Enterprise Network security. Executive summary. Research Paper
Good news, the media, and entertainment company you work for have decided to acquire a media streaming company to complement the business. That means there's a need to assess the financial strength and operational capabilities of the target company, including cybersecurity. The acquisition team needs to take a look at everything, operating systems, network infrastructure, data protection mechanisms, applications, patch levels, and all technology components to assess systems integration between the two companies. You are the cybersecurity engineering architect who will develop a strategy to mitigate risk, protect systems, and prevent threats to data. Your scope includes the enterprise network, data, architecture, and technology capabilities, operating systems, applications, and security processes of the streaming company. Although the streaming company's technology leader did not provide information on any system or trusted environments, you suspected that the company may be using older unsupported versions of Microsoft Windows and Adobe Acrobat. Another challenge, you know that your media and entertainment company doesn't have the staff, with the technical know-how, to assess the security of a technology-oriented streaming company. You will have to be detail-oriented and specific with staff members, to ensure the most important aspects of the integration of the two companies will be covered. You will develop cybersecurity for a successful acquisition report that details the cybersecurity posture of the target company, trusted mechanisms to incorporate, and remedies to implement, to prevent threats and exploits. The report will be part of the larger assessment report the leaders of the acquisition will present to executives of both companies.
Businesses involved in mergers and acquisitions must exercise due diligence in ensuring that the technology environment of the future organization is robust and adequately protects their information assets and intellectual property. Such an effort requires time and open sharing to understand the physical locations, computing environment, and any gaps to address. Lack of information sharing can lead to problematic systems integration and hamper the building of a cohesive enterprise security posture for the merged organization.
Often the urgency of companies undergoing a merger and acquisition (M&A) impedes comprehensive due diligence, especially in cybersecurity. This creates greater challenges for the cybersecurity engineering architect, who typically leads the cybersecurity assessment effort and creates the roadmap for the new enterprise security solution for the future organization. However, the business interest and urgency in completing the merger can also represent an opportunity for CISOs to leverage additional resources and executive attention on strategic security matters.
In this project, you will create a report on system security issues during an M&A. The details of your report, which will also include an executive briefing and summary, can be found in the final step of the project. There are nine steps to the project.
Step 1. Conduct a Policy Gap Analysis
As you begin Step 1 of your system security report on cybersecurity for mergers and acquisitions, keep in mind that the networks of companies going through an M&A can be subject to a cyberattack. As you work through this step and the others, keep these questions in mind:
Are companies going through an M&A prone to more attacks or more focused attacks?
If so, what is the appropriate course of action?
Should the M&A activities be kept confidential?
Now, look at the existing security policies regarding the acquisition of the media streaming company. You have to explain to the executives that before any systems are integrated, their security policies will need to be reviewed.
Conduct a policy gap analysis to ensure the target company's security policies follow relevant industry standards as well as local, state, and national laws and regulations. In other words, you need to make sure the new company will not inherit any statutory or regulatory noncompliance from either of the two original companies. This step would also identify what, if any, laws and regulations the target company is subject to. If those are different from the laws and regulations the acquiring company is subject to, then this document should answer the following questions:
How would you identify the differences?
How would you learn about the relevant laws and regulations?
How would you ensure compliance with those laws and regulations?
The streaming company that is being acquired has a current customer base of 150,000 users, who on average pay $14.99 in monthly fees. Based on the overall income, use PCI Standards DSS 12 requirements, and the PCI DSS Quick Reference Guide to identify a secure strategy, and operating system protections to protect the credit card data.
Select at least two appropriate requirements from the PCI Standards DSS 12 set of requirements and explain how the controls should be implemented, how they will change the current network and any costs associated with implementing the change.
In the next step, you will review the streaming protocols that the companies are using.
Step 2: Review Protocols for Streaming Services
After reviewing the policies from the company and the policy gap analysis, the M&A leader asks you about the protocols used by the streaming company. He wants to know if the protocols used would affect the current state of cybersecurity within the current company environment. For this section, review the protocols, explain how they work along with any known vulnerabilities, and how to secure the company from cyberattacks. Start with researching the commonly known streaming protocols and the vulnerabilities of those protocols. Some examples are the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) and the Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP).
Additionally, the leadership wants to know if any vulnerabilities identified would or could lead to a no-go on the M&A.
In other words: You need to identify what streaming the companies are doing and the specific technology they are leveraging.
What are the technical vulnerabilities associated with the protocols involved?
