Case Projects 11-1 and 12-1
Case Project 11-1:
VPN Filtering Rules You work for a network consulting firm. Your client wants to implement a VPN system that supports PPTP-, SSTP-, and L2TP-based VPNs. The system will be used primarily for remote client access. You need to prepare a report for the client that explains the implications of providing this functionality in terms of firewall configuration. Your report must address the protocols and ports that need to be considered as the firewall policy is created. Prepare a one- to two-page report that addresses these issues.
After receiving the report that you prepared in Case Project 11-1, your client has decided that an “all-in-one” product may be better than patching together a VPN infrastructure. You need to prepare a report that explains the features in the Microsoft Forefront TMG 2010 product. Your client has some technical understanding, but she needs to have the TMG features explained in a practical way so that she can consider how the product could assist in lowering costs and improving business processes. Prepare a two- to three-page report that meets the stated requirements.
Case Project 12-1:
Web Server Security Analysis A challenge that faces the information security community is to make sure their organizations’ top decision-makers understand the importance of effective security policies. Understandably, managers who are responsible for an organization’s financial stability want to ensure that investments in “nonrevenue” activities are necessary and effective. In many ways, the field of information security is in its infancy; practitioners do not have a long history of research that indicates the most effective security countermeasures against specific threats. Also, the threats are constantly changing. As new generations of information security workers secure digital assets, they will also need to create a solid body of research-based evidence to support the practices they recommend. In this project, you read and summarize a research project that addresses Web server security. Go to www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/webservers/comparative-study- attacks-corporate-iis-apache-web-servers_33734. Read the entire article, including the appendices. Answer the following questions:
1. What was the purpose of the research project?
2. What did the research demonstrate the relative security of the IIS and Apache software?
3. What do you think detracted from the credibility of the report?
4. What were the main findings of the study?
5. What did the results of the study imply about the frequency of automated attacks versus the frequency of manually controlled attacks against Web servers?
6. Based on the results of the study, what policies and procedures would you recommend for Web server security?
7. Based on this study, which operating system is easier to attack: Windows or Linux?
