Introduction to Operations Security

Introduction to Operations Security

• Operations security (OPSEC) is a high-level process used to protect information, similar to military and government practices.
• OPSEC involves more than just encryption; it's a comprehensive process.

OPSEC Methodology Practice

• OPSEC considers what information is shared on social media, with friends and family, and how data is handled.
• Before implementing countermeasures, identify assets and threats.
• Prioritize security measures based on the value of the protected information.
• Overprotecting unimportant assets might lead to underprotection of more critical ones.

OPSEC Unclassified and Classified Data

• A person's identity typically consists of name, address, and identity number.
• Separately, these pieces of information are insignificant but, when combined, they are highly valuable to an attacker to commit fraud.
• Unclassified data that combines to create a classified dataset is a focus of OPSEC.

OPSEC: Business

• OPSEC concepts from military and government contexts have influenced the commercial sphere since the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• Industrial espionage and competitive intelligence are long-standing business strategies.
• Security strategies are becoming more structured in both the military and business sectors.
• Competition involves competing with competitors who may try to damage your reputation or offer better to gain consumers.

The Operations Security Process

• The process starts with identifying information in need of protection, followed by analyzing threats and vulnerabilities.
• Then comes risk assessment and development of mitigation methods.
• This multifaceted procedure is practical and time-tested.

Identification of Critical Information

• Identifying critical information assets is a crucial initial step in OPSEC.
• It means pinpointing the most important, relevant information that a breach would harm the most
• Examples include a soft drink company's secret recipe, a software vendor using source code, or a military operation using an attack timetable.

OPSEC: Analysis of Threats

• Threats are events that have the potential to cause harm.
• Threat analysis requires starting with critical assets identified previously, aiming to assess harm or financial impact from exposure.

OPSEC: Analysis of Threats (Example)

• If a software company identifies its product's source code as critical, significant risks include compromise by attackers and competition.
• Attackers might decipher the encryption keys used for security and generate keys to pirate software usage.
• Competitors might copy source code for use in applications or sell copied versions.

Analysis of Vulnerabilities

• Vulnerabilities are weaknesses that can be exploited to cause harm.
• Analysis of vulnerabilities in protection mechanisms for assets involves inspecting normal operating procedures relating to interactions with assets, and areas where a breach is most likely.

Analysis of Vulnerabilities (Example)

• Weak security controls on source code allow access, copying, and modifying without authorization.
• This could allow attackers to compromise the system, allowing them to modify or delete the source code or cause accidental alterations during maintenance.

Assessment of Risks

• Risk assessment involves determining the significant issues to address in the operations security process.
• A matching threat and vulnerability constitute a risk.
• An example would be extremely strict security measures to release software that make unauthorized release nearly impossible.

Assessment of Risks (Example)

• If software source code is identified as an asset at risk of unauthorized release.
• Poor access and configuration/version management controls (vulnerability) significantly increases the chance for malicious exposure
• These combined issues result in risk to business assets (competitors or attackers)

Application of Countermeasures

• After identifying risks, countermeasures mitigate those risks.
• Countermeasures are security measures employed to reduce or eliminate risks.
• Successfully mitigating a threat or vulnerability removes risk.

Application of Countermeasures (Example)

• In the source code example, measures like stringent access controls and policies to govern code handling eliminate the threat and vulnerability to access.
• This eliminates any serious risk to the asset.

Haas' Laws of Operations Security

• Developed by Kurt Haas, these laws are about OPSEC principles.
• First Law: Recognizing potential threats to critical data.
• Second Law: Assessing and prioritizing identified critical information.
• Third Law: Understanding that neglecting OPSEC can lead to defeat.

Operations Security in Personal Lives

• OPSEC principles are applicable to personal security.
• Vacations present a window into how OPSEC applies to everyday life. Using OPSEC, recognize activities that might leave the house vulnerable to an attacker.