Question

what are the advantages and disadvantages of using a file integrity checking tool (e.g., tripwire). this is a program which notifies the administrator of any changes to files on a regular basis? consider issues such as which files you really only want to change rarely, which files may change more often, and which may change often. discuss how this influences the configuration of the tool, especially as to which parts of the file system are scanned, and how much work monitoring its responses imposes on the administrator

Answer 1

Using a file integrity checking tool offers security benefits but requires careful configuration to avoid overwhelming administrators with alerts. It's effective for files that seldom change, while frequent-changes files can lead to a high volume of notifications.

Step-by-step explanation:

The advantages of using a file integrity checking tool, like Tripwire, include ensuring system security by detecting unauthorized changes to files, which could indicate a breach. Key benefits are the protection of sensitive data and maintaining regulatory compliance. For files expected to change rarely, such as system binaries or critical configuration files, monitoring is relatively straightforward and alerts will likely indicate a real security issue or necessary update.

On the flip side, there are disadvantages. Files that change often, such as logs or temporary files, can generate a high volume of alerts which may lead to alert fatigue. This can burden the administrator with the time-consuming task of distinguishing between benign changes and actual threats, which can lead to real threats being overlooked if the configuration of the integrity checking system is not precisely tuned to the nature of the files it's monitoring. Therefore, carefully configuring the tool to scan relevant parts of the file system and setting an appropriate alert threshold is crucial for balancing security with workload.