Case Study On Online Security Breaches

Hacking of Malaysian Airline Website

This is one of the most significant security breaches in the last six months. The Malaysian Airline website was a victim of a cyber attack from a hacking group known as the Lizard Squad. The hacking was specifically done on its Domain Name System (DNS) and users re-directed to a a website belonging to the hacker. This is a form of integrity violation owing to the fact that the Lizard Squad group jeopardized the integrity of online services offered by Malaysian Airline Company.

Theft of Data belonging to Computer Gaming Companies

Popular online gaming systems, the Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duties, FIFA, Gears of War 3, Xbox Live and Xbox gaming console faced a data leakage cyber threat from the International Computer Hacking Ring, a popular hacking group.

Appropriate Strategies Applied to Prevent Website Integrity Violation through Hacking

Basically, to prevent website integrity violation through hacking involves protecting a website from vulnerabilities. In the case of Malaysian Website attack, it could be prevented through ensuring that software used to run the website is kept up-to-date. However, this is mostly applicable is websites that are hosted by third party software such as forum of CMS.
Preventing SQL Injections is also another method that could be applied by the Malaysian Airline to prevent the website threat. The concept of SQL injection entails a scenario where an attacker applies a URL parameter or a web form to manipulate or access to a website data. This can be prevented through application of parameterized queries.
Owing to the fact that the Malaysian Airline website is used to pass information between the company and the passengers, the use of SSL would be appropriate. SSL protocol is crucial is providing security of a website by specifically preventing attackers from accessing the information.

Strategies that could be used to prevent threats to Data Leakage in the Online Gaming Systems

In the case of the online gaming system companies, provision of online security over their data is paramount. Just like the Malaysian case, this could also be prevented through application of SSL to provide security over the information relayed on their websites. Additionally, the companies could also apply the concept of form validation or server side validation: This concept entails validating company servers and browsers to prevent hacking that may be facilitated by simple failures such as mandatory fields. Consequently, owing to the fact that hackers usually rely on online security holes, online gaming companies could be prevent this threat through updating their software. The application of security patches, especially for companies whose websites are hosted by third parties is crucial. This could involve the use of CMSs such as Umbraco and WordPress that notify the company on any security issue.

Technological Mechanism that Could be used to Support Services Identified

There are technologies that have been developed to enhance services geared towards ensuring security in regard to online activities. In the case of Malaysian Website and the Online Gaming Companies, the application of website security tools is the most appropriate technological mechanism that could be used to enhance their online security. Website security tools OpenVas function in a similar manner as hackers in that they automatically scan and test vulnerabilities and any compromise that may affect a website or a browser.