RE: Bank Assessment

From: James Williams (jwilliams_at_itexch.wtamu.edu)
Date: 04/23/04

  • Next message: Josh Tolley: "Re: Web site testing"
    Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 09:02:02 -0500
    To: "Amit Deshmukh" <amit_deshmukh@bridgepoint.com.au>
    
    

    My thinking would be to not include pen testing with the risk
    assessment. IMHO, the "risk assessment" is more of the political part of
    the business. A company either out sources a security consultant to
    learn how their business works for a period of time and the security
    consultant writes the risk assessment based upon what he/she has learned
    or the company has personal internally that create the risk assessment.

    To determine "risk" you have to ask yourself a series of questions.

    What are the threats?
    -inside threats?
    -outside threats?
    -what are the company "crown jewels"

    What are the vulnerabilities?
    -social engineering?
    -possible vulnerabilities in software?
    -physical access? To what? Whom has access?

    From the above you are able to determine your risks. From that point you
    work creating a better stance on risk and trying to get the company to
    an acceptable risk.

    This type of assessments are used to help create policies and to help
    create a better understanding of what needs to happen to make the
    company more secure.

    James Williams
    Network Systems Technician
    West Texas A&M University
     

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Amit Deshmukh [mailto:amit_deshmukh@bridgepoint.com.au]
    Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 6:57 PM
    To: pen-test@securityfocus.com
    Cc: c0d3r@cotse.net
    Subject: RE: Bank Assessment

    Hi all!

    I'm new to this list and this is my first post! While we are still on
    the discussion of standards, would anyone know of a simple risk
    assessment methodology that could be employed for small to medium
    businesses?

    I'm stuck with the problem that its quite expensive to do an extensive
    risk assessment for small firms to identify their threats and carry out
    pen tests on the basis of those threats. So we have quoted a fixed
    number of days based on gut instinct. However, in such a scenario it is
    difficult to identify the extent to which one pen-test!

    Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

    Amit
     
    -----Original Message-----
    From: c0d3r@cotse.net [mailto:c0d3r@cotse.net]
    Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:23 AM
    To: Blake Wiedman
    Cc: 'Joe Smith'; pen-test@securityfocus.com
    Subject: RE: Bank Assessment

    Hi all;

    Not to cast any dispersions on anything, but IMHO, the FFIEC guidelines
    are pretty
    lame. They're OK for "management and operational" type reviews, but
    they just don't
    cut it for technical work. I'd look to a more solid technical standard,
    like
    nsa.gov, nist.gov, or OSSTMM Ver. 2. Those are the things that I use
    for (almost
    exclusively) banks. We've developed custom testing programs using these
    as
    standards.

    c0d3r

    > You can find the answers to most of your questions including
    guidelines
    > here http://www.ffiec.gov/
    >
    > My employer uses the guidelines as the basis for all of our banking
    > clients.
    >
    >
    > Blake Wiedman
    > Security Technician
    > Icons Inc.
    > www.iconsinc.com
    > 732.309.6038
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Joe Smith [mailto:joey@r00t66.com]
    > Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 2:40 PM
    > To: pen-test@securityfocus.com
    > Subject: Bank Assessment
    >
    >
    > I'm looking for any good links with regard to Banking Institutions..
    > Security assessments, pen-testing, special needs etc. I know they
    are
    > big on policies and procedures.
    >
    >
    >
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > ------
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    >
    >
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------
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    > any course! All of our class sizes are guaranteed to be 10 students or
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    -- 
    Hacking is a good mixture of technical knowledge, programming knowhow
    and misuse of
    trust.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------
    Ethical Hacking at the InfoSec Institute. Mention this ad and get $545
    off
    any course! All of our class sizes are guaranteed to be 10 students or
    less
    to facilitate one-on-one interaction with one of our expert instructors.
    Attend a course taught by an expert instructor with years of
    in-the-field
    pen testing experience in our state of the art hacking lab. Master the
    skills
    of an Ethical Hacker to better assess the security of your organization.
    Visit us at:
    http://www.infosecinstitute.com/courses/ethical_hacking_training.html
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ------
    Ethical Hacking at the InfoSec Institute. Mention this ad and get $545
    off
    any course! All of our class sizes are guaranteed to be 10 students or
    less
    to facilitate one-on-one interaction with one of our expert instructors.
    Attend a course taught by an expert instructor with years of
    in-the-field
    pen testing experience in our state of the art hacking lab. Master the
    skills
    of an Ethical Hacker to better assess the security of your organization.
    Visit us at:
    http://www.infosecinstitute.com/courses/ethical_hacking_training.html
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -------
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Ethical Hacking at the InfoSec Institute. Mention this ad and get $545 off
    any course! All of our class sizes are guaranteed to be 10 students or less
    to facilitate one-on-one interaction with one of our expert instructors.
    Attend a course taught by an expert instructor with years of in-the-field
    pen testing experience in our state of the art hacking lab. Master the skills
    of an Ethical Hacker to better assess the security of your organization.
    Visit us at:
    http://www.infosecinstitute.com/courses/ethical_hacking_training.html
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    

  • Next message: Josh Tolley: "Re: Web site testing"

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