William Aubrey Labuschagne Magister Technologiae
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A study regarding the effectiveness of game play as part of an information security awareness program for novices by WILLIAM AUBREY LABUSCHAGNE submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MAGISTER TECHNOLOGIAE in the subject INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF MM ELOFF CO-SUPERVISOR: DR L LEENEN SEPTEMBER, 2015 A study regarding the effectiveness of game play as part of an information security awareness program for novices Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincere appreciation to: Prof Eloff, teaching me everything I now about the process of completing a dissertation and becoming a better researcher in the field of information security. Your assistance, patience and kind words of advice to see if there is a better way to do things have been inspirational. You have created a warm space filled with trust which encourages exploration of ideas. Thanks for creating an environment to allow me to be me. My wife, Namosha, who has stood by my side from the start to the end. I am grateful for your compassion, understanding and providing a helping hand in my pursuit of this milestone in our lives. We have had many challenges in this pursuit but together we have conquered them and grown stronger. Happiness means nothing unless shared; this journey was worth sharing with you. My parents who believed in me to follow my dreams and use the opportunities given to make a difference. You have instilled a strong value system to believe in myself, never give up and live life to the fullest. This dissertation is part of my journey that you have helped to create for me. My upbringing by you has had a great impact on me to complete this journey of self discovery and making a difference in society. To my family members, thank you for all the encouragement, advice and moral support. To the family members who have started the journey with me but are no longer here, I miss you and I wish you could be here to share this moment. I was blessed with your support throughout the challenging times, it will never be forgotten. Friends and work colleagues whom aided me emotionally and technically during this exploration of information security awareness. There are too many names to mention however Joey Jansen van Vuuren who created the opportunity and provided access to support structures needs to be highlighted. There were times were I started doubting the cause pursued. The backing from the collective helped me to see the light in times of darkness. Dr Zaaiman and the University of Venda, for providing an opportunity to conduct an information security awareness program within their organization. All the individuals ii A study regarding the effectiveness of game play as part of an information security awareness program for novices that were involved during the execution of the awareness program were selfless and were a joy to work with. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), especially CyberDefence (within Defence, Peace, Safety and Security (DPSS)), for providing an environment to pursue research in the domain of information security. In addition, providing support structures to assist in the process to complete the dissertation and create opportunities to network with other institutions and individuals on the subject matter. All people who have supported me emotionally and technically during this journey to learn about information security awareness and subsequently to give back to society. iii A study regarding the effectiveness of game play as part of an information security awareness program for novices Abstract Technology has become intertwined into society daily life which is not only limited to personal life but also extending into the business world. Availability, integrity and confidentiality are critical information security factors to consider when interacting with technology. Conversely many unsuspecting users have fallen prey to cyber criminals. The majority of threats encountered could have been prevented by the victims if they had sufficient knowledge to first identify and then mitigate the threat. The use of information security awareness programs provides a platform whereby users are informed about such threats. The success of these programs is significantly reduced if the content is not transferred in the most effective method to improve understanding and result in a change of behaviour. This dissertation addresses the effectiveness of using a gaming platform within an information security awareness program. The use of games allows for the users to apply knowledge within a potential scenario as seen with pilots using flight simulators. End users who have no information security background should have a safe platform