CS 652 Colorado Technical Week 2 Operating System Security Amazon Report Week 2: New Content: Security Threat Detection Security Tool Analysis Review and

CS 652 Colorado Technical Week 2 Operating System Security Amazon Report Week 2:

New Content: Security Threat Detection

Security Tool Analysis
Review and identify at least 3 tools that would be effectively used in the detection and prevention of operating system security threats in the organization’s systems.
Include the types of threats that the tools identify.
Discuss the total threat coverage for the operating systems provided by these tools.
Given that implementation of security tools requires significant investment, management will likely be reluctant to approve them unless the investment can be justified. As part of your analysis, describe why these tools are necessary for the company and how the investment can be justified to management.
Built-in Security Analysis
Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the built-in security of each of the 3 major OS categories (UNIX, open source, and Windows).
Discuss how the weaknesses can be strengthened using the tools identified in the Security Tool Analysis section. Running head: OPERATING SECURITY AMAZON
Shirish Bhatnagar
Colorado Technical University
Operating Systems Security CS652-2003A-01
July 15th, 2020
OPERATING SECURITY AMAZON
Abstract
Amazon is a multinational organization dealing with online retailing of products
and services founded by Jeff Bezos. Bezos’ named it the “regret minimization
framework” because he regretted not having invested in the online, internet platform, yet
it was an encouraging environment. The internet was becoming the big thing as
technology progressed in the early 1990s. Jeff Bezos being the creative investor he has
always been, left his position as the vice president of D.E. Shaw & Co. and moved to
Seattle, Washington, where he incubated the business idea that later becomes Amazon
(D’Agostino, 2018).
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Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Origin of Amazon………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
The emergence of Amazon Online Book Store …………………………………………………………………………. 4
Amazon’s Principles ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Amazon’s Computing Environment……………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
AWS Global Infrastructure Security ………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Amazon’s Internal Systems Connection ………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
Benefits of Operating Systems Security Policies ………………………………………………………………………. 9
Operating System Security Tools ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12
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Origin of Amazon
On July 5, 1994, Cadabra, Inc. was incorporated as a company in Washington
State by Bezos. However, after a few months, he changed the name to amazon after
thorough research from the dictionary on a unique name that signified “different and
exotic” as he envisioned his enterprise’s future. Amazon River, where the name amazon
derived from, is the largest river in the world. Bezos’ planned to move his store to every
part of the world, also Amazon had alphabet “A” which signified it would appear first in
the alphabetical arrangement when searching for online shop (Goal et al. 2020). He
started amazon as a book store online retailing at affordable and fair prices with delivery
at the clients door step. During the initial days, Amazon started its operation in Bezos’
house garage in Northeast 28th Street in Bellevue, Washington. Relentless, the domain
name for amazon was purchased in September 1994 and still is owned by Bezos as the
domain name for amazon used to redirect the retailers (Aćimović et al. 2020). Bezos was
interested in building his brand online, and virtually without any fear of being copied, he
was sure of the viability of his venture and give it all his best a fruitful success we all
enjoy worldwide today.
The emergence of Amazon Online Book Store
Bezos had been analyzing reports from the company’s future projections and
discovered that the annual web commerce growth was already at 2,300%. These figures
trigger him to develop a list of 20 items that could be sold online and narrow them down
to five; books, compact discs, computer software, computer hardware, and videos. He
finally decided to venture into books selling due to the worldwide need for literacy,
which is a field that will always be green. The initial capital of the platform was
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$250,000, which Bezos got from his parents. There were many books available, and their unit
price was quite fair, and he was able to start at a good momentum. In July 1995, Amazon began
its online book store services, selling its first book on fluid concepts. After two months, all 50
states were shopping for books from amazon and more than 45 nations. The growth was so
drastic that in two months, the company made a public announcement, with a total sales of
$20,000 per week. In 1996, it was incorporated into Delaware and got into the stock market in
1997, selling it first stock at $18 under the NASDAQ stock exchange (D’Agostino, 2018).
