computer science

SekChek Local

SekChek Local is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SekChek Local rather than just read about it. In short: SekChek security audit and benchmarking toolset dating from 1996. History SekChek was formed by two former auditors from Deloitte and Touche in 1996.

Key takeaways

SekChek Local belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SekChek Local to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SekChek Local from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SekChek security audit and benchmarking toolset dating from 1996.

History SekChek was formed by two former auditors from Deloitte and Touche in 1996. The toolset was a set of automated processes to analyse the logical security profile of a computer. The concept and initial version of SekChek was brought to Deloitte South Africa by Gordon Docherty and Jose Masson, who collaborated on the product design and deliverables with Chris Little CISA, CISSP from Deloitte's Computer Assurance Services Division in Sandton, South Africa. The first version analysed the control parameters for AS/400 systems. While the concept was good, the main concerns at the time were that (a) the clients had to send their operating system security files off-premise to SekChek for processing, and (b) the generated reports highlighted every parameter that wasn't in line with SekChek's world view of best practice. This led to reports of hundreds of pages being produced, with minimal prioritisation of the parameters to fix. Over time, these reports became more concise and user-friendly. On 20 March 2018 SekCheck's website gave notice operations would cease on 31 May 2018. Reasons cited included SekCheks' business model being less relevant to the business environment in 2018, a surge in compliance and regulatory requirements including GDPR and monetary difficulties due to losses with the insolvency of a credit-card processor.

Products The SekChek Classic product gathered information on a host which would then be sent encrypted to SekChek for report processing and enable checking security policies had been correctly configured. This originally worked on AS/400 but the number of platforms were extended in the next two years to encompass ed to Windows, Netware and Unix. Reports anonymously compared machines against the average from similar industry computers. The company introduced the Local version of its product in 2008 which avoided the need send data off-site. For windows there was a utility to specifically audit the Active Directory (AD) at domain level rather that at server level which was analyzed by the SAM tool.

Reception The product was initially marketed as a security evaluator and was noted for providing comprehensive reports of the security vulnerability of a computer system.

References

"Audit Programs & ICQs". isaca.org. Archived from the original (Fee required) on 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2018-12-13. "Annual Specialist IT Audit Activity Report 2004/5" (PDF). LB Bromley Internal Audit Report. November 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2009-05-20. Carroll, Mariana (November 2006). "An Information Systems Auditor's Profile" (PDF). UNISA Dissertation. These reports can be used to identify weaknesses as well as risk ratings and suggested corrective actions. These statements are supported by Mookhey (2004) when he asserts that "the use of these tools for security auditing is prevalentand driven mainly by the inherent complexity within information systems.

External links SekChek Home Page

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SekChek Local

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SekChek Local claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SekChek Local before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SekChek Local ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SekChek Local

In research: SekChek Local appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SekChek Local in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SekChek Local is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-aided audit tools, Computer security software, Data analysis software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SekChek Local outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SekChek Local in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SekChek Local means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SekChek Local out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SekChek Local in simple terms?

SekChek security audit and benchmarking toolset dating from 1996. History SekChek was formed by two former auditors from Deloitte and Touche in 1996.

Why does SekChek Local matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SekChek Local?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SekChek Local.