is often infeasible.

Reaction

The defense phase where a detected attack is halted to prevent further damage.

Simplicity Principle

A security design principle stating that systems should be easy to understand and use to minimize flaws and encourage compliance.

Chesterton's Fence

A principle cited in the context of simplicity: Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.

Open Design Principle

The principle that security designs should be public to allow the community to identify and fix vulnerabilities, though sensitive systems often keep designs secret in practice.

Isolation

The separation of resources or processes (such as OS process isolation or sandbox) to limit interaction and contain potential attacks.

Least Privilege

The principle of limiting user or process privileges to the minimum necessary for their intended tasks to minimize potential damage from misuse.

Defense in Depth

The implementation of multiple layers of security (physical, network, application, etc.) to withstand threats even if one or more layers are compromised.

Attack Surface

The specific parts of a system that are exposed to a potential attacker.

Security Trade-offs

The necessary balance between security and other factors such as ease-of-use, performance, and development cost.