MCQ · exact privileges, no additions = least privilege
Security Design Models and Capabilities
Security architecture principles (security by design, least privilege, default deny, separation of duties, zero trust, micro-segmentation…), architecture flaws (covert channels, maintenance hooks), process isolation and protection rings, and the security models: TCB, access control matrix, take-grant, Bell-LaPadula, Biba. Both Final 221 papers asked about least privilege, isolation, take-grant and Bell-LaPadula.
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All 31 slides
- 1 Security Design Models and Capabilities
- 2 Slide 2
- 3 Security Architecture principles
- 4 Why Security Design Matters
- 5 • Core Security Architecture principles, which are considered fundamental within the information security community are:
- 6 Security Architecture principles
- 7 Security Architecture principles
- 8 Security Architecture principles
- 9 Security Architecture principles
- 10 Security Architecture principles
- 11 Security Architecture principles
- 12 Security Architecture principles
- 13 Security Architecture principles
- 14 Security Architecture principles
- 15 Security Architecture principles
- 16 Security Architecture principles
- 17 Common Architecture Flaws and Security Issues 1/2
- 18 Common Architecture Flaws and Security Issues 1/2
- 19 Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
- 20 Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
- 21 Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
- 22 Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
- 23 Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
- 24 Security Models
- 25 Security Models
- 26 Security Models
- 27 Access Control Matrix
- 28 Take-Grant Model
- 29 Bell-LaPadula Confidential Model
- 30 Biba Integrity Model
- 31 Slide 31
Security Design Models and Capabilities
Notes
Tip Bell-LaPadula (CONFIDENTIALITY): no read up (simple), no write down (*-property). Biba (INTEGRITY): no read down, no write up. Mnemonic: BLP protects secrets from leaking down; Biba stops dirt flowing up.
Slide 2
Notes
Learning objectives.
Security Architecture principles
Notes
Seen again Ch 1, slide 9: Defence in depth
Security Architecture principles
Exam angle
Granting users exactly the privileges they need for a task, nothing more, is:
- Final 221 A.
Security Architecture principles
Notes
#5 Default deny: access is denied unless explicitly granted. #6 Fail securely.
Security Architecture principles
Notes
#7 Separation of duties: no single person controls a whole transaction (cashier needs a supervisor to refund).
Exam angle
Related question: match · supervisor approval for refunds
A cashier needs a supervisor’s approval to cancel a bill and refund. This applies:
Security Architecture principles
Exam angle
Which model assumes no user or device is trusted, even inside the network?
Common Architecture Flaws and Security Issues 1/2
Notes
Covert channel: transferring information secretly through an unintended path (timing, storage).
Exam angle
Transferring information through an unintended, secret path is a:
Common Architecture Flaws and Security Issues 1/2
Notes
Maintenance hook (backdoor/trapdoor): a hidden entry point left by developers; also TOCTOU, buffer overflows.
Exam angle
A hidden entry point left in software for easy maintenance is a:
Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
Notes
Concepts: confinement, bounds, isolation, controls, trust and assurance.
Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
Notes
Process isolation: a process may only read and write its own memory locations and resources.
Exam angle
MCQ · process restricted to certain memory locations
Allowing a process to read and write only certain memory locations and resources is:
- Final 221 A.
Techniques for Ensuring Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
Notes
Each process gets an authority level (protection rings): ring 0 = kernel (most privileged); user processes run in outer rings.
Exam angle
MCQ · processes in ring 0 vs ring 3
MCQ · problem state = user mode
Processes in _ can access more resources and interact with the OS more directly than processes in _.
- Final 221 B.
Operating in the “problem state” means running in:
- Final 221 B.
Security Models
Exam angle
Related question: MCQ · conflict-of-interest model = Brewer-Nash
Which model prevents conflicts of interest (e.g., a consultant serving two competitors)?
- Final 221 B.
Access Control Matrix
Exam angle
In an access control matrix, a column tied to an object is a(n):
Take-Grant Model
Notes
Take-Grant: how rights pass between subjects (take, grant, create, remove); lets you find where rights can leak.
Exam angle
MCQ · model to find leakage of rights = take-grant
Which access-control model lets you reason about rights and find whether a leakage of rights can occur?
- Final 221 A.
Bell-LaPadula Confidential Model
Notes
Tip Bell-LaPadula (CONFIDENTIALITY): no read up (simple), no write down (*-property). Biba (INTEGRITY): no read down, no write up. Mnemonic: BLP protects secrets from leaking down; Biba stops dirt flowing up.
Exam angle
Bell-LaPadula question
Under Bell-LaPadula, a SECRET user may NOT:
- No read up.
Bell-LaPadula’s *-property forbids:
Biba Integrity Model
Notes
Tip Bell-LaPadula (CONFIDENTIALITY): no read up (simple), no write down (*-property). Biba (INTEGRITY): no read down, no write up. Mnemonic: BLP protects secrets from leaking down; Biba stops dirt flowing up.
Exam angle
The Biba model protects:
Slide 31
Notes
End.