Provide a detailed analysis of the threat landscape. What has changed over the past year? Describe common tactics, techniques, and procedures to include threat actor types.

Group Assignment

CMIT 495: Current Trends and Projects in Computer Networks and Security

Introduction

Part 1: Threat Landscape Analysis

Provide a detailed analysis of the threat landscape.
What has changed over the past year?
Describe common tactics, techniques, and procedures to include threat actor types.
What are the exploit vectors and vulnerabilities threat actors are predicted to take advantage of?

Part 2: APT Analysis

Provide a detailed analysis and description of the APT your group was assigned. Describe the specific tactics used to gain access to the target(s).
Describe the tools used. Describe what the objective of the APT was/is. Was it successful?

Part 3: Cybersecurity Tools, Tactics, and Procedures

Describe current hardware- and software-based cybersecurity tools, tactics, and procedures.
Consider the hardware and software solutions deployed today in the context of defense-in-depth.
Elaborate on why these devices are not successful against the APTs.

Part 4: Machine Learning and Data Analytics

Describe the concepts of machine learning and data analytics and how applying them to cybersecurity will evolve the field.
Are there companies providing innovative defensive cybersecurity measures based on these technologies? If so, what are they? Would you recommend any of these to the CTO?

Part 5: Using Machine Learning and Data Analytics to Prevent APT

Describe how machine learning and data analytics could have detected and/or prevented the APT you analyzed had the victim organization deployed these technologies at the time of the event. Be specific.

Part 6: Ethics in Cybersecurity

Do you think the vulnerability(ies) exploited by the APT constitute an ethical failure by the defender? Why or why not?
For the APT your group studied, were there identifiable harms to privacy or property? How are these harms linked to C-I-A? If not, what ethically significant harms could result from the scenario your group researched?
For the APT your group studied, when the targeted organization identified the breach, was the disclosure made with transparency? Do you feel the organization acted ethically? Why or why not?