Page 37 - DCAP516_COMPUTER_SECURITY

Unit 3: Assurance and Operational Issues

Checksumming: Security Programs that presumes that program files should not change between Notes
updates.
Computer Security Assurance: It is the degree of confidence one has that the security measures,
both technical and operational, work as intended to protect the system and the information it
processes.

Integrity Verification Programs: Integrity verification programs can be used by such applications
to look for evidence of data tampering, errors, and omissions.
Intrusion Detectors: Intrusion detectors analyze the system audit trail, especially log-ons,
connections, operating system calls, and various command parameters, for activity that could
represent unauthorized activity.

Password Crackers: Password crackers check passwords against a dictionary.
Security Reviews: Less formal audits are often called security reviews.
System Performance Monitoring: System performance monitoring analyzes system performance
logs in real time to look for availability problems, including active attacks (such as the 1988
Internet worm) and system and network slowdowns and crashes.
Virus Scanners: Programs that are a popular means of checking for virus infections.

3.9 Review Questions

1. Explain the meaning of computer security assurance.
2. Discuss the methodology to select an assurance method.
3. Describe the meaning and importance of operational assurance.
4. What do you mean by audit? Explain various categories of audit.

5. What are the various human issues relating to computer security? Discuss briefly.
6. Explain two basic methods to maintain operational assurance.

Answers: Self Assessment

1. Design and implementation assurance 2. cost.
3. extensive testing 4. Assurance

5. authorizing or accrediting official. 6. True
7. True 8. False
9. True 10. False

3.10 Further Readings

Books Managing Enterprise Information Integrity: Security, Control and Audit Issues, IT
Governance Institute.
Risks of Customer Relationship Management: A Security, Control, and Audit Approach,
PricewaterhouseCoopers Llp.

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