IPSC Best Practices

A quick reference to many industry best practices, tools, and resources for information security as identified by the Information Privacy and Security Council.

Overview of IPSC Best Practices

Revised September 2024 (previous revision July 2018)

This purpose of this web page is to provide a quick reference to many industry best practices, tools, and resources for information security as identified by the Information Privacy and Security Council.  The majority of links on this page are external to the State of Hawai’i web pages as indicated by a globe icon. The intent is to update this page frequently to provide current information on tools, practices, and standards. No endorsement is implied or intended by the State of Hawai’i by the listing or omission of vendors and/or commercial products on this page.

Table of Contents

Vulnerability Advisories

Automated Tools

Browser Plug-Ins & Web Safety Tools

Training

Public Reports on Cyber Threats & Data Breaches

Applicable Standards

Vulnerability Advisories

The MS-ISAC vulnerability advisories can be used to identify potential software threats.

 

Automated Tools

This section provides more information about automated tools that can be used to provide a secure computing environment.

    • Log Management/Analysis and SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) The category involves working with large volumes of computer generated records (log files) which provide various types of information such as information about the computer, network, and when and by who information was accessed. And by sifting through the information and applying various rules, there is an automated determination if there are any security or operational issues that need to be addressed. The NIST Guide to Computer Security Log Management provides more information about this area.
    • Penetration testing Penetration testing is used to evaluate the security of computer systems and networks by simulating an attack as if from a malicious source. The process involves an active analysis of the system for any potential vulnerabilities that may result from poor or improper system configuration, known and/or unknown hardware or software flaws, or operational weaknesses in process or technical countermeasures. This analysis is carried out from the position of a potential attacker, and can involve active exploitation of security vulnerabilities. Any security issues that are found will be presented to the system owner together with an assessment of their impact and often with a proposal for mitigation or a technical solution.
    • Vulnerability Assessment Tools
      • Gibson Research Corporation ShieldsUP! benignly probes the target computer at your location for vulnerabilities.

 

Browser Plug-Ins & Web Safety Tools

A listing of free plug-ins useful for safe web browsing.  Be sure to carefully read the FAQs before implementing any of these plug-ins.

Useful Firefox Plug-ins

  • NoScript  Prohibits potentially harmful scripts from being executed within a web page

Website Safety Rating
The following are web-based tools to help identify if a site is safe or unsafe.

  • McAfee Web Advisor adds visible safety ratings to searches and sites visited
  • Norton (Symantec) Safe Web allows you to enter a web address (URL) and will return a rating based on safety and security issues

Browser Plug-in Check
Web-based, simple to use, free tool to check your browser for outdated plug-ins.

  • The Qualys Browser Check will identify your outdated plug-ins that may be vulnerable to attacks

 

Training

This section provides information about computer (web-based) training modules for new employees and any mandatory annual refreshers. Examples are Civil Rights, LEP, Privacy, Security, DHRD modules, etc.

General Security Training:

Phishing Training:

  • Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) class on Phishing

Personal Information Education:

 

Reports

This section provides links to various public reports on data breaches and the number of individuals affected by each breach.

 

Applicable Standards

This section outlines many well-known standards and provides links to additional information about each.

Federal Standards

State of Hawai’i Standards

Disclaimer: The information posted on the State of Hawaii website includes hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. The State of Hawai’i provides these links and pointers solely for your information and convenience. When you select a link to an outside website, you are leaving the State of Hawai’i site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website. The State of Hawaii provides multiple channels through which all individuals can have access to the same information and data. The State of Hawai’i does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of information contained on a linked website. The State of Hawai’i does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer. The State of Hawai’i cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website. The State of Hawai’i is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.