Amazon continued its growth during the late 1990s but was shocked by the dot-com
bubble that destroyed many of the then e-companies in 2001. However, Amazon survived and
got back on its feet one year later. The company profit margins started rising and became steady,
proving that Bezos’ grand architecture was viable and well thought. In the present, by 2011,
Amazon has employed 30,000 employees operating on a full-time basis, and an astonishing
180,000 full-time employees by 2016 (D’Agostino, 2018). The critical thing towards the growth
of this organization is creditable to the sophisticated web infrastructure developed to ensure the
security of both company and client data. In the subsequent sections, we will consider the design
that makes the Amazon online platform stand out in the tech industry.
Amazon’s Principles
Amazon is the founder of four principles that propel all its functionality both online and
in the physical arena. The laws are; customer satisfaction, not competition-oriented, passion for
creativity and invention, operational excellence, and long-term futurist thinking. The company
operates in an environment that ensures the growth of the company, employees, and clients,
benefiting all its stakeholders. To ensure consistency in service and product delivery in the
online platform, Amazon has invested heavily in the security of its data and its clients through
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UNIX, open-source, and windows operating systems in their computing environment
(Stallings, 2018). Understanding the intricate design of the computing environment
behind the Amazon platform will help in recommending and acknowledging how secure
their systems are (Aćimović et al. 2020). We will focus on how the company endeavors
to protect the online usage from the high-risk environment offered by the internet.
Amazon’s Computing Environment
Amazon Web Services (AWS) security responsibilities ensure the global
infrastructure that runs the company’s services offered in the AWS Cloud is well secured
and protected. This infrastructure comprises hardware, software, networking, and all
other features and facilities running the AWS. When computer systems moved to the
cloud, the company has to secure its information because it is shared. The AWS allows
Amazon to restrict usage and control data removed from the sites. Amazon employs the
shared security responsibility model that reduces operational cost and improves security
without additional resource input. The responsibility shared between the company and
cloud service providers, where AWS is responsible for infrastructural security of the
cloud system.
Figure 1: The Shared Security Responsibility Model
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Amazon has the best technical team offering sufficient company services in the
protection of products and services. They also ensure that the company’s computer servers are
well configured to security firewalls and can automatically detect invasion and shut down the
loops. Amazon deals with door delivery and online payment from clients; the website, therefore,
has sensitive information about the client like location, home address, name identification, and
credit card details. If hacked, this information is a potential threat to the company and the
customer, which will bleach the customer service provision (Robischon, 2017). Therefore, AWS
offers accounts that the clients sign into in their cloud website where the company secures them.
Virtual servers, databases, storage, and desktops together with cloud-based analytics and tools
that allow the data need to be retrieved and stored securely. AWS has products responsible for
securing the OS of guests, and storing the data they update within the company profile their
account (Amazon EC2) (Aćimović et al. 2020). These application softwares are responsible for
creating firewalls. The AWS management services e.g., Amazon RDS or Amazon Redshift,
provide the required resources to perform different tasks within the company website. These
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management services ensure all the user needs are meet without delay and cater to all the
necessary functionality errors done by the user. However, the user is required to protect their
AWS account using the Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM) so that every
user has a unique credential secured. The use of multi-factor authentication (MFA)used
for each account, which connects the API setting and SSL/TLS to the AWS resources
(Solanki, 2019). These are all parts of the amazon cloud architecture.
Figure 2: Amazon Cloud Architecture
AWS Global Infrastructure Security
AWS carries out its functions in a global cloud environment allowing a variety of
computing resources like storage and processing. The AWS global infrastructure has
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hardware, software, network, and host OS, enabling it to support the services it offers. Among
the decision to increase its security, Amazon’s internal structure uses a UNIX operating system
with its well-enabled platform to secure all the data and cloud-based information remotely
(Robischon, 2017). UNIX operating system is defined as more stable and secure, reducing the
need for more infrastructure for securing the OS. AWS has developed a compliance program that
allows the users to understand how they operate, and the security architecture is searing their
data (Solanki, 2019). AWS is declared one of the most secure web architectures globally,
offering the best infrastructure of computing its clients (Aćimović et al. 2020). One of the many
reasons Amazon has succeeded over the years.