Have those been mitigated? And to what extent (i.e., has the risk been reduced to zero, reduced somewhat, shifted to a third party, etc.)?
What residual risk to the target company's assets and IP remain?
Would those risks extend to the current (takeover) company after the merger?
a. Would that be bad enough to cancel the M&A?
If the response to #5 is yes, then, what should the target company do to further mitigate the risk? How should the takeover company mitigate the risk?
What are the costs associated with the target company (implementing the appropriate mitigation)? If the takeover firm has to take additional measures, identify those costs as well.
After assessing and reviewing the streaming protocols, move to the next step, where you will assess the infrastructure of the merged network.
Step 3: Assess the Merged Network Infrastructure
You’ve just reviewed the streaming services of the companies, and now you will assess the infrastructure of the new network. The networks of the two companies could be configured differently, or they could use the same hardware and software, or completely different hardware and software.
The purpose of this section is to understand what tools the company is using, the benefits and shortcomings of those tools, and the gaps within the network. Explain what tactics, techniques, and procedures you would use to understand the network. You should identify firewalls, DMZ(s), other network systems, and the status of those devices.
When your assessment of the infrastructure is complete, move to the next step, where you will assess any existing policies for wireless and bring your device (BYOD) within the companies.
Step 4: Review the Wireless and BYOD Policies
Within Project 2, you learned about and discussed wireless networks. An M&A provides an opportunity for both companies to review their wireless networks. Within your report, explain the media company's current stance on wireless devices and BYOD. However, the company that is being acquired does not have a BYOD policy. Explain to the managers of the acquisition what needs to be done for the new company to meet the goals of the BYOD policy.
When the review of the wireless and BYOD policies is complete, move to the next step: developing a data protection plan.
Step 5: Develop a Data Protection Plan
You’ve completed the review of the wireless and BYOD policies. In this step, you will develop the recommendations portion of your report in which you will suggest additional mechanisms for data protection at different levels of the acquired company’s architecture.
Include the benefits, implementation activities required for protection and defense measures such as full disk encryption, BitLocker, and platform identity keys. You also want to convey to your leadership the importance of system integrity and an overall trusted computing base, environment, and support. Describe what this would entail and include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) components and drivers. How are these mechanisms employed in an authentication and authorization system? Include this in the report and whether the merging company has this.
In the next step, you will assess any risks with the supply chain of the acquired company.
Step 6: Review of Supply Chain Risk
The data protection plan is ready. In this step, you will take a look at risks to the supply chain. Acquiring a new company also means inheriting the risks associated with its supply chain and those firm's systems and technologies. Include supply chain risks and list the security measures in place to mitigate those risks. Use the NIST Special Publication 800-161 Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Federal Information Systems and Organizations to explain the areas that need to be addressed.
After your supply chain review is complete, move to the next step, where you will create a vulnerability management program.
Step 7: Build a Vulnerability Management Program
After your supply chain review, your interview with the company's current cybersecurity team about vulnerability management. The team members explain to you that they never scanned or had the time to build a vulnerability management program. So, you need to build one. Use NIST Special Publication 800-40 Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Technologies to develop a program to meet the missing need.
Explain to the managers how to implement this change, why it is needed, and any costs involved.
The next step is a key one that should not be overlooked -- the need to educate users from both companies of the changes being made.
Step 8: Educate Users
you've completed your vulnerability management program, but it’s important to educate all the users of the network about the changes. During the process of acquiring a company, policies, processes, and other aspects are often updated. The last step in the process is to inform the users of the new and old company of the changes. Within your report, explain to the acquisition managers the requirements for training the workforce.
When you’ve completed this step, move to the final section of this project, in which you will prepare and submit your final report.
Step 9: Prepare and Submit Your Report, Executive Briefing, and Executive Summary
You’re ready now for the final step, in which you will compile and deliver the Cybersecurity for a Successful Acquisition report for the company leaders to enable them to understand the required cybersecurity strategy.
Again, keep in mind that companies undergoing an acquisition or merger are more prone to cyberattacks. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the security posture of both companies and to develop a plan to reduce the possibility of an attack.
The assignments for this project are as follows:
1. Executive summary: This is a one-page summary at the beginning of your report.
Cybersecurity System Security Report for Successful Acquisition: Your report should be a minimum 12-page double-spaced Word document with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables or citations.
Enterprise Network Security
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Enterprise Network Security
Executive summary
Mergers and acquisitions are typically an extremely hectic procedure and they forestall different vulnerabilities that aggressors can exploit so as to access personal information illicitly. By undertaking a policy gap analysis, the organization can decide the policies offered by the obtaining organization. By identifying this gap, the firm can recognize the specific changes that will be found in the blended organization.
