NETWORK SECURITY

Why the Risk Exists

Computer networking has been around for some time but, as with all IT, there have been tremendous advances both in terms of the technology employed and in the type of organisation (or individual) deploying it. While this has had tremendous benefits and resulted in it being possible for small companies and individuals to easily set up computer networks, it has also introduced significant risks to the security of computer information passing through those networks or connected by them, as well as to the continuity of operation of the infrastructure itself.

To understand why these risks have increased dramatically it is necessary to compare key aspects of early networks with those of today:-

Early Networks were:

• Mainly confined to large organistions.
• Based on (usually) limited number of large servers.
• Accessed by individuals via ‘dumb’ screens.
• Dedicated links connecting one facility to another.
• Managed and policed by highly skilled teams of IT professionals.

Modern Networks are:

• Very common, anyone can have a network and most businesses do (or at least communicate with the outside world).
• Very often connecting many smaller servers.
• Accessed mostly via PC’s and laptops which themselves contain information and their own functionality.
• Very often linked to other facilities via the internet.
• Often not managed, supported or even set up, by IT professionals.
• Not policed and less controlled.

There is therefore a lot more information being passed about. It is stored on many more individual servers or PCs ( each of which has to have some level of security built in), it is more often than not moved around on public networks (the internet) and the people setting up and maintaining the network (or aspects of the network) frequently do not possess a high level of IT skills, or even if they have a good level of general IT skill do not have specific security expertise. Each access point to the network creates a potential security risk; this can include for example, individual PCs, remotely connected laptops, handheld devices, websites, servers etc.

The risks therefore are many, varied and much more difficult to manage than in the early days.

Wireless Networks

Wireless networks can be notoriously open and porous. They are being widely implemented due to the ease with which they can be deployed and the lower costs compared to other forms of networks. However, without appropriate security measures and correct configuration, they often offer only very basic security protection presenting no challenge at all for anyone with the slightest IT or networking technical knowledge. Default configurations generally offer only very limited protection.

In order to connect to a wired network physical access is required and you have to connect a PC into a live network port. With wireless it is only necessary to be within the coverage area of the network signal, which can very often extend outside of the physical confines of a building (and therefore is accessible by the wider community). Wireless equipment also broadcasts signals which can be easily intercepted by other wireless devices and this is frequently used by hackers as an easy way of gaining access to networks and systems. It should also be noted that because wireless sits outside of other such as a firewall then it is correspondingly easier to access systems and information once a wireless network has been entered. There are ways of making wireless more secure but unless deliberate steps have been taken to ensure that all possible security measures have been implemented and configured correctly it is reasonable to assume the likelihood of unauthorised access is very high.

Risks

The risks are to both the infrastructure of the networks themselves and to the information processed by them.

Infrastructure

Organisations have become increasingly dependant on computer systems for the running of the business. More often than not those systems are connected by a network and depend on all (or many) elements of the network. An interruption to the operation of any part of the network often, therefore, causes the loss of all or part of systems functionality and thereby causes an interruption to the business operation.

Any outside influence, deliberate or accidental, which causes an interruption of the network is therefore likely to have an impact on the operation of the business. Denial of Service attacks on networks are becoming more common because there is more opportunity to inflict such attacks. Interruption is most definitely not confined to failure of the hardware, the more likely cause these days will be software related and deliberately initiated through the unauthorised introduction of program code/scripts aimed at disrupting normal operation.

Information

Information on the network can be compared to cash in the bank. A bank has a limited number of physical access points and can implement a high level of physical security. The number of access points into the network whilst not unlimited are far more numerous and less obvious. The security on network access points and surrounding the repositories containing the information (the equivalent of the bank vaults) is neither as straightforward nor is the requirement as obvious as in the case of the bank.

The risks are that:-

• Not all of the doors have been identified.
• Suitable security has not been implemented on those doors (or repositories).
• Security products which have been implemented are not configured correctly either through lack of appropriate expertise or lack of regular checking and monitoring (situations can change rapidly).

The are many consequences of the unauthorised access to and theft of information which are covered in other parts of this site, but the ultimate consequnece in all cases is that will have an adverse financial impact on the business which could threaten the very existance of the business.

What to do about it

Quite simply, this is a specialist area. Many products are available to address the various areas of Network Security Risk. Some of these products can be quickly installed and provide some protection, but this will often give a false sense of security. It is essential that all areas of risk are fully understood, that the correct products are selected to suit each circumstance, that those products are configured correctly (again for the particular circumstances in which they are being used), that the whole security infrastructure is kept up to date and monitored effectively and finally that the infrastructure is fully, and independently, tested on a regular basis for effectiveness. This requires expert knowledge without which there can be little confidence that anything implemented is necessarily providing the protection expected, contact Meritec for a no-obligation discussion as we are well placed to assist with these matters.