〇：Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime

The Council of Europe (CoE) Convention on Cybercrime is an example of an attempt to create a standard international response to cybercrime. It is the first international treaty to address computer crime by coordinating national laws and improving investigative techniques and international cooperation. The treaty’s objectives include creating a framework to bind the jurisdiction of the accused and the perpetrators of the crimes. For example, extradition is possible only if the case is a crime in both countries.

×：World Congress Council on Cybercrime

The World Congress Council on Cybercrime is misleading and therefore wrong. The official name of the Convention is the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime. It establishes comprehensive legislation against cybercrime and serves as a framework for international cooperation among the signatories to the Convention to guide all countries.

×：Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Image C is wrong because the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an international organization that brings together different governments to help address the economic, social, and governance challenges of a globalized economy. For this reason, the OECD has developed national guidelines to ensure that data is properly protected and that everyone adheres to the same kinds of rules.

×：Organization for Cooperation and Development in Cybercrime

Organization for Cooperation and Development of Cybercrime is the wrong answer. There is no formal entity of this name.

Measures have been implemented to reduce the overall risk to an acceptable level. However, no system or environment is 100% safe, and risks remain with all countermeasures. The residual risk after countermeasures have been taken is called residual risk. Residual risk is different from total risk. Total risk is the risk of not implementing countermeasures. While total risk can be determined by calculating (threat x vulnerability x asset value = total risk), residual risk can be determined by calculating (threat x vulnerability x asset value) x control gap = residual risk. The control gap is the amount of protection that the control cannot provide.

CIA stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Service Organization Control (SOC) is a rule established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to assure the internal control of the party contracted to perform services. Sometimes, work is contracted out to other firms. In order to guarantee the quality of its own work, the company that is contracted to perform the work must also have appropriate controls in place. For this reason, we check the internal control of the outsourcing company to which the work is outsourced.

• SOC-1 (Internal Control over Financial Reporting (ICFR)) Audits the accounting of the trustee company.
  SOC-2 (Trust Services Criteria): Checks security and other controls other than accounting for the fiduciary company. Usually takes six months to complete.
  SOC-3 (Trust Services Criteria for General Use Report) Confirms security and other controls other than accounting for unspecified persons (users).

〇：Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Almost every country has its own set of rules regarding what constitutes private data and how it should be protected. With the advent of the digital and information age, these different laws have begun to adversely affect business and international trade. Thus, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) created guidelines for different countries to ensure that data is properly protected and that everyone follows the same rules.

×：COSO

An organization that studies fraudulent financial reporting and which elements lead to them is fraudulent because the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) was established in 1985. The acronym COSO refers to a model of corporate governance that addresses IT at the strategic level, corporate culture, and financial accounting principles.

×：COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology)

Incorrect, as this framework defines control objectives to ensure that IT is properly managed and that IT is responsive to business needs. It is an international open standard that provides control and security requirements for sensitive data and reference frameworks.

×：International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

Incorrect because it is an international standards organization composed of representatives of national standards bodies. Its purpose is to establish global standardization. But its standardization goes beyond the privacy of data moving across international borders. For example, some standards address quality control; others address assurance and security.

〇：Yes. The same goal should be held because there is security in achieving corporate goals.

There are KPIs and other marketin indicators to achieve organizational goals. Developing a security function in the organization also exists to achieve these goals.

×：Yes. Marketing in the security industry is allowed to be risk-off.

By “marketing in the security industry,” I do not mean aligning the security function within the organization.

×：No. The division of labor should be strictly enforced and left to specialists.

While the division of labor in an organization is certainly important, all members of the organization need to be security conscious.

×：No. Security has nothing to do with confidential information that would be an executive decision.

Security should be addressed by the entire organization. It is not irrelevant.

The EU Data Protection Directive is a very aggressive privacy law. Organizations must inform individuals how their data is collected and used. Organizations must allow people to opt out of data sharing with third parties. Opt-in is required to share the most sensitive data. No transmissions from the EU unless the recipient country is found to have adequate (equivalent) privacy protections, and the U.S. does not meet this standard.

〇：Conduct business impact analysis

While no specific scientific equation must be followed to create a continuity plan, certain best practices have been proven over time. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) organization is responsible for developing and documenting many of these best practices so that they are readily available to all. NIST outlines seven steps in Special Publication 800-34 Rev 1, Continuity Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems. Conduct a business impact analysis. Identify preventive controls. Develop a contingency strategy. Develop an information systems contingency plan. Ensure testing, training, and exercises of the plan. Ensure the plan is maintained. Conduct a business impact analysis by identifying critical functions and systems and prioritize them as needed. It also includes identifying vulnerabilities and threats and calculating risks.

×：Identify preventive controls

Wrong because critical functions and systems are prioritized and preventive controls need to be identified after their vulnerabilities, threats, and identified risks (all of which are part of a business impact analysis). Conducting a business impact analysis involves step 2, which is to create a continuity plan, and step 3, which is to identify preventive controls.