The protocols to be utilized will feature the vulnerabilities that the organization may be inclined to and how to moderate them. These protocols incorporate HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), TLS/SSL (Transport Layer Security/Secure Sockets Layer), HDS (HTTP Dynamic Flash Streaming), just as RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol). Analysis of the blended network infrastructure additionally features the different advances that will be taken so as to guarantee a consistent client experience.
Changes, for example, execution of BYOD policies are likewise endless supply of the merger. A portion of the considerations that will make so as to start usage of a BYOD incorporate Wi-Fi capacity issues, BYOD backing and security, just as brought together access for wired and wireless clients. A strong information insurance plan can help ensure client information and in this manner increment client base. A few measures incorporate full circle encryption, BitLocker, just as TPM (Trusted Platform Module). Rules and regulations to anticipate incidental revelation of sensitive data will be placed in the information insurance plan, together with strategies that will be utilized to recognize the sensitive data, ID of systems which contain and transport information, information misfortune aversion just as risk detection controls.
Analysis of supply chain risks will help distinguish the different dangers from the target organization before finishing the merger. These dangers are either external or internal, and can be moderated utilizing arrangements, for example, products harm, inventory management, sourcing just as consumption. A vulnerability management program will likewise be set in place so as to completely recognize and moderate a portion of the potential misfortunes that the organization may endure. The significance of having a vulnerability management program is that it improves security, spares time and therefore sets aside on cash. Clients and workers will be maintained informed in control to make a firm client base.
Policy gap analysis
During the preparing of a merger and acquisition bargain, things can get overpowering very fast. Numerous attackers are always waiting for the transactions to happen so that they can target the associations while their guard is down. The likelihood of essential vulnerabilities being neglected increments during this period. In all probability, because various specialized procedures are running at the same time when combining frameworks, making a more significant impression fit for being assaulted. To moderate this known problem, it is essential to lead a security policy gap analysis (Cavelty, 2015). This is required to perceive what security arrangements are absent, before any insights concerning the conceivable merger being discharged openly. It is practically difficult to address each potential security hazard; along these lines, the dangers broke down inside this report are predominately centered on our industry and legal standards. The primary regions of risk with a merger and acquisition identified with security incorporate physical security, specialized security, fiasco recovery, and policy and mindfulness.
Both Itube and the organization use the web to deliver different streaming amusement choices to the customers. To do this legitimately, some regulations are required to be pursued, mainly since most of the substance we give is secured under copyright laws. To provide this administration, licensing agreements are required, and these agreements work as lawful restricting contracts between the organization offering the administration and the content proprietor. These contracts are unmistakable and plainly articulate the terms of utilization, particularly during a merger and acquisition. It expresses the endless supply of a merger. The picking up organization is legitimately responsible for the previous organization's contract until another contract is set up. These contracts are set up to secure the media the organization gives to its customers and to forestall the loss of intellectual property burglary through pilfering. It is likewise a legitimate commitment to ensure the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of the customers.
Starting on 1 February 2019, Itube has a customer base of 135,000 dynamic month to month individuals. Every customer pays $9.99 for their month to month participation, which created a yearly income of $16,183,800 in 2018. The organization had a customer base of 205,000 dynamic month to month individuals, and the company charge a similar month to month enrollment cost as Itube. For whatever length of time that this merger is processed effectively, the customer base will increment by 65%, with an expansion in the month to month income of more than $1.3 million (Cavelty, 2015). The organization forms these transactions through the secure installment include on the site tolerating all significant Visas just as platinum cards.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is built up the security controls that organizations are required to actualize to ensure the customer's Visa data. These prerequisites were created by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards committee. These security standards help ensure the cardholder's PII by setting the operational and specialized necessities for organizations tolerating MasterCard installment transactions. The PCI likewise settled four diverse merchant levels used to characterize the probability of misrepresentation just as to decide reasonable security prerequisites. The merchant level allocated to a business is also going to determine how the yearly approval procedure happens. The organization is a level 3 merchant because of the all outnumber of yearly transactions being somewhere in the range of 20,000 and 1 million. As a level 3 merchant, we are required by the PCI to finish an annual self-assessment questionnaire alongside leading quarterly defenselessness look over the utilization of an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). Level 3 merchants are additionally required to give their PCI consistence status to their particular MasterCard banks. Neglecting to meet these prerequisites can bring about a business being fined a month to month punishment extending from $5,000 to $100,000 until each issue is tended to.
