Outline

Threats & Attacks

on security

Attacks
Vulnerabilities
p Threats
p
p

CS405-Computer Security

n
n
n

By:

Interception
Interruption
Modification
Fabrication

Controls

Dilum Bandara
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering
University of Moratuwa
1

Attacks
p

p Vulnerabilities

Identify how the system can malfunction

Improve the design to withstand problems

n Is

a weakness in the security system

p Threats

When analysing a system for security

n

Terminology

When testing a system for functionality

n

Dilum Bandara - CSE

n Is

set of circumstances that has the

potential to cause loss or harm

Identify ways in which systems security can

malfunction
Enforce necessary controls

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Vulnerability

Terminology
p

Attacks
n

Water

Control
n
n

Dilum Bandara - CSE

A human or another system can exploit

vulnerabilities to initiates an attack

Is an action, device, procedure or technique

that removes or reduces the vulnerabilities
Example: the finger of the man can control a
water leak

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Security Threats

Security Threats cont

p

Interception

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Security Threats cont

Modification

Info.
Desti.

Normal flow

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Data

Info.
Source

A threat is blocked by control

of a vulnerability

Interruption
S

Fabrication

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Interception

Interception cont

p An

unauthorized part gain an access

to asset

p This

n
n
n

n Confidentiality

p Really

hard to detect a silent

interceptor

Eavesdropping
Link monitoring
Packet capturing
System compromisation

Cant be avoided
n
n

11

10

Approaches
n

is an attack on

Dilum Bandara - CSE

In wireless communication, broadcast,

multicast
Sore-and-forward approach in protocols
Dilum Bandara - CSE

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Interruption

Interruption cont

p An

p Approaches

asset of a system is destroyed,

unavailable or unusable

p This

n Destruction
n Physical

is an attack on

links

n Availability

n Introduction

of noise
of routing
n Erase of a program or a file
n DoS attacks

p Easily

detected by a single party or

both parties

Dilum Bandara - CSE

n Removal

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Modification
p

n Changing

a record in a database
compromisation
n Making use of delays in communication
n Modify hardware

is an attack on

n System

n Integrity
Can be detected if proper measure are
taken in advance
p Can be detected by both parties
n

Digital signature
Checking ones own work
Dilum Bandara - CSE

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Fabrication
An unauthorized party inserts counterfeit
(fake) object into the system

Pretends it was send by an authorized

party

p This

Dilum Bandara - CSE

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Fabrication cont

p Approaches
n Adding
p Make

use of IP spoofing

n Spurious

is an attack on

e-mails or web sites

p E-mail

from admin@yahoo.com
p Similar domain names www.yaho.com

Also related to the non-repudiation

Dilum Bandara - CSE

a new record to a database

of new network packet

n Insertion

n Authenticity
p

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p Approaches

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Modification cont

Unauthorized parties gain access as well

as tamper with asset

p This

of hardware
damages to communication

17

Dilum Bandara - CSE

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Attacks - Passive attacks

p
p

Passive attacks cont

Goal is to obtain information

Two types of attacks
1.

Passive threats

Detects the source & destination

Frequency of transmission & length of
messages

Interception

Release of message content

p
p

To gain personal advantages

Blackmailing parties involved in
communication
Dilum Bandara - CSE

Release of message
content
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Attacks - Active attacks

p
p

4.

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Easily detectable
Harder to prevent
p Can recover from destruction
p

Pretends to be some one else

Active threats

Replay
1.

3.

Dilum Bandara - CSE

Masquerading
1.

2.

Traffic analysis

Active attacks cont

Interruption, modification & fabrication

Four categories:
1.

Harder to detect
Prevention is the better than detection

Traffic analysis
p

2.

Retransmission of passive captured data

Modification
DoS
Interruption
Dilum Bandara - CSE

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Modification
Dilum Bandara - CSE

Fabrication
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