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Archive for the ‘Network Security’ Category

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Social Networking a Network Security Threat? Yes.

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Social networking for both personal and professional reasons has exploded in the past couple of years and both individuals and companies are finding it to be an effective tool in reaching and communicating with friends and customers who were at the edge of communication circles before.  But is it a threat to network security?

Fifty-one percent of IT security professionals recently polled in a survey conducted on behalf of Cisco by InsightExpress, the survey polled 500 IT, say it is. IT security professionals across Germany,the United States, India, Japan, and China claimed “social networking” to be one of the top three highest security risks to their companies. Nineteen percent chose it as the highest risk they face.

But why? The nature of the problem seems to be from employees, particularly those under 30 years of age, that
consistently work around information technology security policies so that they can use unsupported devices
and applications. But this is just one symptom of today’s increasingly mobile workforce and the expansion of borderless networks. While social networking and the use of personal mobile devices truly keep people connected to their work, and allow them to integrate personal and professional lives, new challenges in IT security are bound to arise. More than one-third of the professionals polled claim to have had to deal with security breaches created by the use of unsupported network devices.

It’s clearly a problem, but what can you do about it?

Cisco is currently working on new security features that will allow for the use of these
devices and better social networking capabilities, but still protect critical data. It’s obvious
that these devices aren’t going out of style any time soon and the future of Cisco’s security technology lies
very much in the inclusion of these new business and personal approaches to connecting with customers and employees via the internet.

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Personal Internet Safety and Social Networking

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

We do everything on a computer these days, but how safe are we?  Here are some tips for personal safety on the internet when using Social Networking Sites like Facebook:

1. On social networking sites, do not tag photos with your children’s full names.

2. Never update your status to suggest when you’ll be gone for long periods of time (like on vacation).

3. Use strong passwords that are hard to guess and hard to remember.

4. Never post your entire birth date or your address.

5. Set your privacy selections in your account so that you have control over who is seeing your personal information.

6. If there are items you only want certain people to see, email them privately instead of posting them for the world to see.

7. Change your password regularly.

8. Opt not to post certain personal information like hometown, personal email addresses, and chat usernames.

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Social Networking Sites and Your Business

Friday, June 11th, 2010

These days, a lot of companies are using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to reach potential consumers, loyal customers, and the public at large. But there are risks to doing so. How can your company utilize social networking sites as marketing and educational tools without compromising privacy or your company’s reputation? Here are a few tips:

1. Make only one employee the administrator. Multiple administrators means more outlets for someone to post something that accidentally breaches security or compromises the company’s integrity.  Even typos and misspellings reflect on a company when it comes from the administrator.  The administrator should run what he/she wants to post past a supervisor first to make sure a second set of eyes are not only looking for errors, but also that the content is appropriate for anyone to read.

2. Delete inappropriate or abusive posts immediately. That means checking the site daily for posts that don’t reflect well on the company or that could offend your other customers.

3. Post items of substance and always link back to your own website. The idea is to drive customers back to the website that you control.  Keep in mind that the social networking site is only to keep people engaged and updated but your own site is where you want them to end up.

4. Be careful not to open yourself up to malware and hacking.  The more information you let the public see, the higher the risk that someone will use it in a way they shouldn’t. Be mindful.

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How to Protect Your Network for Less

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Everyone knows that defending your network against viruses, hackers, and other attacks is the key to protecting critical data and resources, as well as maintaining customer confidence and business continuity but many don’t add that extra level of protection because of the expense involved. Protecting your network doesn’t have to be expensive.

Adding security components, like Cisco’s ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances, allows for network expansion without the risk due to the series’ unified security platform that utilizes cutting edge firewalls, VPN technology, intrusion prevention, and more. The addition of such components actually lowers deployment and operating costs, not to mention the price of post-attack breaches and recovery, and the best way to add one of these security components is by purchasing them used.

Buying pre-owned and refurbished network hardware equipment isn’t the same as buying a used car. If you purchase, for example, an ASA-CSC-10-INC-K9, from a reputable retailer like MULTI-LINK Communications Products, you will not only pay less than you would from the distribution chain, but MLCP offers a better warranty than the manufacturer offers on the same product new.  Companies like MLCP also provide new equipment for less than the manufacturer as well.  Leasing is also an option if cash flow is minimal.

The point is, there’s no reason to risk an attack on your network and incur exorbitant costs later when purchasing security components is an affordable option.  Think of it as an insurance policy. Shop around, find the best price from the most reputable alternative Cisco provider, and protect your critical data. Isn’t your network and the information it contains worth it?

