The DMCA is a US law that aims to protect the rights of digital content creators and owners. It prohibits the unauthorized copying, distribution, modification, or circumvention of digital content, such as software, music, movies, etc. The DMCA also provides exceptions for certain purposes, such as fair use, research, education, or maintenance and repair of systems.In the scenario, Daniel was authorized to make a copy of computer programs while maintaining or repairing the system, which falls under the DMCA exception for system maintenance and repair12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Network Defense Essentials (NDE) | Coursera

A firewall is a software or a hardware device on a network or host that filters the incoming and outgoing traffic to prevent unauthorized access to private networks. A firewall can use various criteria, such as IP addresses, ports, protocols, or application rules, to allow or deny the traffic. A firewall can also perform other functions, such as logging, auditing, encryption, or proxy services.A firewall can be deployed at different levels of a network, such as network perimeter, network segment, or host level12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Firewall (computing) - Wikipedia

Geofencing is a technique that uses the user’s location data to create a virtual boundary around a specific geographic area. Mobile applications can use geofencing to trigger certain actions or notifications when the user enters or exits the defined area. For example, a mobile application can send a push notification to the user when they are near a store or a restaurant. However, geofencing can also be used by marketers to gather sensitive data and know about users’ offline activities from the location data. For instance, a mobile application can track the user’s movements and preferences based on the places they visit and the time they spend there.This can help marketers to target the user with personalized ads and offers, but it can also pose a threat to the user’s privacy and security12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Geofencing: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Biometric authentication is a type of authentication that uses the physical or behavioral characteristics of a person to verify their identity. Biometric authentication is more secure and convenient than other methods such as passwords or tokens, as biometric traits are unique, hard to forge, and easy to use. Some examples of biometric authentication techniques are retina scanner, DNA, and voice recognition. Retina scanner uses a low-intensity light beam to scan the pattern of blood vessels at the back of the eye, which is unique for each individual. DNA uses the genetic code of a person to match their identity, which is the most accurate and reliable biometric technique. Voice recognition uses the sound and pitch of a person’s voice to verify their identity, which is influenced by factors such as anatomy, physiology, and psychology. These techniques fall under biometric authentication, as they use the physical or behavioral traits of a person to authenticate them.References:

• Biometric Authentication- Week 2: Identification, Authentication, and Authorization
• Biometric Authentication: What You Need To Know
• Biometric Authentication Techniques

A false positive alert is a type of IDS alert that occurs when the IDS mistakenly identifies benign or normal traffic as malicious or suspicious, and triggers an alarm, although there is no active attack in progress. A false positive alert can be caused by various factors, such as misconfigured IDS rules, outdated signatures, network anomalies, or legitimate traffic that resembles attack patterns. A false positive alert can waste the time and resources of the security team, as they have to investigate and verify the alert, and also reduce the trust and confidence in the IDS. A false positive alert can be reduced by tuning and updating the IDS, filtering out irrelevant traffic, and using multiple detection methods. A false positive alert is the type of IDS alert Jay has received in the above scenario, as he received an event triggered as an alarm, although there is no active attack in progress.References:

• False Positive Alert- Week 10: Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems
• What is a False Positive in Cybersecurity?
• How to Reduce False Positives in Intrusion Detection Systems

Role-based access control (RBAC) is a type of access control model that refers to assigning permissions to a user role based on the rules defined for each user role by the administrator. In RBAC, the administrator creates different roles and assigns them the appropriate access rights to the resources. The administrator then assigns users to those roles based on their job functions. This way, the administrator can manage the access of users to the resources without having to deal with each user individually.RBAC can simplify the administration, enhance the security, and improve the scalability of the access control system12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Role-Based Security

A VPN protocol is a component of VPN that is used to manage tunnels and encapsulate private data. A VPN protocol defines the rules and standards for establishing and maintaining a secure connection between the VPN client and the VPN server. A VPN protocol also specifies how the data is encrypted, authenticated, and transmitted over the tunnel.Some common VPN protocols are IPSec, SSL/TLS, PPTP, L2TP, and OpenVPN12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,VPN Protocols Explained & Compared: OpenVPN, IPSec, PPTP, IKEv2

