TASK 1!!

 

 

Content

 

INTRODUCTION.. 2

CURRENT ISSUES WITHIN THE COMPANY.. 3

OUTDATED SERVERS:. 3

STAFF INDUCTION ISSUES:. 3

WEAK STUDENT ACCOUNT CREDENTIALS:. 4

SLOW WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTIONS:. 4

IP ADDRESS CONFLICT ERRORS:. 5

TEST PLAN:. 6

CONCLUSION: 11

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

TeachTechNow is a large global organization with 50 offices worldwide. They deliver technical training to students and industry specialists on technical subjects such as coding, data analytics and networking. It has recently expanded, it has been made sure that all offices use the same hardware, network configurations and installation guidance for the office network, although the classroom specifications alternate.

Recently, several organizations within the sector have been experiencing successful cyber-attacks, this have raised awareness to the board of directors and makes them think of the possible consequences it can have on the organization. Across all the offices they have around 500 staff requiring them to work in different ways. Some staff tend to work in the offices and some work in hybrid roles.

It is my responsibility to provide sophisticated recommendations to make sure that the network is secure and to find solutions to some specific issues that have been brought to my attention in the office.

 

CURRENT ISSUES WITHIN THE COMPANY

 

OUTDATED SERVERS:

 

A server is a computer or system that provides resources and services over the network to other computers. They are vital for business and organizations as they can provide central storage, secure access to resources, and enable efficient operations of networks and applications. If this are not kept up to date, they can pose multiple security vulnerabilities and potential hardware issues. They can lead to further downtime, data breaches and even finical losses as they may go against legislations. TeachTechNow currently has at least 2 servers at each location and it is noted that they are all operating on different operating systems. For example, Control document A outlines the different specification of the servers and it is evident that they are running on several different operating system (Windows server 2016, Windows server 2019, Windows server 2003 ….) this could introduce different issues for staff when accessing these servers as they may face compatibility and connectivity issues. Therefore, it is important to have up-to-date operating system across all servers to reduce these issues as they can lead to other factors such as less productivity on behalf of the staff.

 

STAFF INDUCTION ISSUES:

 

Staff training is crucial to keep staff members informed of new threats and vulnerabilities on a regular basis as it is proven that human error is approximately 90% of the cause to successful data breaches. Consequences of data breaches can be crucial in different aspects of the business, it can affect the company financially, legally, and socially. TeachTechNow tend to provide short presentations delivered using video conferencing software, which provides them with a broad understanding on organization, network, software and security systems. Thereafter, they are provided with a copy of relevant policies on email and are asked to thoroughly read through and complete an online form to confirm the policies have been read and understood. Sometimes, some of the staff may have a large amount of workload and may not have enough time to carefully read through such policy, therefore they may tend to just complete the form without understanding the policy which can later lead staff unconsciously leaving vulnerabilities in the security system. Therefore, I would recommend to reinforce their policy and make sure that all staff has thoroughly read through the policy by perhaps printing physical copies and arranging meetings with induvial explaining them the policies. Furthermore, they should arrange regular meetings for staff to deliver new threats and security vulnerabilities to raise awareness to minimise the risk of cyber threats.

 

 WEAK STUDENT ACCOUNT CREDENTIALS:

 

Weak credentials, such as usernames and passwords, are easy for attackers to guess or crack, posing a significant security risk. They are often simple, common, or default settings that haven’t been changed, making them vulnerable to various attacks like brute force attacks or dictionary attacks. There is also password-cracking software which exploits people who have easy or repetitive passwords which can be guessed quite easily. There are 2 types of techniques that the software tends to use, dictionary which will use a list of predefined passwords to gain access, or brute force which is when you try different combination of letters, digits, and characters to gain access to the dat. Simple passwords can be cracked very easy and that's why users should ensure to set hard passwords. The 10 desktops used in each classroom that uses generic student accounts can lead to vulnerabilities such as other users accessing other users accounts due to the simple password settings which can lead to modification and data loss. Therefore, I would recommend each user to set new passwords which include different type of characters, special characters, and numbers to make sure that the password is harder to crack. The administrators could apply this rule and set all students with unique passwords so they can enhance security.