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Best Security for Your Network

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Network security is usually in the forefront of every network administrator’s mind. Protecting critical and confidential data, resources, and multimedia traffic, as well as business continuity from the myriad of potential attackers in cyberspace is key in maintaining not only business functions, but also your customers’ confidence.  What is the best way to secure your network?

Most routers and switches, and other network components have built in security protections like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, encryption, etc.  But as you expand your network to include laptops, smartphones, and other mobile devices, you broaden the attack surface, leaving your network– and therefore your data– open to hackers.

One way to add an additional level of security, and peace of mind, is through Cisco’s ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances. These components, designed for all network sizes, provide intelligent threat defense and highly secure communications services. In short, they help organizations lower their deployment and operational costs while delivering comprehensive network security through a unified security platform. Members of the ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances include the ASA5505-50-BUN-K9, the 8-port ASA5505-50-BUN-K8, and the ASA5500-HW .

Keep in mind that you can keep costs down by purchasing these components used for much less than the distribution chain through a reputable alternate distributor.

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What is ‘Secure Borderless Networks from Cisco?’

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Have you heard the buzz phrase ‘Secure Borderless Networks from Cisco‘ and wondered if your network would benefit? We’re here to explain what Cisco’s Secure Borderless Networks is and whether it’s right for you.

First, you need to understand how a network– specifically yours– becomes susceptible to intrusion and attacks. It’s obviously important to keep critical data, resources, and multimedia traffic safe and that protection is typically provided by a laundry list of separate security measures like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, VPN technology, and the like.  But the difficulty occurs with the addition of any-device connectivity to critical information and applications on the network.  This can be in the form of laptops that employees take with them, mobile smartphone applications, etc.  The more you expand your network’s borders, the higher the security risk you take on. But these expansion devices are necessary. They lower operational costs and increase efficiency. So how do you protect the network with a myriad of these devices out and about?  With Cisco’s ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances, Cisco Security Manager, and Cisco Security Monitoring, Analysis and Response System (Cisco Security MARS). These are all  fundamental components of the Cisco Secure Borderless Network.

Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances provide intelligent threat defense and highly secure communications services by creating a unified security platform. The unification allows cutting edge security measures to work together, simultaneously, and prevent security breaches before they affect business continuity.

Is it right for you?  The ASA 5500 Series works on any sized network, so you shouldn’t feel your network is too big or too small. The essential factor is whether your network utilizes the devices that put the network at risk. Even a few mobile devices that are in constant use can make the network susceptible to hackers, viruses, and other attacks. Determine whether the safety it provides is worth the price. If it still seems expensive, consider not only what it would cost you to lose critical data during an attack, but also consider purchasing security appliances used which lower your initial cost but still give you that added measure of security.

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Online Dangers You Should Know About

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

There’s no getting around the fact that we have become a global society that relies on technology and the internet to conduct business, stay connected to friends and family, and keep up on what’s happening in the world.  But the nature of the internet allows for certain dangers that everyone should not only be aware of, but know how to protect themselves, their children, and their data from being victimized.

Online Predators

The most common cyber-danger is online predators.  Predators, like all criminals, come in various forms.  Some are pedophiles seeking out children to exploit.  Some are thieves looking for a way to hack into your credit cards and bank accounts so that they can buy whatever they want under the cloaked anonymity of internet commerce and stick you with the bill. Others are looking to turn your computer into a netbot so that they can send out spam or hide the source of the viruses they’re creating.  It’s all criminal activity and it all puts you at risk.

So how can you protect yourself?

When it comes to children, the best thing you can do is know what sites your children are surfing and who they are connecting with online whether it be through email, chat rooms, or the many social networking sites.  There are software programs that not only allow you to give permission to each family member, controlling which sites they can log onto, but there are also programs that track what sites have been visited.  Limiting the time on the computer for children can also help.

When it comes to protecting your computer from virus attacks, consider a reliable anti-virus program.  For networks at your business, it’s important to have some sort of security services module that keeps not only your confidential data safe by employing firewalls and encryption, but also protects the privacy of your customers.

Lastly, learn good habits of buying items online.  Purchase products from reputable retailers and use PayPal or a credit card instead of a debit card for online purchases. Never send a credit card number in an email. Many credit card companies offer protection against online purchasing fraud so find out which of the cards you hold do and use those for online purchases.  Always check your statements to be sure you spent what you thought you were spending.

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What is a Virtual Private Server?

