Description
It is not a one question but please see this..The operating system (OS) of an information system contains the software that executes the critical functions of the information system. The OS manages the computer's memory, processes, and all of its software and hardware. It allows different programs to run simultaneously and access the computer's memory, central processing unit, and storage.The OS coordinates all of these activities and ensures that sufficient resources are allocated. These are the fundamental processes of the information system, and if they are violated by a security breach or exploited vulnerability, that could have a significant impact on the organization.Security for operating systems means protecting the OS components from attacks that could cause deletion, modification, or destruction of the operating system. Threats to an OS could include a breach of confidential information, unauthorized modification of data, or unauthorized destruction of data.It is the job of the cybersecurity engineer to understand the operations and vulnerabilities of the OS (for any type of OS), and to provide mitigation, remediation, and defense against threats that would expose those vulnerabilities or attack the OS. As you assess your company’s systems, you will likely uncover gaps and errors. These may reveal mistakes that people at the company have made which might embarrass or anger those involved. However, the trust placed in you means that you have a responsibility to report your findings fully and accurately so that you can reduce or eliminate the risk of future unauthorized access. So be fair and follow industry standards, but have the courage to be a force for positive change in your company’s cybersecurity efforts.There are six steps that will help you create your final deliverables. The deliverables for this project are as follows:Security Assessment Report (SAR): This report should be a seven- to eight-page double-spaced Word document with citations in APA format. The page count does not include figures, diagrams, tables, or citations.Nontechnical presentation: This is a set of eight to 10 PowerPoint slides for upper management that summarizes your thoughts regarding the findings in your SAR.In a Word document, share your lab experience and provide screenshots to demonstrate that you performed the lab.
this are the criteria:1.1: Organize document or presentation clearly in a manner that promotes understanding and meets the requirements of the assignment.2.3: Evaluate the information in a logical and organized manner to determine its value and relevance to the problem.10.1: Identify potential threats to operating systems and the security features necessary to guard against them.
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Explanation & Answer

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Non-technical Presentation
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliations
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Introduction
The presentation provides information related to the Operating Systems
Vulnerabilities (Windows and Linux).
The focus of the presentation is to help non-technical leaders understand
technical vulnerabilities that have been discovered in the report.
The presentation shows the need to perform a vulnerability assessment of the
OS.
Overview of the Operating System
This section examines the OS, why it is needed, an what it doe in the computer
system.
The operation system (OS) enables user application programs to interact with the
computer's hardware.
The user's role in an OS is usually to transmit commands.
The user's role in the operating system is normally dispersed in two operating tasks
and through application tasks.
Kernel and User Application Modes
Computers use user application mode when running application software.
When the application software requests the hardware, the computer gets into kernel mode.
The Kernel mode is the most important in the computer system because it reserves the most
trusted functions of an OS.
The user applications deal with software and do not have direct access to the computer's
hardware.
An embedded OS is designed to carry out specific tasks for devices that are not computers.
OS Vulnerabilities
The report examines Windows OS, Linux, MAC OS and mobile devices vulnerabilities.
Windows Vulnerabilities
The mount manager vulnerability (CVE-2015-1769, MS15-085).
The CVE-2018-8414-20, which involves a remote code execution.
The CVE-2018-8405-264 which exists in windows 2012
Linux Vulnerabilities
The buffer overflow (CVE-2021-3177).
The xterm vulnerability (CVE-2021-27135)
Cont. Vulnerabilities
Mac OS vulnerabilities
Dock vulnerability (CVE-2014-4431).
The mail vulnerability (CVE-2014-4431).
The launch services vulnerability (CVE-2015-1142).
The AppStore vulnerability (CVE-2014-4499).
Vulnerabilities of Mobile Devices
The mobile application-based threat.
The web-based mobile vulnerability.
The mobile network security used by cybercriminals.
The mobile device security vulnerability.
Methodology to Assess OS Vulnerabilities
The proposed methodology in assessing the vulnerability of the OS has four main steps
The
scope
The
focus
The
assessment
The
response.
The proposed measure for the assessment is penetration testing.
Penetration testing will examine the organization's computer systems, web applications,
and network to find any potential vulnerability attackers can exploit.
Applicable Tools and Projected Findings
The applicable tools include the Wireshark, John the ripper and Network
mapper (Nmap).
The projected findings of these tools is to show different systems in the
organization's network that are not supposed to be there and to protect
organization users with weak passwords ad those resetting their passwords.
Administrative Vulnerabilities in Windows OS
Using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, the following administrative vulnerabilities were
identified
✓
There were more than one system admin.
✓
There were many accounts, about 19, that did not have the expiration date of the passwords.
✓
Disabled windows firewall.
✓
1 out of 20 accounts had weak passwords
Recommendations
Developing policies that enhance password security.
Changing the number of administrators who can open an account on a single computer.
Organization’s computers need to have automatic updates.
There need for Windows firewall to stay enabled to enable.
Administrative Vulnerabilities in Linux OS
Several vulnerabilities in the Linux OS were generated from the OpenVAS. Weak encryption algorithms supported.
➢
Weak MAC algorithms.
➢
Weak cipher.
➢
Denounced SSLv2.
➢
Stop using SSLv2 and deactivating it
Recommendations
➢
have a new version of TSL for authentication and data encryption between organization servers and
applications in the network.
➢
Protocols such as SSH are recommended to support encrypted connections.
References
Anand. (2021, December 21). Difference between kernel mode and user mode in Windows operating system. The Windows Club.
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/kernel-mode-and-user-mode-in-windows
Gontovnikas, M. (2021, June 25). The 9 most common security threats to mobile devices in 2021. Auth0 - Blog. https://auth0.com/blog/the-9most-common-security-threats-to-mobile-devices-in-2021/
Rosencrance, L. (2021, September 24). What is a vulnerability assessment (vulnerability analysis)? Definition from SearchSecurity.
SearchSecurity. https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/vulnerability-assessment-vulnerability-analysis
Syxsense. (2021, March 9). Top Linux vulnerabilit...