 

SLOW WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTIONS:

 

There are several factors that can affect internet connections, many of which can include the number of devices that are currently using the wireless connections, the wireless internet bandwidth limits on the amount of data transferred at a time, physical obstructions to the router, device issues such as old hardware and software, software and malware can also reduce the internet speed as they may be running too may programs or having unnecessary add-ons which strains the computer system, and the physical distance of the device from the router as further away can reduce the connection to the internet. The office manager at TeachTechNow has reported these issues on his current laptop which is currently running on a Windows 10 operating system. There may be different causes behind this problem many of which could be the outdated operating system or the amount of bandwidth. Therefore, I would like to recommend running tests to find the root cause to the problem and replacing hardware or software if needed.

 

 

 

 

 

IP ADDRESS CONFLICT ERRORS:

 

IP address conflict errors, where two devices on the same network share the same IP address, these are primarily caused by misconfigurations in DHCP settings or manual IP address assignment. Other factors include network merges, DHCP server issues, and faulty network configurations. It has been reported by multiple members of staff at TeachTechNow that they have faced these issues many times, this causes disruption between employee productivity and network performance, leading to various issues like intermittent connectivity, slow response times, and even complete network outages. Therefore, I would recommend to run tests to identify the root cause and reconfigure the DHCP settings and IP assignments.

 

TEST PLAN

 

In order to find the root cause behind each induvial problem I have attached tests that should be carried out in order to find the issues involved with the problems. This will help us find a solution much quicker and effectively. It is important for the company to implement any health and safety measures accordingly to each test. For example, they should make sure that they have the right people with the right skills to be completing each task to make it more efficient and precise. Moreover, they should hire professionals for some tests such as pen testing as it will require a more in-depth knowledge in order to tackle the testing.  

 

TEST PLAN:

 

