D482 Secure Network Design TASK 1: NETWORK MERGER AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (DHN1) WESTERN GOVERNORS’ UNIVERSITY

DHN1 — DHN1 TASK 1: NETWORK MERGER AND IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN
Class: Secure Network Design - D482
Network Security and Infrastructure Recommendations.
After a concise review of the risk analysis and vulnerabilities from each company,
I have found a few issues that need to be addressed.
Company A Network Security Problems and Vulnerabilities
Since Company A is a financial company, it is important that they protect users
information as well as their finances.
- User Accounts no longer needed are not removed.
o My recommendation is to change this policy to ensure that accounts that
are no longer needed are not only disabled but removed after 30 days.
o I would also recommend doing a quarterly and annual review of accounts
to ensure that the proper access is granted to each user.
o There are a couple vulnerabilities:
▪ A nefarious person outside the company could inadvertently get a
user account that is no longer being used and log in and gain
access to data they should not have.
▪ A disgruntled former employee could log in with their user account
and do nefarious things with the company data.
- Regular passwords changes are not enforced.
o My recommendation is to force a group policy to ensure that users are
required to change their passwords every 60 days.
o The password requirements should be at least eight characters long.
o The passwords should include at least one Uppercase, one Lowercase,
one Number and one Special Character.
o The vulnerability of not enforcing regular password changes is that it
makes it easier for attackers to crack a passwords and keep using it over
and over to gain access to data within the company as well the thief of
customer identity and commit financial fraud.
Company A Infrastructure Problems and Vulnerabilities
- End-of-life equipment is still being utilized.
o My recommendation is to make updates to End of Life equipment to most
current.
▪ 14 – Windows 7 laptops