Evaluating the cyber security skills gap relating to penetration testing
- Authors: Beukes, Dirk Johannes
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Security measures , Computer networks -- Monitoring , Computer networks -- Management , Data protection , Information technology -- Security measures , Professionals -- Supply and demand , Electronic data personnel -- Supply and demand
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/171120 , vital:42021
- Description: Information Technology (IT) is growing rapidly and has become an integral part of daily life. It provides a boundless list of services and opportunities, generating boundless sources of information, which could be abused or exploited. Due to this growth, there are thousands of new users added to the grid using computer systems in a static and mobile environment; this fact alone creates endless volumes of data to be exploited and hardware devices to be abused by the wrong people. The growth in the IT environment adds challenges that may affect users in their personal, professional, and business lives. There are constant threats on corporate and private computer networks and computer systems. In the corporate environment companies try to eliminate the threat by testing networks making use of penetration tests and by implementing cyber awareness programs to make employees more aware of the cyber threat. Penetration tests and vulnerability assessments are undervalued; are seen as a formality and are not used to increase system security. If used regularly the computer system will be more secure and attacks minimized. With the growth in technology, industries all over the globe become fully dependent on information systems in doing their day-to-day business. As technology evolves and new technology becomes available, the bigger the risk becomes to protect against the dangers which come with this new technology. For industry to protect itself against this growth in technology, personnel with a certain skill set is needed. This is where cyber security plays a very important role in the protection of information systems to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information system itself and the data on the system. Due to this drive to secure information systems, the need for cyber security by professionals is on the rise as well. It is estimated that there is a shortage of one million cyber security professionals globally. What is the reason for this skills shortage? Will it be possible to close this skills shortage gap? This study is about identifying the skills gap and identifying possible ways to close this skills gap. In this study, research was conducted on the cyber security international standards, cyber security training at universities and international certification focusing specifically on penetration testing, the evaluation of the need of industry while recruiting new penetration testers, finishing with suggestions on how to fill possible gaps in the skills market with a conclusion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
- Authors: Beukes, Dirk Johannes
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Security measures , Computer networks -- Monitoring , Computer networks -- Management , Data protection , Information technology -- Security measures , Professionals -- Supply and demand , Electronic data personnel -- Supply and demand
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/171120 , vital:42021
- Description: Information Technology (IT) is growing rapidly and has become an integral part of daily life. It provides a boundless list of services and opportunities, generating boundless sources of information, which could be abused or exploited. Due to this growth, there are thousands of new users added to the grid using computer systems in a static and mobile environment; this fact alone creates endless volumes of data to be exploited and hardware devices to be abused by the wrong people. The growth in the IT environment adds challenges that may affect users in their personal, professional, and business lives. There are constant threats on corporate and private computer networks and computer systems. In the corporate environment companies try to eliminate the threat by testing networks making use of penetration tests and by implementing cyber awareness programs to make employees more aware of the cyber threat. Penetration tests and vulnerability assessments are undervalued; are seen as a formality and are not used to increase system security. If used regularly the computer system will be more secure and attacks minimized. With the growth in technology, industries all over the globe become fully dependent on information systems in doing their day-to-day business. As technology evolves and new technology becomes available, the bigger the risk becomes to protect against the dangers which come with this new technology. For industry to protect itself against this growth in technology, personnel with a certain skill set is needed. This is where cyber security plays a very important role in the protection of information systems to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information system itself and the data on the system. Due to this drive to secure information systems, the need for cyber security by professionals is on the rise as well. It is estimated that there is a shortage of one million cyber security professionals globally. What is the reason for this skills shortage? Will it be possible to close this skills shortage gap? This study is about identifying the skills gap and identifying possible ways to close this skills gap. In this study, research was conducted on the cyber security international standards, cyber security training at universities and international certification focusing specifically on penetration testing, the evaluation of the need of industry while recruiting new penetration testers, finishing with suggestions on how to fill possible gaps in the skills market with a conclusion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
