Cybersecurity and Information Security

As a critical discipline within computer science, Cybersecurity and Information Security encompasses the principles, technologies, and practices designed to protect computer systems, networks, programs, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. It is fundamentally concerned with preserving the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets through a multi-layered approach that combines technical controls like firewalls and encryption with formal policies, risk management, and user education. This comprehensive field addresses the constantly evolving landscape of digital threats to ensure the resilience and trustworthiness of digital infrastructure.

1. Foundations of Information Security
   1. Core Security Principles
      1. The CIA Triad
         1. Confidentiality
            1. Data Classification Systems
            2. Access Control Mechanisms
            3. Encryption for Data Protection
            4. Information Disclosure Prevention
         2. Integrity
            1. Data Validation Techniques
            2. Hash Functions and Checksums
            3. Digital Signatures
            4. Change Control Processes
            5. Version Control Systems
         3. Availability
            1. System Redundancy
            2. Fault Tolerance Design
            3. Backup Strategies
            4. Recovery Planning
            5. Service Level Agreements
      2. Extended Security Models
         1. The Parkerian Hexad
            1. Possession or Control
            2. Authenticity
            3. Utility
         2. Non-Repudiation
            1. Digital Signatures
            2. Audit Trails
            3. Legal Evidence Requirements
      3. Formal Security Models
         1. Bell-LaPadula Model
            1. Simple Security Property
            2. Star Property
            3. Security Levels
         2. Biba Integrity Model
            1. Simple Integrity Property
            2. Star Integrity Property
            3. Integrity Levels
         3. Clark-Wilson Model
            1. Well-formed Transactions
            2. Separation of Duties
            3. Constrained Data Items
   2. Security Terminology and Concepts
      1. Fundamental Terms
         1. Assets
            1. Asset Identification
            2. Asset Classification
            3. Asset Valuation
         2. Threats
            1. Threat Sources
            2. Threat Agents
            3. Threat Events
            4. Threat Modeling
         3. Vulnerabilities
            1. Technical Vulnerabilities
            2. Administrative Vulnerabilities
            3. Physical Vulnerabilities
         4. Exploits
            1. Exploit Development
            2. Exploit Kits
            3. Zero-Day Exploits
         5. Risk
            1. Risk Assessment
            2. Risk Calculation
            3. Risk Tolerance
            4. Residual Risk
      2. Security Controls
         1. Control Categories
            1. Preventive Controls
            2. Detective Controls
            3. Corrective Controls
            4. Deterrent Controls
            5. Recovery Controls
            6. Compensating Controls
         2. Control Types
            1. Administrative Controls
            2. Technical Controls
            3. Physical Controls
      3. Attack Concepts
         1. Attack Vectors
            1. Network-based Vectors
            2. Physical Vectors
            3. Social Engineering Vectors
            4. Supply Chain Vectors
         2. Attack Surface
            1. Surface Analysis
            2. Surface Reduction
            3. Attack Surface Management
   3. The Threat Landscape
      1. Threat Actor Categories
         1. Nation-State Actors
            1. Advanced Persistent Threats
            2. Cyber Warfare Capabilities
            3. Espionage Operations
         2. Cybercriminals
            1. Financially Motivated Groups
            2. Organized Crime Syndicates
            3. Ransomware Operators
         3. Hacktivists
            1. Ideological Motivations
            2. Protest Tactics
            3. Information Warfare
         4. Insider Threats
            1. Malicious Insiders
            2. Negligent Insiders
            3. Compromised Insiders
         5. Script Kiddies
            1. Tool Usage
            2. Common Targets
            3. Limited Capabilities
      2. Attack Classifications
         1. Malware Categories
            1. Viruses
            2. Worms
            3. Trojans
            4. Ransomware
            5. Spyware
            6. Adware
            7. Rootkits
            8. Botnets
         2. Social Engineering Attacks
            1. Phishing
            2. Spear Phishing
            3. Whaling
            4. Vishing
            5. Smishing
            6. Pretexting
            7. Baiting
            8. Tailgating
         3. Network Attacks
            1. Denial of Service
            2. Distributed Denial of Service
            3. Man-in-the-Middle
            4. Session Hijacking
            5. DNS Poisoning
         4. Authentication Attacks
            1. Password Attacks
            2. Credential Stuffing
            3. Password Spraying
            4. Brute Force Attacks
            5. Dictionary Attacks