The Cybersecurity Threat Landscape

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?