A private cloud is a cloud deployment model that is exclusively used by a single organization and is hosted either on-premises or off-premises by a third-party provider. A private cloud offers the highest level of security and control over the data and resources, as the organization can customize the cloud infrastructure and services according to its needs and policies. A private cloud also ensures better performance and availability, as the organization does not share the cloud resources with other users. A private cloud is suitable for organizations that have sensitive or confidential data, strict compliance requirements, or high demand for scalability and flexibility. A private cloud can help Kelly secure the corporate data and retain full control over the data in the above scenario.References:

• Private Cloud- Week 6: Virtualization and Cloud Computing
• Private Cloud vs Public Cloud vs Hybrid Cloud
• Private Cloud Security: Challenges and Best Practices

Containerization is a practice that helps security professionals protect mobile applications from various attacks. Containerization is a technique that isolates critical corporate data from the rest of the device data and applications. Containerization creates a secure and encrypted environment on the device where the corporate data and applications can be accessed and managed.This way, containerization prevents unauthorized access, data leakage, malware infection, or device theft from compromising the corporate data and applications12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Mobile Application Security: Containerization vs. App Wrapping vs. SDK

SHA-3 is the algorithm that uses a sponge construction where message blocks are XORed into the initial bits of the state that the algorithm then invertible permutes. SHA-3 is a family of cryptographic hash functions that was standardized by NIST in 2015 as a successor to SHA-2. SHA-3 is based on the Keccak algorithm, which won the NIST hash function competition in 2012. SHA-3 uses a sponge construction, which is a simple iterated construction that can produce variable-length output from a fixed-length permutation. The sponge construction operates on a state of b bits, which is divided into two sections: the bitrate r and the capacity c. The sponge construction has two phases: the absorbing phase and the squeezing phase. In the absorbing phase, the input message is padded and divided into blocks of r bits. Each block is XORed into the first r bits of the state, and then the state is transformed by the permutation function f. This process continues until all the input blocks are processed. In the squeezing phase, the output is generated by repeatedly applying the permutation function f to the state and extracting the first r bits as output blocks. The output can be truncated to the desired length. SHA-3 uses a permutation function f that is based on a round function that consists of five steps: theta, rho, pi, chi, and iota. These steps perform bitwise operations, rotations, permutations, and additions on the state. The permutation function f is invertible, meaning that it can be reversed to obtain the previous state. SHA-3 has four variants with different output lengths: SHA3-224, SHA3-256, SHA3-384, and SHA3-512. SHA-3 also supports two additional modes: SHAKE128 and SHAKE256, which are extendable-output functions that can produce arbitrary-length output.References:

• Network Defense Essentials Courseware, EC-Council, 2020, pp. 3-23 to 3-25
• SHA-3 - Wikipedia, Wikipedia, March 16, 2021
• The sponge and duplex constructions - Keccak Team, Keccak Team, 2020

The correct sequence of steps involved in the creation of a data retention policy is 3 -> 1 -> 4 -> 5 -> 2. This is based on the following description of the data retention policy creation process from the web search results:

• Build a team: To design a data retention policy, you need a team of industry experts, such as legal, IT, compliance, and business representatives, who can contribute their knowledge and perspectives to the policy.The team should have a clear leader who can coordinate the tasks and communicate the goals and expectations1.
• Determine legal requirements: The team should research and understand the applicable legal and regulatory requirements for data retention that affect the organization, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc.The team should also consider any contractual obligations or industry standards that may influence the data retention policy2134.
• Identify and classify the data: The team should inventory and categorize all the data that the organization collects, stores, and processes, based on their function, subject, or type.The team should also assess the value, risk, and sensitivity of each data category, and determine the appropriate retention period, format, and location for each data category2134.
• Develop the data retention policy: The team should draft the data retention policy document that outlines the purpose, scope, roles, responsibilities, procedures, and exceptions of the data retention policy. The policy should be clear, concise, and consistent, and should reflect the legal and business requirements of the organization.The policy should also include a data retention schedule that specifies the retention period and disposition method for each data category2134.
• Ensure that all employees understand the organization’s data retention policy: The team should communicate and distribute the data retention policy to all the relevant employees and stakeholders, and provide training and guidance on how to comply with the policy.The team should also monitor and enforce the policy, and review and update the policy regularly to reflect any changes in the legal or business environment2134.