A comparative study of CERBER, MAKTUB and LOCKY Ransomware using a Hybridised-Malware analysis
- Authors: Schmitt, Veronica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Microsoft Windows (Computer file) , Data protection , Computer crimes -- Prevention , Computer security , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computers -- Access control , Malware (Computer software)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92313 , vital:30702
- Description: There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of Ransomware attacks in the preceding four years to date. This indicates that the battle has not yet been won defending against this class of malware. This research proposes that by identifying the similarities within the operational framework of Ransomware strains, a better overall understanding of their operation and function can be achieved. This, in turn, will aid in a quicker response to future attacks. With the average Ransomware attack taking two hours to be identified, it shows that there is not yet a clear understanding as to why these attacks are so successful. Research into Ransomware is limited by what is currently known on the topic. Due to the limitations of the research the decision was taken to only examined three samples of Ransomware from different families. This was decided due to the complexities and comprehensive nature of the research. The in depth nature of the research and the time constraints associated with it did not allow for proof of concept of this framework to be tested on more than three families, but the exploratory work was promising and should be further explored in future research. The aim of the research is to follow the Hybrid-Malware analysis framework which consists of both static and the dynamic analysis phases, in addition to the digital forensic examination of the infected system. This allows for signature-based findings, along with behavioural and forensic findings all in one. This information allows for a better understanding of how this malware is designed and how it infects and remains persistent on a system. The operating system which has been chosen is the Microsoft Window 7 operating system which is still utilised by a significant proportion of Windows users especially in the corporate environment. The experiment process was designed to enable the researcher the ability to collect information regarding the Ransomware and every aspect of its behaviour and communication on a target system. The results can be compared across the three strains to identify the commonalities. The initial hypothesis was that Ransomware variants are all much like an instant cake box consists of specific building blocks which remain the same with the flavouring of the cake mix being the unique feature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Schmitt, Veronica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Microsoft Windows (Computer file) , Data protection , Computer crimes -- Prevention , Computer security , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computers -- Access control , Malware (Computer software)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92313 , vital:30702
- Description: There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of Ransomware attacks in the preceding four years to date. This indicates that the battle has not yet been won defending against this class of malware. This research proposes that by identifying the similarities within the operational framework of Ransomware strains, a better overall understanding of their operation and function can be achieved. This, in turn, will aid in a quicker response to future attacks. With the average Ransomware attack taking two hours to be identified, it shows that there is not yet a clear understanding as to why these attacks are so successful. Research into Ransomware is limited by what is currently known on the topic. Due to the limitations of the research the decision was taken to only examined three samples of Ransomware from different families. This was decided due to the complexities and comprehensive nature of the research. The in depth nature of the research and the time constraints associated with it did not allow for proof of concept of this framework to be tested on more than three families, but the exploratory work was promising and should be further explored in future research. The aim of the research is to follow the Hybrid-Malware analysis framework which consists of both static and the dynamic analysis phases, in addition to the digital forensic examination of the infected system. This allows for signature-based findings, along with behavioural and forensic findings all in one. This information allows for a better understanding of how this malware is designed and how it infects and remains persistent on a system. The operating system which has been chosen is the Microsoft Window 7 operating system which is still utilised by a significant proportion of Windows users especially in the corporate environment. The experiment process was designed to enable the researcher the ability to collect information regarding the Ransomware and every aspect of its behaviour and communication on a target system. The results can be compared across the three strains to identify the commonalities. The initial hypothesis was that Ransomware variants are all much like an instant cake box consists of specific building blocks which remain the same with the flavouring of the cake mix being the unique feature.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An analysis of the use of DNS for malicious payload distribution
- Authors: Dube, Ishmael