where threats can be identified and methods taught to mitigate the threats. A wide selection of security awareness frameworks exist, the most appropriate framework should be considered first. The different phases of the framework would be applied within the dissertation with the main objective to ultimately determine the effectiveness of games within security awareness programs. Data was collected during the implemented information security awareness program using quantitative instruments. These included questionnaires and a developed online game designed from the literature reviewed during the study. The analysed data highlighted the effects of extrinsic motivation on knowledge transfer and validated the positive impact of game play. iv A study regarding the effectiveness of game play as part of an information security awareness program for novices Table of Contents Acknowledgements ii Abstract iv List of Figures viii List of Tables x List of Abbreviations xi Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Objectives 1 1.1 The Case for Information Security Awareness 1 1.2 Motivation for this Study 2 1.2.1 End users’ susceptibility to cyberthreats originating from the Internet: 2 1.2.2 Identifying relevant topics for a specific information security awareness target group: 3 1.2.3 Deploying effective information security awareness programs: 4 1.2.4 Conclusion 5 1.3 Problem Statement 5 1.3.1 Determine what is the current information security knowledge of information security novices? 5 1.3.2 What threat categories should be included in an information security awareness program for information security novices? 6 1.3.3 How effective are lecture based information security awareness programs? 7 1.3.4 How is the effectiveness of an information security awareness program measured? 7 1.3.5 What components are found in an information security awareness program? 7 1.3.6 How effective are games as a platform to deliver information security awareness? 8 1.3.7 Conclusion 8 1.4 Scope and Purpose (Research Objectives) 8 1.5 Research Methodology and Process 9 1.6 Terminology 12 1.7 Dissertation Layout 13 Chapter 2: Information Security Awareness 15 2.1 Introduction 16 2.2 What is Information Security? 16 2.3 Importance of Information Security 17 2.4 Security Controls used within Information Technology 23 2.4.1 Effectiveness of updates to operating systems 23 2.4.2 Effectiveness of anti-virus software 25 2.4.3 Effectiveness of firewalls 26 2.4.4 Conclusion 27 2.5 Information Security Awareness 29 2.5.1 Definition 29 2.5.2 Case Study 29 2.5.3 Outcomes 30 2.5.4 Point of Failure 31 2.6 Conclusion 33 Chapter 3: Information Security Awareness Program 35 3.1 Introduction 36 3.2 Standards addressing Information Security Awareness 37 3.3 Information Security Awareness Frameworks 38 3.4 European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) 39 3.4.1 Overview 39 3.4.2 Plan, Assess and Design 42 3.4.3 Execute and Manage 45 3.4.4 Evaluate 46 3.4.5 Evaluation Result of ENISA Information Security Awareness Framework 46 3.5 SANS Information Security Awareness Roadmap 47 3.5.1 Overview 47 v A study regarding the effectiveness of game play as part of an information security awareness program for novices 3.5.2 Evaluation Result of SANS Information Security Awareness Framework 51 3.6 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Security Framework 52 3.6.1 Overview 52 3.6.2 Evaluation Result of NIST Information Security Awareness Framework 55 3.7 Selection of Information Security Awareness Framework 56 3.8 Conclusion 57 Chapter 4: Using NIST within an Information Security Awareness Program 59 4.1 Introduction 60 4.2 NIST Security Framework 60 4.2.1 Design 61 4.2.2 Development 62 4.2.3 Implementation 62 4.2.4 Post Implementation 62 4.3 Conclusion 63 Chapter 5: Design of Information Security Awareness Program 65 5.1 Introduction 66 5.2 Needs Assessment from Shared Resources 66 5.2.1 The Internet Café Industry in South Africa 67 5.2.2 Internet Uses and Threats Mapping 68 5.2.3 Selection of Topics 70 5.3 Needs Assessment from Social Networking Sites 74 5.3.1 Related Research 74 5.3.2 Social Media Profiling Experiment 77 5.3.3 Application of Data Collected to Conduct a Social Engineering Attack 85 5.4 Topics Identified for an Information Security Awareness Program 86 5.5 Conclusion 89 Chapter 6: Development (Distribution Platform) 93 6.1 Introduction 94 6.2 Shared Public Security Awareness (SPSA) System 95 6.2.1 Requirements 96 6.2.2 Shared Public Security Awareness (SPSA) System Architecture 101 6.2.3 Conclusion 109 6.3 Design Consideration of an Information Security Awareness Program through Gaming 110 6.3.1 Gaming Motivation 110 6.3.2 Requirements 114 6.3.3 Conceptual Game Prototype 118 6.4 Conclusion 123 Chapter 7: Implementation (Data Collection) 125 7.1 Introduction 126 7.2 Research