As the recently referenced PCI prerequisite characterized the need to secure put away cardholder information, the fourth necessity is similarly as significant, it is the most condemning everything being equal. It is the prerequisite to guarantee the safe transfer of the client's Visa information from the sender to the collector using encryption. Open networks can give a distinct objective of chance for odious on-screen characters, using straightforward methods, they can go without much of a stretch access delicate data if not encoded (Cavelty, 2015). To guarantee the touchy data is genuinely shielded during transmission, authentication protocols should be reliable, and wireless networks should be configured effectively. Security protocols must be set to help secure renditions. It is standard information that some authentication protocols, for example, SSL v2.0 and TLS, have known vulnerabilities and can without much of a stretch be misused by an odious entertainer. This is another significant zone we have to guarantee that Itube was agreeable inside. If not, it can conceivably carry the merger to an abrupt stop.
A portion of the regulation approaches offered by the target organization incorporate the utilization of DevOps – includes the utilization of robotization to alleviate security issues that come because of high speed of operations when handled by people. A portion of the apparatuses utilized in DevOps incorporate Security Monkey, Scumblr and Fully Integrated Defense Operation. The gaining organization gives arrangements administering publicizing, which incorporate sharing of data just with colleagues, however simply after client approval. Another strategy is hashing, which is done so as to ensure touchy data particularly during transmission. Another arrangement is Stethoscope – an open-source web application that gives suggestions to improve security on consumer gadgets. The target organization will be dependent upon filtration of hostile substance. The organization will maintains all authority to decide how proper its substance is for production. Content containing diligent or realistic explicitly unequivocal or savage acts and bareness won't be permitted on the survey stage. Furthermore, there will be confinements as per nation or area. This will assist the consolidated organization with garnering certainty from those nations and will therefore prompt expanded profits
Protocols for streaming services
As talked about before, the organization gives an online media streaming support of the customers for a month to month participation charge. This procedure is given to the customer by scattering their mentioned media excitement using the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol delivered over an encoded HTTPS connection. HLS isn't the primary protocol that is accessible for streaming media; it is the thing that our organization chose to use on account of its unwavering quality. The organization doesn't give any live streaming capacities; in this manner, the high idleness time of data transmission with HLS was not a negative factor. There are likewise no known vulnerabilities legitimately attached to HLS. However, a portion of the protocol's HLS can utilize have realized vulnerabilities related to them. In this way, HLS isn't risk-free, however using risk alleviation and the way that HLS utilizes HTTP-base transactions over TCP contrasted with the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) protocol transaction over UDP, which was recently utilized.
RTP is a network protocol that indicates how projects deal with the real-time transmission of media over the network. RTP favors quick conveyance contrasted with TCP which favors information integrity. RTP is utilized related to Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP), which guarantees the capacity for different media streams to be synchronized. RTCP works all the more so with quality control and doesn't really transport any information.
The general security posture for our streaming assistance is moderately stable. To get to the site HTTPS is required, in which every one of the data is scrambled while moving. There are likewise essential client confirmation necessities at whatever point another gadget attempt's to sign on just because there is a checking email sent to the client to affirm that gadget (Dunn, 2013). Additionally, to attempt to relieve a savage power assault to the login page, after three fizzled login endeavors, the account is bolted out, which at that point requires the client to reset their password. The merger and acquisition between the organization and Itube won't increment or diminishing the probability of a security risk. The organization has just updated the security fix software to address any of the present know vulnerabilities, before this arrangement along these lines not requiring any extra subsidizing.
Merged network infrastructure
The merger of Itubes infrastructure with the organization infrastructure will be a generally necessary procedure with regards to taking ownership of their data. A year ago, the organization made the change to outsourcing the data stockpiling to a secure cloud services platform with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Endless supply of the merger the entirety of Itube's existing customer base will get a notice that the merger will occur, now they will be offered a no-cost end of their two-year contract with Itube. They will have the choice to sign a year contract with the organization. Generally, their account will be ended before the month is over. Endless supply of the New Year contact for the organization, those customers will be added to the approved client list and have full access to stream media as they did with Itube. The average client won't see a distinction in the accessible media content because of both of the organizations having comparable substance. Yet, there is the remote possibility that some particular material will be transitory inaccessible.
To guarantee we are not squandering cash and space on a lot of duplicated media data, the company won't naturally transfer all of Itubes data from their ser...
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