References:

• How to Create a Data Retention Policy | Smartsheet, Smartsheet, July 17, 2019
• What Is a Data Retention Policy? Best Practices + Template, Drata, November 29, 2023
• Data Retention Policy: What It Is and How to Create One - SpinOne, SpinOne, 2020
• How to Develop and Implement a Retention Policy - SecureScan, SecureScan, 2020

A permissive policy is a type of Internet access policy that allows users to access the Internet from any device and any location, without any restrictions or security measures. A permissive policy provides convenience and flexibility for the users, but also exposes them to various risks, such as malware infection, data leakage, or cyberattacks. In the scenario, Sarah was accessing confidential office files from a remote location via her personal computer connected to the public Internet, and accidentally downloaded a malicious file onto her computer.This indicates that the organization had a permissive policy for Internet access12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Internet Access Policy: Definition and Best Practices

The type of attack initiated by the organization as part of the security campaign discussed in the above scenario is phishing. Phishing is a form of fraud where cybercriminals use email, instant messaging, or other social media to try to gather information such as login credentials by masquerading as a reputable person or organization. Phishing occurs when a malicious party sends a fraudulent email disguised as being from an authorized, trusted source, and tries to persuade the recipient to click on a link, open an attachment, or provide personal information. The link or attachment may lead to a fake website or install malware on the recipient’s device, while the personal information may be used for identity theft, account takeover, or other malicious purposes. Phishing is one of the most common and effective cyberattacks, as it exploits the human factor and relies on social engineering techniques to manipulate the victim’s emotions, such as urgency, fear, orcuriosity. Phishing can be prevented or mitigated by educating the users on how to recognize and report phishing emails, using strong and unique passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, and installing security software123. References:

• Network Defense Essentials Courseware, EC-Council, 2020, pp. 3-30 to 3-31
• 20 types of phishing attacks + phishing examples - Norton, Norton, October 03, 2022
• Types of Email Attacks - GeeksforGeeks, GeeksforGeeks, May 30, 2023

Data encryption is the technique that can be used to protect the data in a portable storage device. Data encryption is the process of transforming data into an unreadable format using a secret key or algorithm. Only authorized parties who have the correct key or algorithm can decrypt and access the data. Data encryption provides security and privacy for the data stored on a portable storage device, such as a USB flash drive or an external hard drive, by preventing unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. If the device is lost or stolen, the data will remain protected and inaccessible to the unauthorized user. Data encryption can be implemented using software or hardware solutions, such as BitLocker, VeraCrypt, or encrypted USB drives.Data encryption is one of the best practices for securely storing data on portable devices123.References:

• 7 Ways to Secure Sensitive Data on a USB Flash Drive, UpGuard, August 17, 2022
• How to Protect Data on Portable Drives, PCWorld, January 10, 2011
• Securely Storing Data, Security.org, December 20, 2022

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) is a US law that was enacted in 2002 in response to the corporate scandals involving Enron, WorldCom, and others. The SOX aims to protect the public and investors by increasing the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures, such as financial statements, audit reports, and internal controls.The SOX also establishes the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to oversee the auditing of public companies and imposes criminal penalties for fraud and non-compliance12.References:Network Defense Essentials - EC-Council Learning,Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) | U.S. Department of Labor

Anomaly-based IDS is a type of IDS that detects intrusions by comparing the observed network events with a baseline of normal behavior and identifying any deviation from it. Anomaly-based IDS can detect unknown or zero-day attacks that do not match any known signature, but they can also generate false positives due to legitimate changes in network behavior. Anomaly-based IDS can use various techniques to model the normal behavior, such as statistical analysis, machine learning, or artificial intelligence. Anomaly-based IDS is the type of IDS employed by Messy in the above scenario, as he deployed an IDS that depends on observing and comparing the observed events with the normal behavior and then detecting any deviation from it.References:

• Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection System- Chapter 2: Anomaly-Based Intrusion Detection System
• Network Defense Essentials (NDE) | Coursera- Week 10: Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems
• A systematic literature review for network intrusion detection system (IDS)- Section 3.2: Anomaly-based IDS