1.Research the concept of system hardening and its importance in cybersecurity.
2.Identify the steps involved in system hardening and explain them in your own words. You may use diagrams, tables, or other visual aids to help explain your understanding.
3.Choose a real-world scenario, such as hardening a web server, and create a hardening plan for it. Your plan should include the following:
-The system you are hardening and its purpose
-Potential threats to the system
-Steps you will take to harden the system
-Any tools or technologies you will use to harden the system
-Any additional security measures you will implement
Present your hardening plan in a written report.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Importance of System Hardening in Cybersecurity
In the realm of cybersecurity, system hardening plays a pivotal role in fortifying the resilience of computer systems and networks against potential threats, vulnerabilities, and attacks. By implementing rigorous security measures, organizations can mitigate the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and system compromises. The concept of system hardening encompasses a series of proactive steps aimed at reducing the attack surface and bolstering the overall security posture of IT infrastructure.
Steps involved in System Hardening
System hardening involves a systematic approach to securing computer systems and network devices. The following steps are integral to the process:
Assessment of Current Security Posture: Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the existing security configuration and settings to identify vulnerabilities and areas for improvement.
Patch Management: Regularly update and apply patches to operating systems, software, and firmware to address known vulnerabilities and enhance system security.
Configuration Management: Implement secure configurations for operating systems, applications, and network devices by disabling unnecessary services, removing default accounts and passwords, and applying principle of least privilege.
Access Control: Enforce robust access control mechanisms, including user authentication, authorization, and accounting, to restrict unauthorized access to sensitive resources.
Encryption: Utilize encryption techniques to safeguard data at rest and in transit, protecting it from unauthorized disclosure or tampering.
Security Monitoring: Deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions to monitor and analyze network traffic for suspicious activities.
Regular Auditing and Testing: Conduct periodic security audits, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing to identify and address potential security weaknesses.
Hardening Plan for a Web Server
System: Web Server (Apache HTTP Server)
Purpose: Hosting a company website and web applications
Potential Threats:
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities
Unauthorized access to sensitive data
Steps for Hardening:
Update and Patch Management: Regularly update the Apache server software to address known vulnerabilities.
Secure Configuration: Disable unnecessary modules and features in the Apache configuration file, such as directory listing, server signature, and status.
Access Control: Implement strong authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), and enforce secure password policies.
Encryption: Enable SSL/TLS encryption to secure web traffic and protect sensitive data.
Security Monitoring: Deploy a web application firewall (WAF) to monitor and filter HTTP traffic for malicious activities.
Regular Auditing and Testing: Conduct periodic security scans using tools like Nikto or OWASP ZAP to identify potential web server vulnerabilities.
Tools and Technologies:
Apache HTTP Server
ModSecurity (WAF)
OpenSSL for SSL/TLS encryption
Nikto or OWASP ZAP for vulnerability scanning
Additional Security Measures:
Implementing regular backups of website data and configurations.
Configuring robust logging mechanisms to monitor web server activities and detect anomalies.
By following this hardening plan, the web server can be fortified against common threats, ensuring the security and integrity of the hosted websites and applications.
In conclusion, system hardening is an essential practice in cybersecurity that bolsters the defense mechanisms of IT infrastructure against evolving threats. By adhering to a comprehensive hardening plan and leveraging appropriate tools and technologies, organizations can proactively safeguard their systems and networks from potential security risks.