×：Develop a Continuity Plan Policy Statement

This is incorrect because you need to create a policy that provides the guidance needed to develop a business continuity plan and assigns authority to the roles needed to perform these tasks. This is the first step in creating a business continuity plan and is done before identifying and prioritizing critical systems and functions that are part of the business impact analysis.

×：Create contingency strategies

Creating a contingency strategy is incorrect because it requires formulating a method to ensure that systems and critical functions are brought online quickly. Before this can be done, a business impact analysis must be performed to determine critical systems and functions and prioritize them during recovery.

The Health Insurance Interoperability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has three rules: the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule, and the Breach Notification Rule. The rules mandate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.

〇：Parallel testing or full interruption testing

A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is considered a functional analysis where the team gathers data through interviews and documentation sources. Document business functions, activities, and transactions. Develop a hierarchy of business functions. Finally, a classification scheme is applied that indicates the level of importance of each individual function. Parallel and full interruption tests are not part of the BIA. These tests are performed to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the business continuity plan to accommodate the constantly changing environment. While full interruption testing involves shutting down the original site and resuming operations and processing at an alternate site, parallel testing is performed to ensure that a particular system will actually function properly at the alternate off-site function.

×：Application of a classification scheme based on criticality levels.

This is incorrect because it is performed during a BIA. This is done by identifying a company’s critical assets and mapping them to characteristics such as maximum allowable downtime, operational disruption and productivity, financial considerations, regulatory liability, and reputation.

×：Gathering information through interviews

This is not correct as it is done during the BIA. The BCP committee does not truly understand all business processes, the steps to be taken, or the resources and supplies those processes require. Therefore, the committee should collect this information from people in the know, which are department heads and specific employees within the organization.

×：Document business functions

This is incorrect because the BCP committee makes this part of the BIA. Business activities and transactions must be documented. This information can come from department managers and specific employees who are interviewed or surveyed. Once the information is documented, the BCP committee can conduct an analysis to determine which processes, equipment, or operational activities are most critical.

〇：System logs that operate and are acquired on a daily basis

It is necessary to show that the logs are different from common usage in order to determine whether the access is unauthorized or not. Also, it is less reliable as legal evidence regarding logs that are not routinely obtained.

×：System logs from sophisticated products that comply with international standards

Market sophistication is not a requirement for legal evidence. Conversely, it is unlikely that software developed in-house cannot be used for legal archives.

×：System logs printed and stored as physical media

Whether or not logs are printed is not necessarily a legal requirement. Since the records are printed out as software, they are not purely physical evidence.

×：System logs close to the infrastructure recorded at the OS layer

Logs close to the OS layer have greater systemic traceability, but they are also less relevant to user operations and are not suitable as evidence of unauthorized access.

〇：Reconfiguration Phase

When a firm returns to its original or new site, the firm is ready to enter the reconfiguration phase. The firm has not entered the emergency state until it is operating at the original primary site or until it returns to the new site that was built to replace the primary site. If a firm needs to return from the replacement site to the original site, a number of logistical issues must be considered. Some of these issues include ensuring employee safety, proper communication and connection methods are working, and properly testing the new environment.

The definition of a rebuilding phase needs to be imagined and answered in the question text. It will test your language skills to see how it reads semantically rather than lexically correct.

×：Recovery Phase

Incorrect because it involves preparing an off-site facility (if needed), rebuilding networks and systems, and organizing staff to move to the new facility. To get the company up and running as quickly as possible, the recovery process needs to be as structured as possible. Templates should be developed during the planning phase. It can be used by each team during the recovery phase to take the necessary steps and document the results. The template keeps the team on task and quickly communicates to the team leader about progress, obstacles, and potential recovery time.

×：Project Initiation Phase

This is incorrect because it is how the actual business continuity plan is initiated. It does not occur during the execution of the plan. The Project Initiation Phase includes obtaining administrative support, developing the scope of the plan, and securing funding and resources.

×：Damage Assessment Phase

Incorrect because it occurs at the start of the actual implementation of the business continuity procedures. The damage assessment helps determine if the business continuity plan should be implemented based on the activation criteria predefined by the BCP coordinator and team. After the damage assessment, the team will move into recovery mode if one or more of the situations listed in the criteria occur.

〇：All security activities shall be conducted within the security department.

When all security activities are performed within the security department, security functions within a silo and is not integrated throughout the organization. In companies that have a security governance program in place, security responsibilities are pervasive throughout the organization, from senior management down the chain of command. A common scenario is executive management with the executive director of operations responsible for risk management activities for a particular business unit. Additionally, employees are responsible for malicious or accidental security breaches.

×：Officers will be updated quarterly on the company’s security status.

Incorrect. Security governance is providing strategic guidance, ensuring that goals are being met, risks are properly managed, and resources are used responsibly. Organizations with a security governance program have a board of directors that understands the importance of security and is aware of the organization’s security performance and breaches.

×：Deploy security products, services, and consultants in an informed manner.

