Or
Why do we need to Protect
our Network?
If you are wondering “why
do I need to protect my network?” Rest assured you are not alone. Many people
including professional security experts neglect to protect their own Internet,
e-mail, and company records. You may argue “I’m not important, who wants to
break into my network?” The simple answer is anybody who has a modem and a computer,
and little hacking skills can potentially penetrate into your system. The
“would be” attacker doesn’t really care about you, most likely he or she would
launch attack from your PC or network on another network without your
knowledge. Once a hacker gains control of your system then he can hide his
presence on the computer and use it to launch attacks, often against well-known
networks such as the Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks on CNN, Yahoo, E-bay, and
Microsoft. Perhaps you only use your computer for gaming, or just to e-mail to
friends, family, and occasional chat, you may still be a target to a random
attack.
How Hard is it to Break Into
My Network?
With the proliferation of
downloadable hacking tools from various Internet sites the answer is going to
be ‘a nine-year-old can do it on the fly’. Most users do not pay attention to the daily announcement by software
developers, security bulletins, or CERTs’ that urge users to take immediate
steps to plug holes in our system. Those fixes which are posted on the Internet
and commonly referred to as patches are necessary for the system to stay secure
and safe to use while browsing the Internet. However, most of users do not get
the patches installed, or fail to act upon the recommendations. In addition,
most of computers are set for ‘default settings’ in most of the applications to
allow an easier access to your computer and the Internet. The default settings
may be easier settings for some, but it creates an opportunity for a would be
hacker to gain an easier access to your computer.
How Can I
Protect my Network?
It may sound obvious to you
but, any virus program can eliminate many of the most common threats from
“malware” before it has a chance to attack your network or your PC. Antivirus
from a commercial vendors such as Symantec, Network Associates, and Trend
Microsystems offers good protection from viruses, worms, and the likes.
Antivirus programs will scan your e-mail (outgoing and incoming), scan
attachments, program files, and other vulnerabilities. The most important
things to remember is that you need to keep the definition files updated (at
minimum once a week) and scan the computer for viruses daily. Or at least once
a week. Your defense from viruses is as good as the latest virus definition you
own.
Deploy
a Firewall
Think of the Internet as a
huge pipe, that is collecting data, protocols, and packets from millions of
individual sources worldwide. Unfiltered packets that are added to this pipe increase
the risks of malevolent traffic on the Internet. Trojan and Viruses (like Nimda
and Code Red) are constant reminders to the potential damage to any network
that does not use protection against unwanted data . Lets face it, the new
reality of the Internet is such that if you use an unsafe browsing, or open
your network to unfiltered traffic, you will face a malicious attack – it’s
just matter of time.
A Firewall is a device that
sits between you and your network. It is used to create a security parameter
based upon programmed security rules. The firewall acts as a gatekeeper for the
packets, while allowing important data to be filtered in and out of your
network. In an ideal world, one would have the firewall installed as a hardware
device (as oppose to a software type) which scans each of the packets that
enter your computer via the network interface. The firewall permits only the
“good” packets to access your network, while dropping all the unwanted packets
that are attempting to gain access to the network. There are Software and
Hardware Firewalls solutions available to use for networks.
We recommend a standalone
firewall (bastion) or a router integrated firewall that protects the access to
the network. Some of the best firewalls made by companies like Cisco, Check
Point, and Nokia. In addition we recommend home users, the Zone Labs Pro (the
one you buy) which seems to perform well.
Apply the Most
Current Software Patches
Software companies seems to
go out of their way to produce new applications at ‘breaking neck’ speed
without properly checking for bugs or securities flaws. As results we have seen
daily security and software patches posted on the Internet by the companies.
One must take an advantage of the offering by the software vendors as they
became available. The purpose of applying the patches is to protect a
compromised system from vulnerabilities that come with the software and can
cause some security and other flaws in your network. Some software vendors
offer automatic software updates, use it if you don’t want the extra work.
Don’t Use
Software from Unknown Origin
Here is another way malware (malicious software) can get into your computer. Don’t use unknown or unproved software, unless you are certain that it’s safe to use. Scan it first with updated Antivirus software. If you are concerned (and you should be) test the software on a non-production machine (not connected to the network) and watch and see what happens.
Don’t Accept
Email Attachments, unless you know its Origin
This is another method
where malware can enter your network. As a rule never open attachments. Unless
you confirm the contents. Then, scan with an antivirus, and then read the email
header (in MS-Outlook click, View, options) to view exactly what is the
attachment file is all about. If the file is SCR, PIF, or EXE – do not open
it! Any other attachments, save
to a disk, then scans for viruses, and then you can open it.
Backup your Data
No matter how experienced
user you are, computers can breakdown and your hardware can be damaged or
stolen. That’s why you need to backup all the data that you can not affords to
lose or to reconstruct. Normally, you don’t need to backup your operating
system and the application software. Yet, your data files are time consuming and
if you don’t want to spend time on mundane tasks, back it up now. It might be a
bit expensive, because modern systems come with a large hardrive. Invest in a
tape drive, or perhaps another hardrive for backup purposes.
Stay Current
with Security News
You don’t have to be a
network administrator to keep up with computer security. Subscribe to a
security newsletter available online; such as SANS, or CERT which offers an
invaluable information:
http://www.sans.org or http://www.cert.org.
Do you have any questions
concerning network or computer security?
Please click on the link here, and we will answer your
questions in a timely manner.
MK Computer Consulting
M. Kotlov, Consultant