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Internet domain names , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computer security , Computer network protocols , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/97531 , vital:31447
- Description: The Domain Name System (DNS) protocol is a fundamental part of Internet activities that can be abused by cybercriminals to conduct malicious activities. Previous research has shown that cybercriminals use different methods, including the DNS protocol, to distribute malicious content, remain hidden and avoid detection from various technologies that are put in place to detect anomalies. This allows botnets and certain malware families to establish covert communication channels that can be used to send or receive data and also distribute malicious payloads using the DNS queries and responses. Cybercriminals use the DNS to breach highly protected networks, distribute malicious content, and exfiltrate sensitive information without being detected by security controls put in place by embedding certain strings in DNS packets. This research undertaking broadens this research field and fills in the existing research gap by extending the analysis of DNS being used as a payload distribution channel to detection of domains that are used to distribute different malicious payloads. This research undertaking analysed the use of the DNS in detecting domains and channels that are used for distributing malicious payloads. Passive DNS data which replicate DNS queries on name servers to detect anomalies in DNS queries was evaluated and analysed in order to detect malicious payloads. The research characterises the malicious payload distribution channels by analysing passive DNS traffic and modelling the DNS query and response patterns. The research found that it is possible to detect malicious payload distribution channels through the analysis of DNS TXT resource records.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Dube, Ishmael
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Internet domain names , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computer security , Computer network protocols , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/97531 , vital:31447
- Description: The Domain Name System (DNS) protocol is a fundamental part of Internet activities that can be abused by cybercriminals to conduct malicious activities. Previous research has shown that cybercriminals use different methods, including the DNS protocol, to distribute malicious content, remain hidden and avoid detection from various technologies that are put in place to detect anomalies. This allows botnets and certain malware families to establish covert communication channels that can be used to send or receive data and also distribute malicious payloads using the DNS queries and responses. Cybercriminals use the DNS to breach highly protected networks, distribute malicious content, and exfiltrate sensitive information without being detected by security controls put in place by embedding certain strings in DNS packets. This research undertaking broadens this research field and fills in the existing research gap by extending the analysis of DNS being used as a payload distribution channel to detection of domains that are used to distribute different malicious payloads. This research undertaking analysed the use of the DNS in detecting domains and channels that are used for distributing malicious payloads. Passive DNS data which replicate DNS queries on name servers to detect anomalies in DNS queries was evaluated and analysed in order to detect malicious payloads. The research characterises the malicious payload distribution channels by analysing passive DNS traffic and modelling the DNS query and response patterns. The research found that it is possible to detect malicious payload distribution channels through the analysis of DNS TXT resource records.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An investigation of the security of passwords derived from African languages
- Authors: Sishi, Sibusiso Teboho
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Computers -- Access control -- Passwords , Computer users -- Attitudes , Internet -- Access control , Internet -- Security measures , Internet -- Management , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163273 , vital:41024
- Description: Password authentication has become ubiquitous in the cyber age. To-date, there have been several studies on country based passwords by authors who studied, amongst others, English, Finnish, Italian and Chinese based passwords. However, there has been a lack of focused study on the type of passwords that are being created in Africa and whether there are benefits in creating passwords in an African language. For this research, password databases containing LAN Manager (LM) and NT LAN Manager (NTLM) hashes extracted from South African organisations in a variety of sectors in the economy, were obtained to gain an understanding of user behaviour in creating passwords. Analysis of the passwords obtained from these hashes (using several cracking methods) showed that many organisational passwords are based on the English language. This is understandable considering that the business language in South Africa is English even though South Africa has 11 official languages. African language based passwords were derived from known English weak passwords and some of the passwords were appended with numbers and special characters. The African based passwords created using eight Southern African languages were then uploaded to the Internet to test the security around using passwords based on African languages. Since most of the passwords were able to be cracked by third party researchers, we conclude that any password that is derived from known weak English words marked no improvement in the security of a password written in an African language, especially the more widely spoken languages, namely, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Setswana.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Sishi, Sibusiso Teboho