Security governance is incorrect because it is a cohesive system of integrated security components that includes products, people, training, and processes. Therefore, organizations that have a security governance program in place will assist consultants with security products, management services, and consultants in an informed manner. They are also constantly reviewed to ensure they are cost effective.

×：The organization establishes metrics and goals for improving security.

inaccurate because security governance requires performance measurement and oversight mechanisms. Organizations that have a security governance program in place are continually reviewing their processes, including security, with the goal of continuous improvement. On the other hand, an organization lacking a security governance program may proceed without analyzing its performance, thus repeating the same mistakes.

〇：Trojan Horse

A Trojan horse is a seemingly harmless piece of malware that is contagious. Have you ever downloaded a nasty image and suddenly your computer stopped working?

×：Spyware

Spyware is malware that looks harmless when it does its evil. It secretly takes information from your computer to the outside.

×：Virus

Viruses are malware that can spread without user intervention and attach itself to other programs. It looks harmless but does not match in that it downloads applications.

×：Data diddlers

A data diddler is malware that gradually changes data over time.

Users can logically guess the URL or path to access resources they should not. If an organization’s network has access to a report name ending in “financials_2017.pdf”, it is possible to guess other file names that should not be accessed, such as “financials_2018.pdf” or “financials.pdf”.

〇：Tell your business partner that your company is not ready

Planned business continuity procedures can provide an organization with many benefits. In addition to the other response options listed previously, organizations can provide a quick and appropriate response to an emergency, mitigate the impact on their business, and work with outside vendors during the recovery period. Efforts in these areas should communicate to business partners that they are prepared in the event of a disaster.

×：Resuming Critical Business Functions

This is incorrect because a business continuity plan allows an organization to resume critical business functions. As part of the BCP development, the BCP team conducts a business impact analysis that includes identifying the maximum allowable downtime for critical resources. This effort helps the team prioritize recovery efforts so that the most critical resources can be recovered first.

×：Protecting Lives and Ensuring Safety

Business continuity planning allows organizations to protect lives and ensure safety, which is wrong. People are a company’s most valuable asset. Therefore, human resources are an integral part of the recovery and continuity process and must be fully considered and integrated into the plan. Once this is done, a business continuity plan will help a company protect its employees.

×：Ensure business viability

This is a fallacy because a well-planned business continuity plan can help a company ensure the viability of its business. A business continuity plan provides methods and procedures for dealing with long-term outages and disasters. It involves moving critical systems to another environment while the original facility is being restored and conducting business operations in a different mode until normal operations return. In essence, business continuity planning addresses how business is conducted after an emergency.

A security document documents the security to be achieved.” To achieve “strong security” a clear definition is needed. Since the definition varies from organization to organization, it is necessary to put it in writing. There are five documents, with policy at the top, each of which is mandatory or optional.

〇：To issue ethics-related statements on the use of the Internet.

The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) is the coordinating committee for the design, engineering, and management of the Internet. It is responsible for monitoring and appealing Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) activities, the Internet standards process, and the architecture of Request for Comments (RFC) editors. The IAB issues ethics-related statements on the use of the Internet. The Internet is a resource that depends on availability and accessibility and is considered useful to a wide range of people. Primarily, irresponsible behavior on the Internet may threaten its existence or adversely affect others.

×：Develop guidelines for criminal sentencing.

The IAB is incorrect because it has nothing to do with the Federal Court Guidelines, which are the rules judges use in determining the appropriate punitive sentence for certain felonies or misdemeanors committed by individuals or businesses. The Guidelines serve as the uniform sentencing policy for entities committing felonies and/or gross misdemeanors in the U.S. federal court system.

×：Edit RFC.

The Internet Architecture Board is responsible for editing RFCs (Request for Comments), which is incorrect because this task is not ethics-related. This answer is a distraction.

×：Maintain the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics.

This is incorrect because the Institute for Computer Ethics, not the IAB, develops and maintains the Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics. The Institute for Computer Ethics is a non-profit organization that works to advance technology through ethical means.

〇：Shoulder Surfing Attacks

Shoulder surfing is a type of browsing attack in which an attacker looks over the shoulder of another person to see what is being typed on that person’s monitor items or keyboard. Of the attacks listed, this is the easiest to perform in that it requires no knowledge of the computer system. Therefore, the correct answer is a shoulder surfing attack.

×：Dictionary attack

A dictionary attack is an unauthorized login that targets users who use words as passwords.

×：Side-channel attack

A side-channel attack is an attack that eavesdrops on system data from physical information.

×：Timing Attacks

A timing attack is an attack in which various input information is given to a device that processes ciphers, and the cipher key or other information is deduced from the difference in processing time. If processing time is taken, it can be inferred as a rough indication that the process is proceeding normally as a process, and so on.

P.A.S.T.A. is a seven-step process to find ways to protect the value of your assets while analyzing your compliance and business. P.A.S.T.A. provides a roadmap. Threat management processes and policies can be discovered. The main focus is on finding threats, which is where risk-centric thinking and simulation come into play.