Design and Implementation of Network Activity Monitoring System

1.1 Introduction

Network Activity Monitoring System is used to detect inside threats by monitoring file access and process activity (Behr et al, 2009). It is a powerful tool that allows one to track any local area network, giving you the most detailed information on when, how and what your network users do on daily basis. This research targets the monitoring of every activity of a user in a computer network and maximizes the security for the organization or corporate body. In a quest for maximum profitability in a network, there is need to monitor the activities performed such that the network activity in a real time would be tracked, confidential information safeguarded and control over the daily activities of every staff established.

Attacks on computer by outside intruder are more publicized but the ones perpetrated by insiders are very common and often more damaging. Insiders represent the greatest threat to computer security because they understand their organization’s business and how their computer systems work. They have both the confidentiality and access to perform these attacks. An inside attack will have a higher probability of successfully breaking into the system and extracting critical information. The insiders also represent the greatest challenge to securing the company network because they have authorized level of access to the file system.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

The Federal Inland Revenue service (FIRS) is one of the federal ministries charged with the responsibility of accessing, collecting, and accounting for the various taxes to the federal government since 1943.

Tax revenue has been reliable from time, from where government rely for decision making, and aids for development and administrative planning, hence there is need for optimum human resource of the organization or ministry; for it’s considered to be their most valuable asset if properly harnessed and are well motivated to perform their assigned tasks so as to enhance the organizations goals and objectives.

Computer Computerized Network Activity Monitoring System has become one of the vital tools in providing evidence in cases such as computer misuse and fraud. Computers and other devices are being used increasingly to commit, enable or support unwanted activity perpetrated against individuals, organizations or assets.

Although it is most often associated with the investigation of a wide variety of computer crime, Computerized Network Activity Monitoring System may also be used in civil proceedings. The discipline involves similar techniques and principles to data recovery and a lot of information is retained on the computer than most people realize. It’s also more difficult to completely remove information than it is generally thought. For these reasons (and many more), Computerized Network Activity Monitoring System can often find evidence or even completely recover lost or deleted information, even if the information was intentionally deleted.

This system consist of two tier application – server and client whereby the activity monitoring server can be installed in any computer in the entire local area network and the client which is the remote spy software is installed on all the computers on the network to be monitored.

1.3 Statement of Problem

The existing system used by FIRS has been a challenge to them. Amongst the problems affecting the FIRS from maintaining a steady reliable accounting figures and estimates are:- With the current system, staffs easily erase or add data in order to cover up their fraud since there is no back up of the activity log. Frauds like computer fraud: - loss or damage to money, securities resulting directly from the use of any computer to fraudulently cause a transfer of money or other property from inside the premises to a person at a place outside the premise.

Their method of operation is not so efficient for both units in the department (Operations and Reconciliation units).Both units cannot work at the same time, and this is because the staffs in one of the unit (reconciliation unit) has to wait for the staffs in the other unit (operation unit) to get their work to some extent before they can process their own work, and while they are processing their own work, the staffs in the operation unit has to pause their work a little and with this manual of operation in the department, rooms for corporate fraud is being created.

These are the more reasons, why the researcher embarked on this research.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

This aim of the study is to design and implement a Network Activity Monitoring System that will monitor the daily activities of every user in a network. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop a software that will:

1. Monitor the daily activities of every user in a network in real time.
2. Detect active users.
3. Provide accurate evidence on corporate fraud when investigation is being carried out in an organization.
4. Provide good memory management for efficient carrying out of activities.

1.5 Significance of Study

The significance and benefits of this work include:

1. Increased employers loyalty: What ultimately creates the employers loyalty is meeting and exceeding their expectation.
2. Maintaining system integrity.
3. Staying current on work status so as to know how well the organization is going.
4. Ensure proper handling of investigation in computing: This is the reason why we need a careful, methodical process for gathering digital data in the first place; and this is why we need Computerized Network Activity Monitoring System.
5. Increased employer’s retention: The employees are an investment.
6. Generally, it takes nine to twelve months or longer before an employee is a productive asset to a company. If an employee leaves after a year or two, the company has lost most of its investment.
7. Information empowered decision making: Most managers, executives and employers make decisions based upon all relevant information. There are some actions that can have a profound effect on corporate decision making; those actions are more easily justifiable when you have easily accessed the users system.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The scope of this research focuses on the Design and Implementation of Network Activity Monitoring System.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

1.8 Definition of Terms

NAMS (Computerized Network Activity Monitoring System): This is the system that is used monitor the daily activity of every user on a network

Corporate fraud: This is the fraud committed by insiders in a large, publicly traded (or private) corporation, and/or by senior executives.

Real time: Occurring immediately, this is used for such task as navigation, in which the computer must react to a steady flow of new information without interruption.

LAN (local area network): This is computer network that spans a relatively small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings.

Suid: A file attributes which allows a program to run as a specific user no matter who executes it.

Corporate decision making: This is connected with a corporation, this involves the image of a company or organization where all its members involve taking critical decision making (finance/planning/strategy)

Internal Auditor: An employee of a company charged with providing independent and objective evaluations of the company’s financial and operational business activities, including its corporate governance.

External Auditor: An external auditor is an audit professional who performs an audit in accordance with specific laws or rules on financial statements of a company, government entity, other legal entity or organization, and who is independent of the entity being audited.