USER	DATE	HARDWARE/ SOFTWARE	OPERATING SYSTEM	PROPOSED TEST	EXPECTED OUTCOME	ACTUAL OUTCOME	PURPOSE OF TEST	FEEDBACK
IT manager	29/04/2025	File and Print Server	Windows Server 2016	Load testing:  Set up an environment that is similar to companies’ environment. Develop scripts and actions the user would be simulating. Run the test against application.	We will be able to determine if the system performance under extreme load testing.	TBD	To determine how the system performs under peak load conditions	….
				Stress testing:  You will require to plan the test and correctly identifying the resources required and monitor system while gradually increasing the load on the application.	It will allow identify system vulnerabilities, and potential failure points under extreme conditions.	TBD	To determine how reliable the system is under extreme workload	….
				Ping scan:  To run a ping scan, you require to open the command prompt on windows, type “ping” followed by a space and the IP address to test, and simply press enter.	The ping scan will reveal all different hostname of each device connected to the network.	TBD	It will help identify any active devices on a network.	….
IT manager	29/04/2025	Administration Server	Windows Server 2019	Load testing:  Set up an environment that is similar to companies’ environment. Develop scripts and actions the user would be simulating. Run the test against application.	We will be able to determine if the system performance under extreme load testing.	TBD	To determine how the system performs under peak load conditions	….
				Stress testing:  You will require to plan the test and correctly identifying the resources required and monitor system while gradually increasing the load on the application.	It will allow identify system vulnerabilities, and potential failure points under extreme conditions.	TBD	To determine how reliable the system is under extreme workload	….
				Ping scan:  To run a ping scan, you require to open the command prompt on windows, type “ping” followed by a space and the IP address to test, and simply press enter.	The ping scan will reveal all different hostname of each device connected to the network.	TBD	It will help identify any active devices on a network.	….
IT manager	29/04/2025	Classroom Server	Windows Server 2003,2008,2012	Load testing:  Set up an environment that is similar to companies’ environment. Develop scripts and actions the user would be simulating. Run the test against application.	We will be able to determine if the system performance under extreme load testing.	TBD	To determine how the system performs under peak load conditions	….
				Stress testing:  You will require to plan the test and correctly identifying the resources required and monitor system while gradually increasing the load on the application.	It will allow identify system vulnerabilities, and potential failure points under extreme conditions.	TBD	To determine how reliable the system is under extreme workload	….
				Ping scan:  To run a ping scan, you require to open the command prompt on windows, type “ping” followed by a space and the IP address to test, and simply press enter.	The ping scan will reveal all different hostname of each device connected to the network.	TBD	It will help identify any active devices on a network.	….
IT manager	30/04/2025	Classroom Desktops	Not Stated	Brute Force Attack: They should utilize tools or techniques to attempt brute force password guessing, considered common passwords dictionaries. There should be tools available on the internet such as CISA.GOV	The website will be able to indicate weather the password is strong enough or not.	TBD	This will allow to understand how easy the passwords are to guess and if they are worth replacing with stronger ones.	….
Office manager	30/04/2025	Staff Laptop	Windows 10	Load testing:  Set up an environment that is similar to companies’ environment. Develop scripts and actions the user would be simulating. Run the test against application.	We will be able to determine if the system performance under extreme load testing.	TBD	To determine how the system performs under peak load conditions	….
				Stress testing:  You will require to plan the test and correctly identifying the resources required and monitor system while gradually increasing the load on the application.	It will allow identify system vulnerabilities, and potential failure points under extreme conditions.	TBD	To determine how reliable the system is under extreme workload	….
				Speed Test: Use tool like Speedtest.net to measure download, upload, and ping speeds.	It will state all different download, upload, and ping speed as well as telling the user weather the its good or not.	TBD	To determine the internet speed for the specific device	….
				Network Congestion: Limit the number of devices connected to the wireless internet connection and run a speed test again.	This should increase the user’s internet speed as there will be more bandwidth available for data.	TBD	To determine whether the number of devices are affecting the internet speed	….
				Asses in different location: Run the speed test in different location of the office and determine if it changes.	As you move further away your signal would decrease.	TBD	To determine whether distance is affecting the uses internet speed.	….
Office Manager (Cyber Expert)	01/05/2025	Laptop computer and Desktops	Windows 10 laptop and other devices of which OS is not stated.	DHCP Server Logs: analyse the server logs to identify devices with duplicate IP address	This will outline users with same IP address and help to act upon it.	TBD	To determine users with the same IP address.	….
				Reconfiguring IP addresses: Modify the IP settings of the conflicting devices to use different IP addresses.	This will reset everyone’s IP address and makes sure that everyone has a unique IP address	TBD	Makes sure that everyone has a unique IP address to reduce IP address conflict.	….
				Ping scan:  To run a ping scan, you require to open the command prompt on windows, type “ping” followed by a space and the IP address to test, and simply press enter.	The ping scan will reveal all different hostname of each device connected to the network.	TBD	It will help identify any active devices on a network.	….
				Traceroute: Open command prompt and type “tracert <destination_IP_or_ Hostname>	The results show each hop in the path, including IP addresses and latency. Missing hops or timeouts indicate network issues along the path.	TBD	Determines the route packets take from a source to a destination.	….
				Enable Conflict Detection: Set the “conflict detection attempts” property to a value greater than 0.	Next time, there is an issue the DHCP server will ping the address before assigning it to a client.	TBD	Enables IPv4 address conflict detection which eliminates the conflicts by the DHCP server.	….

 

 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

This cyber security fault-finding investigation has highlighted critical vulnerabilities and associated threats within the organization's network. By adding all the recommended security measures and testing that were discussed, the company can strengthen its defence and minimize any external threats and cyber-attacks. Regular security assessments, user training, and regular monitoring are crucial to maintaining a secure IT environment within the company and ensuring all users with online safety.