Security, an eternal struggle

Security Threat Issues:

•  Identify the bad guys: In the case of network security, there are multiple external threats.
  •  Hackers looking for valuable information such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, etc.
  •  Competitors looking for trade secrets, intellectual property, bid and price information, customer lists.
  •  Vandals trying to destroy things because they can't seem to create something constructive themselves so they choose to damage the productive work of others.
  •  International espionage.
  •  Terrorists, both internal and external.
  One thing that many organizations fail to recognize is that there are also internal threats. An FBI study has indicated that network attacks from inside the network (i.e. employees) are as serious as external threats. This has been been borne out by the fact that the the most notable security attacks by on the FBI and the CIA have been carried out by their own employees.
•  Identify the weapons, which can include:
  •  Viruses, worms, and Trojans.
  •  Spyware.
  •  Spoofing and phishing.
  •  Adware (which can enable hostile code to get into your network)
  •  Spam (which can cause you reveal identity information or download spyware.
  •  Traffic monitoring.
•  Get defensive weapons and use them effectively:
  •  Use antivirus, antispam, anti-phishing, anti-adware software.
  •  Use effective encryption.
  •  Defense in depth: external firewalls in front of your network (like a mote), a combination of firewall hardware and software at entrance points to your network (the walls of the castle), firewalls at local computers (locked doors at important rooms), filters (like gatekeepers), authorized access (like badges and passwords), traffic analysis, and logging.
  •  Keep all critical and security software updates current.
  •  Use strong passwords and change passwords often.
  •  Make sure file and folder security is effective and proper.
  •  Consider multiple methods of security access. For example, consider the use of passwords and biometrics if the risk and cost makes this justifiable.
  •  Physical security is often neglected. Where are your servers, computers, printers, and other resources? Who can get at them and how easy would it be for someone to get access or take information?
  •  Don't forget backups and backup security. You backup procedures need to be effective and verified. Where are your backups kept, and how easy would it be for someone to use them?
•  Keep up your defenses to match new offenses:
  •  Keep antivirus patterns up-to-date.
  •  Use encryption within your network, not just when you are connecting to the Internet. For example, with a Microsoft Windows 2003 network operating in pure native mode, communications within the network can be set to strong 3DES encryption, which will make capturing and use of internal signal traffic very unlikely.

•  First, doing nothing guarantees you will have problems. Even if you are think your business is not a worthy target, the probability is 100% that something will get you if you don't take some precautions.
•  Network security has to start with solid basics. A solid anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-spyware program is a major component of a security foundation. Security updates and backups are also essential pieces of a good security foundation. One important issue is that the components should be self maintaining with minimal annoyance or maintenance. If someone turns something off because it is annoying or does not perform a basic step, then the foundation will start to break apart.
•  Security dollars are expensive because they are essentially extra overhead. NIC does not like to spend anybody's overhead dollars unwisely. A layer of defense should provide a good return (risk mitigation) on investment.

•  Security Software For Small and Medium Businesses.
•  Security Software for Enterprise Businesses.