Elements and Performance Criteria

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

System may include:
applications
databases
gateways
operating systems
servers
WAN communication links
workstations.
Asset may include:
data and information
intellectual property
physical assets.
Network may include:
intranets
large and small LANs
internet
VPNs
WANs
WLANs.
Software may include:
applications:
commercial
customised
in-house
packaged
encryption modules
operating systems
security:
antivirus
firewall
spyware
utilities:
audit
network monitoring.
Hardware may include:
analog modems
digital subscriber line (DSL) modems
firewall devices
network cabling
wired and wireless networks
notebooks
personal computers
routers
servers
switches
workstations.
Security threats may include:
by-pass
denial of service
eavesdropping
elevation of privilege
hacking
impersonation
manipulation
penetration
repudiation
viruses or malicious code.
Vulnerabilities may relate to:
application bugs
communications devices
firmware flaws
firewall misconfigurations
operating system bugs
poor bandwidth control measures
transmitting data in plain text
unnecessary services and protocols
weak authentication techniques
weak permissions
weak physical security.
Commercial and business requirements may include:
availability
backup and recovery of data
confidentiality
firewalls
hacking prevention
integrity
password logons
remote access to internal network.
Perimeter security may include:
access control
auditing
authentication
authorisation
hardware or software firewalls
identification
network address translation (NAT)
surveillance.
Server may include:
application
web
email
file and print
firewall
file transfer protocol (FTP)
proxy, cache
voice over internet protocol (VoIP).
Hardening techniques may include:
demilitarised zones (DMZ)
encryption
intrusion detection system (IDS)
operating system patch application and management
rigid shared resource permissions
service pack application
strong firewall configurations, including unused port blocking
strong physical security
strong user authentication techniques
unused services and protocols disablement.
Data integrity may include:
encryption
hash encoding
protocol control
VPN.
Document may include:
audit trails
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Australian Standards (AS) standards
naming standards
project management templates
report writing principles
security analysis report
version control.
Appropriate person may include:
supervisor
authorised business representative
client.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Evidence of the ability to:
assess and identify security threats, vulnerabilities and risks
determine appropriate countermeasure for threat, vulnerability or risk
implement countermeasure per threat or risk
install, configure and test network elements to ensure perimeter security
test and verify function and performance of selected security measures
monitor network for suspicious activity taking appropriate action where necessary
document newly discovered threats, vulnerabilities and risks, including change recommendations for approval.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
site where secure network installation may be conducted
network security documentation
equipment specifications
network components
hardware and software
firewalls (hardware and software)
live network
organisational guidelines
networked (LAN) computers
WAN service point of presence
appropriate learning and assessment support when required.
Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
documentation of current system security analysis that outlines required enterprise security requirements
identification of additional security threats and vulnerabilities
verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of network security
direct observation of candidate performing tasks required to successfully install, configure and test a secure network
direct observation of candidate performing tasks required to successfully test function and performance of secure network
direct observation of candidate performing tasks required to successfully monitor and document newly discovered security threats, vulnerabilities and risks.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.