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Security Risk on iNTERNETworks ...

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by sabrodiesel2000 1 view

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Something besides the growth of the Internet is driving the rise in security attacks. Here are some realities:

Operating systems and applications will never be secure. New vulnerabilities will be introduced into your environment every day. And even if you ever do get one operating system secure, there will be new operating systems with new vulnerabilities – phones, wireless devices, and network appliances.

Old computer security jargon used to speak of "trusted" networks and "untrusted" networks. At best, your internal networks today are "semi-trusted." For instance, a company with over 50,000 nodes may have thousands of users who are connecting from home offices through cable modems. That makes the entire neighborhood of each of these employees become part of the corporate network. As employees are connecting to your network from homes, other offices, or hotels outside of the physical enterprise, new vulnerabilities are opened up.

Network security and location security. If they don't get in quickly and easily through your firewall, modems or Web server, they can always walk in through the front door, smile at the receptionist, tailgate into a passcard-protected area behind one of your employees, proceed to an empty cubicle, and sit down at someone's unprotected computer.

Employees will never keep up with security polices and awareness. It doesn't matter how much you train and educate your employees. If your employees disregard warnings about the hazards of opening questionable email attachments, how are you going to educate them about properly configuring firewalls and intrusion detection systems for their home office PCs?

Managers have more responsibility than ever and on top of facing the realities listed above, security managers are being asked to support increasing degrees of network availability and access..

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by oldefar

You are absolutely right about OS and apps. History proves this with caves, forts, castles, and hardened fortifications. Each advance in defence is followed by an advance in offense.

Location security can be hardened today. Tailgating through the pass door is countered with training or with a man-trap system. Cost and risk issues. That computer in the open cubicle can be mitigated as well. First, a security scheme based on need to know and authorized levels stops the accidental access. Adding a security card or even biometrics will block the more determined on site attempts, especially when site security notification of attempts is SOP. Of course, this takes looking at the business need behind access from anywhere. Is it reallyneeded?

The same applies to the telecommuters. If there is a real need, then providing secure access is not an issue. Allowing the Internet or even just a limited segment of the public access to become part of one's network is simply poor design.

Employees will never keep up with security policy that is not based on common sense and reasonable approaches. The solution is to think through security levels logically, establish sensible parameters, and back these with explanations to the users. Too often the policies have just two extremes - "our stuff" based on it being on the corporate system and with a security level of top secret under penalty of death, and everything else.

by opeyemi32

I want to ask for an advice concerning Internet security.

I work in a bank in Nigeria and our IT dept said that they want to stop staff from using the internet in order to reduce attack from internet.

I believe that they can reduce the attack by putting in place some form of firewalls which will prevent our system form attack from the internet.

Can you please eductae me more on this.

Thank you.

Seyi

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