Network Security Assessment Report
computer science
Description
Scenario Summary
Things have been going very well since you started with the
Systematix. You've been at it for a month and just received
your 30-day performance evaluation, which included
promising feedback as well as some areas to be improved
upon. There is much more to be done, so let us look at your
next task.
Your manager reports that the Security Operations Center
(SOC) recently experienced a catastrophic network outage
because of a security breach. She thinks this was ultimately
caused by a breakdown of internal controls and has asked
that you investigate this issue and try to determine
specifically what happened.
You conduct initial research and discover that SOC is staffed
24/7/365 and in general is a high tempo, high-stress
environment with a high turnover. The SOC monitors and
maintains Fortune 50 networks and is critical to the success
of the company. In addition, the SOC performs rule changes
on customer firewalls so that customer nodes can protect
data on their existing networks.
Upon initial informal discussions with both security and
network administrators in the SOC, you learn that stress is
high, morale is low, and there is a general lack of teamwork
among the staff. You discover several cliques among the
staff and also learn that each shift is only concerned about
itself. In addition, security is very lax and procedures aren't
typically followed. Because of this, the SOC Director recently
hired a new first-level manager in hopes of turning things
around.
Your Assignment
You are not very familiar with network security operations,
but you feel a sense of excitement about diving into this new
investigation. You will need to interview key staff in order to
gain insight into the outage and its cause. After your meetings
are complete, you will summarize your findings by creating a
written report.
