ASSIGNMENT

Successful Network Attacks

Assignment: In recent months many reports of large companies being victims of cyber-attacks have surfaced.  In 2015 Primera Blue Cross had over 11 million customers affected by a data theft.  In 2014 Sony Pictures had several datacenters wiped clean and information was stolen.  Staples had 1.16 million customer credit cards compromised, while Home Depot reported 56 million cards compromised in the U.S. and Canada.  JP Morgan Chase has had data stolen for about 83 million customers.  The list goes on and on, with Community Health Systems, Michael’s Arts & Crafts, Target (again), all being attacked successfully.  

Research a company who has had a successful cyber-attack against them within the last 3 years.  How did the attacker gain entrance into their network?  What security vulnerabilities were exploited?  How could the company have reduced the risk of attack, or mitigated any exposure?  What has the company done since the attack, and are they any less vulnerable now than they were when the attack happened?  

Write a research paper not to exceed 3000 words, double-spaced, excluding the title page and works cited section.  All references must be from authentic, established and reliable sources (sites like Wikipedia will not be accepted).  A minimum of 5 credible resources is required.  Submitted documents must be in MS Word format (.doc or .docx).

Note: This assignment must adhere to the standards set forth in the APA guidelin