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Computers -- Access control -- Passwords , Computer users -- Attitudes , Internet -- Access control , Internet -- Security measures , Internet -- Management , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163273 , vital:41024
- Description: Password authentication has become ubiquitous in the cyber age. To-date, there have been several studies on country based passwords by authors who studied, amongst others, English, Finnish, Italian and Chinese based passwords. However, there has been a lack of focused study on the type of passwords that are being created in Africa and whether there are benefits in creating passwords in an African language. For this research, password databases containing LAN Manager (LM) and NT LAN Manager (NTLM) hashes extracted from South African organisations in a variety of sectors in the economy, were obtained to gain an understanding of user behaviour in creating passwords. Analysis of the passwords obtained from these hashes (using several cracking methods) showed that many organisational passwords are based on the English language. This is understandable considering that the business language in South Africa is English even though South Africa has 11 official languages. African language based passwords were derived from known English weak passwords and some of the passwords were appended with numbers and special characters. The African based passwords created using eight Southern African languages were then uploaded to the Internet to test the security around using passwords based on African languages. Since most of the passwords were able to be cracked by third party researchers, we conclude that any password that is derived from known weak English words marked no improvement in the security of a password written in an African language, especially the more widely spoken languages, namely, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Setswana.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Targeted attack detection by means of free and open source solutions
- Authors: Bernardo, Louis F
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Security measures , Information technology -- Security measures , Computer security -- Management , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92269 , vital:30703
- Description: Compliance requirements are part of everyday business requirements for various areas, such as retail and medical services. As part of compliance it may be required to have infrastructure in place to monitor the activities in the environment to ensure that the relevant data and environment is sufficiently protected. At the core of such monitoring solutions one would find some type of data repository, or database, to store and ultimately correlate the captured events. Such solutions are commonly called Security Information and Event Management, or SIEM for short. Larger companies have been known to use commercial solutions such as IBM's Qradar, Logrythm, or Splunk. However, these come at significant cost and arent suitable for smaller businesses with limited budgets. These solutions require manual configuration of event correlation for detection of activities that place the environment in danger. This usually requires vendor implementation assistance that also would come at a cost. Alternatively, there are open source solutions that provide the required functionality. This research will demonstrate building an open source solution, with minimal to no cost for hardware or software, while still maintaining the capability of detecting targeted attacks. The solution presented in this research includes Wazuh, which is a combination of OSSEC and the ELK stack, integrated with an Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS). The success of the integration, is determined by measuring postive attack detection based on each different configuration options. To perform the testing, a deliberately vulnerable platform named Metasploitable will be used as a victim host. The victim host vulnerabilities were created specifically to serve as target for Metasploit. The attacks were generated by utilising Metasploit Framework on a prebuilt Kali Linux host.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Bernardo, Louis F
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Security measures , Information technology -- Security measures , Computer security -- Management , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92269 , vital:30703
- Description: Compliance requirements are part of everyday business requirements for various areas, such as retail and medical services. As part of compliance it may be required to have infrastructure in place to monitor the activities in the environment to ensure that the relevant data and environment is sufficiently protected. At the core of such monitoring solutions one would find some type of data repository, or database, to store and ultimately correlate the captured events. Such solutions are commonly called Security Information and Event Management, or SIEM for short. Larger companies have been known to use commercial solutions such as IBM's Qradar, Logrythm, or Splunk. However, these come at significant cost and arent suitable for smaller businesses with limited budgets. These solutions require manual configuration of event correlation for detection of activities that place the environment in danger. This usually requires vendor implementation assistance that also would come at a cost. Alternatively, there are open source solutions that provide the required functionality. This research will demonstrate building an open source solution, with minimal to no cost for hardware or software, while still maintaining the capability of detecting targeted attacks. The solution presented in this research includes Wazuh, which is a combination of OSSEC and the ELK stack, integrated with an Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS). The success of the integration, is determined by measuring postive attack detection based on each different configuration options. To perform the testing, a deliberately vulnerable platform named Metasploitable will be used as a victim host. The victim host vulnerabilities were created specifically to serve as target for Metasploit. The attacks were generated by utilising Metasploit Framework on a prebuilt Kali Linux host.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Towards understanding and mitigating attacks leveraging zero-day exploits
