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2

May

2009

Comprehensive Computer Network Security Assessment

By IPSECS Admin. Posted in Management | Comments Off

Introduction

How secure is your company’s information? In this age of distributed computing and of client-server and Internet-enabled information access, computer security consistently rises to the top of most “important issues” lists.

To answer this question with certainty is difficult. There are no absolutes with security. An important first step for most corporations is a security policy that establishes acceptable behavior. The next, and more critical step, is to enforce that security policy and measure its effectiveness. A security policy is in tension with user convenience, creating forces that move security practices away from security policy. Additionally when new machines or applications are configured the security related issues are often overlooked. Therefore the gap between central policy and decentralized practice can be immense. These are significant tasks, as are identifying problems and taking corrective action on a constantly changing network. Many enterprises typically fall back on blind faith rather than wrestle with the fear of the unknown.

Sources of Risk

In order to assess your true security profile, you must first understand the sources of risk. The most infamous risk is embodied by the external hacker accessing a corporate information systems via the Internet. Traditionally these hackers view breaking into a system as

Comprehensive assessment

mountain climbers view scaling a cliff, for them its the next great challenge. However, as ever increasing numbers of corporations interconnect their information systems successful break-ins become commercially rewarding. Practitioners of industrial espionage now view the computers on the Internet as valuable potential sources of information. Often these “professionals” masquerade as the traditional hacker to disguise their true purposes.

Although the threats from external attacks are real, they are not the principle source of risk. FBI statistics show that more than 60% of computer crimes originate inside the enterprise. These risks can take multiple forms. Unscrupulous employees may be searching for organizational advantages. A disgruntled employee may be co-opted by an industrial espionage agent. Increasingly corporations are turning to contractors for specialized skills or to absorb temporary increases in work-load. These contractors are often given access to the corporate information system and thus they can also present a risk to corporate information.

Lines of Defense for the Corporate Information System

  • Firewalls

Many enterprises erect a firewall as the first and often only line of defense for their information systems. A firewall is a device that controls the flow of communication between internal networks and external networks, such as the Internet. Many corporations assume that, once they have installed a firewall, they have reduced all their network security risks.

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