Amazon’s Internal Systems Connection
Amazon employs AWS’s direct connection in its internal systems, a cloud service that
establishes an automated network connection between the company’s computers and the AWS
cloud services. AWS enables data centers, offices, and other colocation environments of amazon
access cloud network remotely, reducing the cost of fiber, increasing the throughput bandwidth,
and consistency in networking expertise compared to internet-based connections. The use of
UNIX, open-source, and Windows operating systems allows amazon to enjoy unlimited access to
the cloud for its employees and clients (Aćimović et al. 2020) (Solanki, 2019). The security
detail in these operating systems allows the clients to access the AWS direct connection virtually
through public or private networks.
Benefits of Operating Systems Security Policies
Implementing operating systems will increase the company’s protection against external
threats and attacks on their data and systems. Security policies are an excellent method of
ensuring constant security checks, whether there is a threat or not, and maintaining the overall
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health of a computer. These security policies ensure that the company is always on toes,
and surveillance of its infrastructure done often to eliminate any threats that may arise
without being detected (Robischon, 2017). Security policies guard principles on how
security should be maintained and resolutions parties in case of an attack. OS security
policies guarantee the firm that regardless of any threat, there is a mitigation process
already pre-designed to handle the challenge. These policies allow the company
management to operate without fear and engage in more risky but profitable ventures
rather than anxious to wait for the unknown (Solanki, 2019). Development and
implementation of OS security policies is a form of insurance, where the company
designed to protect itself from arising attacks and threats to its systems.
Operating System Security Tools
UNIX operating systems security tools include; wire shark, NMAP, and Malware,
antivirus scanners. Wire shark earlier called Ethereal is a tool for analyzing system
administrators. NMAP is a security scanner while a malware and antivirus scanner
checks from viruses and Malware attacking the Linux operating systems. Linux is more
stable and secure; that is why most companies like amazon prefer them for their database
and internal operations (Stallings, 2018).
Open sources operating systems security tools include; osquery, GoAudit, and
Grapl. Grapl is a new open-source tool that released in March 2020. It is a Graphical
Analytic Platform for detecting forensic and incidence responses. Grapl attempts to
identify graphics from logs. Osquery is an operating system with low–level analytics and
monitoring tools that enable engineers to perform complex analyses using SQL
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(Stallings, 2018). GoAudit is a Linux Audit system that hooks and monitors syscalls and writes
audit records to disk using auditd.
Windows operating systems security tools include; firewalls, antivirus software, and
penetration testing. Antivirus software is applications installed in operating systems to eliminate
viruses and Malware that attack the computer files. Firewalls are choke enters where traffic
flows through and controls local security, ensuring unauthorized traffic is not allowed to pass
(Stallings, 2018). Penetration testing verifies if the operating system is secure enough by
attacking the operating system and confirming if it is possible to hack through it. Penetration
testing can be automated or manual.
These tools can be employed to improve security for both the client and the company
offering the services. Amazon has a well-established team of experts and an online platform that
allows users to understand the threats and recommend the necessary measures to reduce the risks
(Stallings, 2018). The customer services at Amazon is automated due to long term
experimentation by the real time customer service providers. Unique cases forward for a personal
customer help service (Griffiths, 2018).
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References
Aćimović, S., Mijušković, V., & Milošević, N. (2020). Logistics aspects of goods home delivery:
The case of Amazon Company. Marketing, 51(1), 3-11.
D’Agostino, J. L. (2018). The Impact of E-commerce on Brands: An Analysis of Amazon and a
Plan for the Future (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon).
Goel, P., Verma, P., Al Mutairi, Q., Bhardwaj, R., & Tyagi, S. (2020). Customer Experiences,
Expectations, and Satisfaction Level towards Services Provided by
Amazon. International journal of Tourism and hospitality in the Asia Pacific, 3(1), 89101.
Griffiths, P. (2018). Industry voices: Amazon insider. Ragtrader, (Apr 2018), 24.
Robischon, N. O. A. H. (2017). Why Amazon is the world’s most innovative company of
2017. Fast Company Magazine, 2.
Stallings, W. (2018). Chapter 15, Operating System Security. In Operating Systems: Internals
and Design Principles (8th ed., Vol. 2). Prentice-Hall.
Solanki, K. (2019). ‘To what extent does Amazon. Com, Inc.’s success accredited to its
organizational culture and ND Jeff Bezos’s leadership style? Archives of Business
Research, 7(11), 21-40.
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