- Authors: Smit, Liam
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Computer crimes -- Prevention , Data protection , Hacking , Computer security , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computers -- Access control , Malware (Computer software)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115718 , vital:34218
- Description: Zero-day vulnerabilities are unknown and therefore not addressed with the result that they can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorised system access. In order to understand and mitigate against attacks leveraging zero-days or unknown techniques, it is necessary to study the vulnerabilities, exploits and attacks that make use of them. In recent years there have been a number of leaks publishing such attacks using various methods to exploit vulnerabilities. This research seeks to understand what types of vulnerabilities exist, why and how these are exploited, and how to defend against such attacks by either mitigating the vulnerabilities or the method / process of exploiting them. By moving beyond merely remedying the vulnerabilities to defences that are able to prevent or detect the actions taken by attackers, the security of the information system will be better positioned to deal with future unknown threats. An interesting finding is how attackers exploit moving beyond the observable bounds to circumvent security defences, for example, compromising syslog servers, or going down to lower system rings to gain access. However, defenders can counter this by employing defences that are external to the system preventing attackers from disabling them or removing collected evidence after gaining system access. Attackers are able to defeat air-gaps via the leakage of electromagnetic radiation as well as misdirect attribution by planting false artefacts for forensic analysis and attacking from third party information systems. They analyse the methods of other attackers to learn new techniques. An example of this is the Umbrage project whereby malware is analysed to decide whether it should be implemented as a proof of concept. Another important finding is that attackers respect defence mechanisms such as: remote syslog (e.g. firewall), core dump files, database auditing, and Tripwire (e.g. SlyHeretic). These defences all have the potential to result in the attacker being discovered. Attackers must either negate the defence mechanism or find unprotected targets. Defenders can use technologies such as encryption to defend against interception and man-in-the-middle attacks. They can also employ honeytokens and honeypots to alarm misdirect, slow down and learn from attackers. By employing various tactics defenders are able to increase their chance of detecting and time to react to attacks, even those exploiting hitherto unknown vulnerabilities. To summarize the information presented in this thesis and to show the practical importance thereof, an examination is presented of the NSA's network intrusion of the SWIFT organisation. It shows that the firewalls were exploited with remote code execution zerodays. This attack has a striking parallel in the approach used in the recent VPNFilter malware. If nothing else, the leaks provide information to other actors on how to attack and what to avoid. However, by studying state actors, we can gain insight into what other actors with fewer resources can do in the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Smit, Liam
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Computer crimes -- Prevention , Data protection , Hacking , Computer security , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computers -- Access control , Malware (Computer software)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115718 , vital:34218
- Description: Zero-day vulnerabilities are unknown and therefore not addressed with the result that they can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorised system access. In order to understand and mitigate against attacks leveraging zero-days or unknown techniques, it is necessary to study the vulnerabilities, exploits and attacks that make use of them. In recent years there have been a number of leaks publishing such attacks using various methods to exploit vulnerabilities. This research seeks to understand what types of vulnerabilities exist, why and how these are exploited, and how to defend against such attacks by either mitigating the vulnerabilities or the method / process of exploiting them. By moving beyond merely remedying the vulnerabilities to defences that are able to prevent or detect the actions taken by attackers, the security of the information system will be better positioned to deal with future unknown threats. An interesting finding is how attackers exploit moving beyond the observable bounds to circumvent security defences, for example, compromising syslog servers, or going down to lower system rings to gain access. However, defenders can counter this by employing defences that are external to the system preventing attackers from disabling them or removing collected evidence after gaining system access. Attackers are able to defeat air-gaps via the leakage of electromagnetic