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

You may have heard the term Virtual Private Server before– you may even be using one– but do you understand the reason why or the technology behind it?  Here’s what Virtual Private Servers do and why companies are increasingly moving toward adopting them:

First, let’s define a Virtual Private Server (VPS). VPS’s are also referred to on occasion as VDS’s or Virtual Dedicated Servers. It’s a method that’s been used for years on mainframe computers and more recently became popular for smaller, enterprise-driven servers.  It allows a physical server computer to be partitioned, or divided, into multiple servers.  Each of these virtual private servers has the ability to run its own operating system, be independently rebooted as needed, and can run on its own dedicated machine.  The benefits are obvious. If one server goes down, or needs maintenance, the rest can continue to run normally.

Because VPS’s are part of a larger server, they’re ideal for web hosting and dedicated hosting services because users can share software but pay less than they would for a physical dedicated server.  And because each VPS runs its own operating system, customers who are sharing the physical server have superuser-level access to that operating system which would not be possible without the partitioning.

There are drawbacks, however, to use of a VPS.  Certain software has trouble running in a virtualized environment, specifically some anti-virus and firewall software which compromises system security. Another problem is VPS processor time, disk space, and RAM. Because multiple  virtualization clients are typically running on a single

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Router Security - Expert Tips

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

SANS is one of the most trusted sources for computer security training.  The SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization and provides training courses, newsletters, and resources for auditors, network administrators, and employees in the area of business network security.

Here are some tips on network security from SANS regarding policies and practices designed to keep your network safe and secure:
Every router must meet the following configuration standards:
1. No local user accounts are configured on the router. Routers must use TACACS+ for all user
authentication.


2. The enable password on the router must be kept in a secure encrypted form. The router must have
the enable password set to the current production router password from the router’s support
organization.


3. Disallow the following:
a. IP directed broadcasts
b. Incoming packets at the router sourced with invalid addresses such as RFC1918 address
c. TCP small services
d. UDP small services
e. All source routing
f. All web services running on router


4. Use corporate standardized SNMP community strings.


5. Access rules are to be added as business needs arise.


6. The router must be included in the corporate enterprise management system with a designated
point of contact.


7. Each router must have the following statement posted in clear view:
“UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO THIS NETWORK DEVICE IS PROHIBITED. You must have
explicit permission to access or configure this device. All activities performed on this device may
be logged, and violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, and may be reported to
law enforcement. There is no right to privacy on this device.”


8. Telnet may never be used across any network to manage a router, unless there is a secure tunnel
protecting the entire communication path. SSH is the preferred management protocol.

By purchasing or leasing a new or used Cisco ASA 5500 AIP Security Services Module-20, you can enhance your network’s security.  A router loaded with security features coupled with best practices from an organization like SANS is ideal for keeping data, software, and hardware free from virus, Trojan horses, botnets, and other high security risks.

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Router Security Features Made Easy: What is Data Diddling?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

If you’re not an I.T. wiz, some of the descriptions of the router security features might seem more like a foreign language than anything aimed at helping you decipher which integrated services router is right for your company. We’re here to help you understand the security features of a router by breaking them down for you one at a time. Let’s talk about Data Diddling.

First off, what is it?

Data Diddling is one of the worst types of hacker attacks because it’s not immediately obvious that anything has happened. Unlike ‘data destruction’ where the attack results in data being deleted completely – and sometimes, unfortunately, this data is irreplaceable – data diddling changes the data in your system but doesn’t delete so it still appears to be there the assumption is that the data is correct.

Think of it this way, a hacker breaks into a network and deletes your client database and all the data surrounding your account receivables. Your accounting staff come into work, sit down at their computers, and find that the records have vanished. There’s no way know who owes you how much, which invoices are outstanding, who you’ve sold what to. It’s devastating, but at least you can immediately go into crisis mode and get some I.T. professionals in to help you try to recover the data.

With data diddling, the hacker goes in and keeps all the account receivable records, but changes the amounts that you’re owed. Or changes a few bank account numbers. Or tinkers with some addresses, or credit card numbers you have on file, or whatever else he feels like tinkering with. You don’t immediately know anything has happened. It could be weeks or months before a payment comes in that’s completely different than what you expected and someone actually decides to go into the system and start figuring out the source of the discrepancy.

At first, it might be assumed to be human error, but then it happens again a week later, and then again. Finally, you realize you must’ve been hacked—things are different and wrong – but when? How do you know which records are accurate? How can you roll back to the records that you had before the attack when you don’t even know when the attack occurred?

That’s why data diddling is such a problem and keeping your network secure with a security module is necessary to prevent both data diddling and data destruction attacks.

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