CIS420 Assignment

Assignment 1: Attack Methodology and Countermeasures 

Imagine that a local company has hired you as a penetration tester to perform necessary testing. The company has asked you to report back to the Board of Directors on your findings. You have free reign to use whatever tools that are at your disposal. Note: You are not performing an actual penetration test or creating a penetration test report for this assignment.

Write a two to four+ page a paper in which you incorporate the following into your work:

1. Analyze both the scanning methodology that you could use and the countermeasures that a company or organization could use in order to thwart such scanning attempts.
2. Analyze the key tools available for scanning a network. Recommend one (1) scanning tool for a hacker and one scanning tool for a security administrator that you believe provide the greatest protection for a network. Indicate which of the chosen tools is most beneficial to you as the penetration tester. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Assess the overall importance of the five  major phases of an attack. Select the phase(s) that you believe to be the most important for a security administrator to protect against. Provide a rationale for your selection.
4. Suggest the key countermeasures that a security administrator could take in order to protect a company’s assets from Trojans, viruses, and worms, and impede further damage of an attack. Provide a rationale for your response.
5. Use no less than three quality resources in this assignment. Don't limit yourself to just three, if one needs more use more.   Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Discuss the concepts of ethical hacking, different types of hacking, and penetration testing techniques.
• Describe footprinting and passive information and competitive intelligence gathering. 
• Explain the different types of scanning and scanning methodology. 
• Describe enumeration and different techniques used for enumeration. 
• Examine the functions and impact of malicious programs and their countermeasures.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in ethical hacking.
• Write clearly and concisely about topics related to Perimeter Defense Techniques using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.