radiation as well as misdirect attribution by planting false artefacts for forensic analysis and attacking from third party information systems. They analyse the methods of other attackers to learn new techniques. An example of this is the Umbrage project whereby malware is analysed to decide whether it should be implemented as a proof of concept. Another important finding is that attackers respect defence mechanisms such as: remote syslog (e.g. firewall), core dump files, database auditing, and Tripwire (e.g. SlyHeretic). These defences all have the potential to result in the attacker being discovered. Attackers must either negate the defence mechanism or find unprotected targets. Defenders can use technologies such as encryption to defend against interception and man-in-the-middle attacks. They can also employ honeytokens and honeypots to alarm misdirect, slow down and learn from attackers. By employing various tactics defenders are able to increase their chance of detecting and time to react to attacks, even those exploiting hitherto unknown vulnerabilities. To summarize the information presented in this thesis and to show the practical importance thereof, an examination is presented of the NSA's network intrusion of the SWIFT organisation. It shows that the firewalls were exploited with remote code execution zerodays. This attack has a striking parallel in the approach used in the recent VPNFilter malware. If nothing else, the leaks provide information to other actors on how to attack and what to avoid. However, by studying state actors, we can gain insight into what other actors with fewer resources can do in the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
Towards a threat assessment framework for consumer health wearables
- Authors: Mnjama, Javan Joshua
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Activity trackers (Wearable technology) , Computer networks -- Security measures , Data protection , Information storage and retrieval systems -- Security systems , Computer security -- Software , Consumer Health Wearable Threat Assessment Framework , Design Science Research
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62649 , vital:28225
- Description: The collection of health data such as physical activity, consumption and physiological data through the use of consumer health wearables via fitness trackers are very beneficial for the promotion of physical wellness. However, consumer health wearables and their associated applications are known to have privacy and security concerns that can potentially make the collected personal health data vulnerable to hackers. These concerns are attributed to security theoretical frameworks not sufficiently addressing the entirety of privacy and security concerns relating to the diverse technological ecosystem of consumer health wearables. The objective of this research was therefore to develop a threat assessment framework that can be used to guide the detection of vulnerabilities which affect consumer health wearables and their associated applications. To meet this objective, the Design Science Research methodology was used to develop the desired artefact (Consumer Health Wearable Threat Assessment Framework). The framework is comprised of fourteen vulnerabilities classified according to Authentication, Authorization, Availability, Confidentiality, Non-Repudiation and Integrity. Through developing the artefact, the threat assessment framework was demonstrated on two fitness trackers and their associated applications. It was discovered, that the framework was able to identify how these vulnerabilities affected, these two test cases based on the classification categories of the framework. The framework was also evaluated by four security experts who assessed the quality, utility and efficacy of the framework. Experts, supported the use of the framework as a relevant and comprehensive framework to guide the detection of vulnerabilities towards consumer health wearables and their associated applications. The implication of this research study is that the framework can be used by developers to better identify the vulnerabilities of consumer health wearables and their associated applications. This will assist in creating a more securer environment for the storage and use of health data by consumer health wearables.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Mnjama, Javan Joshua
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Activity trackers (Wearable technology) , Computer networks -- Security measures , Data protection , Information storage and retrieval systems -- Security systems , Computer security -- Software , Consumer Health Wearable Threat Assessment Framework , Design Science Research
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62649 , vital:28225
- Description: The collection of health data such as physical activity, consumption and physiological data through the use of consumer health wearables via fitness trackers are very beneficial for the promotion of physical wellness. However, consumer health wearables and their associated applications are known to have privacy and security concerns that can potentially make the collected personal health data vulnerable to hackers. These concerns are attributed to security theoretical frameworks not sufficiently addressing the entirety of privacy and security concerns relating to the diverse technological ecosystem of consumer health wearables. The objective of this research was therefore to develop a threat assessment framework that can be used to guide the detection of vulnerabilities which affect consumer health wearables and their associated applications. To meet this objective, the Design Science Research methodology was used to develop the desired artefact (Consumer Health Wearable Threat Assessment Framework). The framework is comprised of fourteen vulnerabilities classified according to