1SANS Technology Institute - Candidate for Master of Science Degree 1

Automating Crosswalk between SP 800, 20 Critical Controls, and Australian Government DSD’s 35

Mitigating StrategiesAhmed Abdel-Aziz and Robert SorensenFebruary, 2012

SANS Technology InstituteM.Sc. in Information Security Engineering

ObjectiveProvide guidance that GIAC Enterprises can use to be in compliance with the most recognized information security frameworks…• NIST SP 800 Documents• SANS’ Consensus Audit Guidelines (CAG)• Australian Government Defence Signals

Directorate’s (DSD) top 35 Strategies…while looking for opportunities to automate controls and provide information back to management in a meaningful format.

SP 800, 20 Critical Controls, and DSD’s 35 Mitigating Strategies

• Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) – authorized by Title III of E-Government Act of 2002.

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tasked to develop, document, and implement security standards (FISMA Implementation Project)• Special Publication (SP) 800-53• Federal Information Process Standard (FIPS) 200

• SANS’, US defense base, federal agencies, and private organizations defined most critical controls to protect information and information systems.• Consensus Audit Guidelines – 20 Critical controls

• Australian Government Defence Signals Directorate• DSD’s Top 35 Mitigating Strategies

SP 800, 20 Critical Controls, and DSD’s 35 Mitigating Strategies

The SANS’ 20 Critical Controls are meant to reinforce and prioritize some of the most important elements of the guidelines, standards, and requirements put forth in other US government documentation, such as NIST Special Publication 800-53 . These guidelines do not conflict with such recommendations. In fact, the guidelines set forth are a proper subset of the recommendations of NIST SP 800-53, designed so that organizations can focus on a specific set of actions associated with current threats and computer attacks they face every day.The DSD’s 35 Mitigating Strategies focus on individual tasks organizations can undertake to improve their security stance. They are a focused subset of the 20 Critical Controls.

APT-Focused Security StrategyRisk-Based Approach

• Initially implement subset of 20 Critical Controls to address GIAC Enterprises’ highest risks first (APT-related risks)

• “Offense informs defense” concept suggests that 4 controls are best geared to address APT-related risks

• Controlled Access based on the Need-to-Know (Control 15)• Continuous Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation

(Control 4)• Malware Defenses (Control 5)• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (Control 17)

Automation Approach: Controls 15 & 17

(Focus on the Data)

Credit card dataPrivacy data (PII)Health care information

Sensitive Regulatory Data

Intellectual propertyFinancial informationTrade secrets

Sensitive Corporate Data

Control Data-at-Rest Control Data-in-Motion Control Data-in-Use

Automation Approach: Controls 15 & 17

(Automating Data Classification and Policy Definition)

Step 1Identify files & set business rules

+

Step 2Create DLP Policy &check for feasibility

Step 3DLP Policy is routed for approval

Step 4Approved DLP policy

End Users

DLP Admin

Business Managers

Policy applied across the organization

Automation Approach: Controls 15 & 17

(Automating the Control of Data-in-Motion)

Risk Across: web protocols, e-mails, IM, generic TCP/IP

protocols

DISCOVER(Data-in-Motion)

EDUCATE(Data-in-Motion)

ENFORCE(Data-in-Motion)

Process to Reach Automation (Data-in-Motion)

?RISK

TIME

Understand Risk Reduce Risk

Users Just-in-Time Encryption, Blocking, etc.

(Monitor Only) (Monitor &

Educate)(Automate Action)

Automation Approach: Controls 15 & 17

(Automating the Control of Data-at-Rest)

Data Loss Prevention (DLP

SharePoint

Databases

Endpoints

NAS/SAN

File Servers

Risk Remediation Manager (RRM)

File Activity Tools

GRC Systems

Apply DRM

Encrypt

Delete / Shred

Change Permissions

Policy Exception

Business Users

Discover Sensitive Data Manage Remediation Workflow

Apply Controls

Automation Approach: Controls 4 & 5(Prevention and Mitigation of APTs/Understanding the Attack

Vector)

Automation Approach: Controls 4 & 5(Risk Assessment/Continuous Monitoring)

Risk Assessment Vulnerability Scanning

Automation Approach: Controls 4 & 5(Automating Continuous Vulnerability Assessment and

Remediation)

Automation Approach: Controls 4 & 5(Automating Continuous Monitoring of Malware

and Malware Callbacks)

Reducing risk of data loss through malware infections•Implement basic and necessary malware protection – HIPS, AV, AntiSpam, etc.•Train and educate users concerning social engineering tactics.•Use of advanced technology – Virtual inspection of executable malware in real-time to identify and block command and control communications.

Recommended Action Plan

1) Conduct gap assessment to compare GIAC

Enterprises’s current security stance to detailed critical controls

2) Implement “quick win” critical controls to address gaps

3) Implement controls numbers 4 & 5 using previous automation approaches

4) Implement controls numbers 15 & 17 using previous automation approaches

5) Analyze and understand how remaining controls (beyond quck wins, and controls 4, 5, 15, 17) can be deployed

6) Plan for deployment, over the longer term, of the “advanced controls”, giving priority to controls 4, 5, 15, 17