Authentication, Authorization, Availability, Confidentiality, Non-Repudiation and Integrity. Through developing the artefact, the threat assessment framework was demonstrated on two fitness trackers and their associated applications. It was discovered, that the framework was able to identify how these vulnerabilities affected, these two test cases based on the classification categories of the framework. The framework was also evaluated by four security experts who assessed the quality, utility and efficacy of the framework. Experts, supported the use of the framework as a relevant and comprehensive framework to guide the detection of vulnerabilities towards consumer health wearables and their associated applications. The implication of this research study is that the framework can be used by developers to better identify the vulnerabilities of consumer health wearables and their associated applications. This will assist in creating a more securer environment for the storage and use of health data by consumer health wearables.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
A study of South African computer users' password usage habits and attitude towards password security
- Authors: Friendman, Brandon
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Computers -- Access control -- Passwords , Computer users -- Attitudes , Internet -- Access control , Internet -- Security measures , Internet -- Management , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4700
- Description: The challenge of having to create and remember a secure password for each user account has become a problem for many computer users and can lead to bad password management practices. Simpler and less secure passwords are often selected and are regularly reused across multiple user accounts. Computer users within corporations and institutions are subject to password policies, policies which require users to create passwords of a specified length and composition and change passwords regularly. These policies often prevent users from reusing previous selected passwords. Security vendors and professionals have sought to improve or even replace password authentication. Technologies such as multi-factor authentication and single sign-on have been developed to complement or even replace password authentication. The objective of the study was to investigate the password habits of South African computer and internet users. The aim was to assess their attitudes toward password security, to determine whether password policies a↵ect the manner in which they manage their passwords and to investigate their exposure to alternate authentication technologies. The results from the online survey demonstrated that password practices of the participants across their professional and personal contexts were generally insecure. Participants often used shorter, simpler and ultimately less secure passwords. Participants would try to memorise all of their passwords or reuse the same password on most of their accounts. Many participants had not received any security awareness training, and additional security technologies (such as multi-factor authentication or password managers) were seldom used or provided to them. The password policies encountered by the participants in their organisations did little towards encouraging the users to apply more secure password practices. Users lack the knowledge and understanding about password security as they had received little or no training pertaining to it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Friendman, Brandon
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Computers -- Access control -- Passwords , Computer users -- Attitudes , Internet -- Access control , Internet -- Security measures , Internet -- Management , Data protection
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4700
- Description: The challenge of having to create and remember a secure password for each user account has become a problem for many computer users and can lead to bad password management practices. Simpler and less secure passwords are often selected and are regularly reused across multiple user accounts. Computer users within corporations and institutions are subject to password policies, policies which require users to create passwords of a specified length and composition and change passwords regularly. These policies often prevent users from reusing previous selected passwords. Security vendors and professionals have sought to improve or even replace password authentication. Technologies such as multi-factor authentication and single sign-on have been developed to complement or even replace password authentication. The objective of the study was to investigate the password habits of South African computer and internet users. The aim was to assess their attitudes toward password security, to determine whether password policies a↵ect the manner in which they manage their passwords and to investigate their exposure to alternate authentication technologies. The results from the online survey demonstrated that password practices of the participants across their professional and personal contexts were generally insecure. Participants often used shorter, simpler and ultimately less secure passwords. Participants would try to memorise all of their passwords or reuse the same password on most of their accounts. Many participants had not received any security awareness training, and additional security technologies (such as multi-factor authentication or password managers) were seldom used or provided to them. The password policies encountered by the participants in their organisations did little towards encouraging the users to apply more secure password practices. Users lack the knowledge and understanding about password security as they had received little or no training pertaining to it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »