admini – Page 225 – CyberSecurity Institute

Researchers Break Down NAC Defenses

Posted on July 6, 2006December 30, 2021 by admini

“Each NAC product works a little differently, but in every case, we found the means to bypass it,” says Ofir Arkin, CTO and co-founder of Insightix. For example, most NAC technology assumes that users will be granted access to the network via Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP), which keeps IP addresses in a pool and hands them out as each user is authenticated. Through DHCP, NAC systems can restrict user access and recognize unauthorized attempts to gain entry to sensitive information. However, an insider with access to the corporate network often has the option to configure his PC with a static IP address, Arkin observes.
“That means if you can find the address of the router, which is contained in TCP/IP settings on most PCs, you can link directly to the router and enter the network undetected,” Arkin says.

NAC systems are also at risk because they normally work entirely through IP addresses, without collecting information on where devices are located or how they are connected to the network, Arkin states. NAC systems generally cannot detect activity between nodes on the same subnet, particularly if the client avoids broadcast transmissions.

Users could also gain access through unauthorized devices or old, forgotten systems and connections that don’t show up in a standard DHCP address discovery.

http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=98626&WT.svl=news1_2

Security Still Key WLAN Concern

Posted on July 5, 2006December 30, 2021 by admini

The pesky thing about WiFi security is that it also extends beyond the confines of the enterprise network, as Gartner notes. “Managing wireless security also involves managing users and devices when they are connected from remote branch offices, hot spots, and home offices,” says analyst Rachna Ahlawat.

http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=98497&WT.svl=news2_5

Identity to Become the Key Technology Focus

Posted on July 5, 2006December 30, 2021 by admini

Chairman David Goodman declared on day one that the role of identity-related trust – at both a personal and corporate level – was dramatically changing Internet-based transactions.

In the first keynote address, Stijn Bijnens, SVP of Identity Management at Cybertrust, stated that the main drivers of identity are security, integration of physical and logical access control, flexibility, productivity, compliance and customer satisfaction. On the drivers behind national identity programmes, Bijnens also recognised the need for more efficient e-government, both regionally and across-borders, as well as new applications such as e-tickets on public transport and physical access to public buildings.

During the morning’s panel debate, Chief Security Officer at Corestreet, Bob Dulude, echoed Bijnens’ sentiments, claiming that e-ID cards must be technically interoperable to support multiple applications, with the caveat that security and privacy could be more easily compromised when there is a vast amount of data on a single smartcard. “It united senior IT, marketing and management personnel from some of the biggest players in the industry to share their valued opinions.”

http://www.it-observer.com/news/6564/identity_become_key_technology_focus/

Crash test dummies

Posted on July 5, 2006December 30, 2021 by admini

The survey, of 100 IT directors, commissioned by enterprise software firm Compuware, found ignorance about data protection legislation was rife among IT directors.

This can have severe repercussions on customer confidence and company reputation, and ultimately affect the bottom line,” Compuware worldwide enterprise solutions director Ian Clarke said.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/04/data_abuse_survey/

Outsourcing Managed Security

Posted on July 4, 2006December 30, 2021 by admini

“This type of protection doesn’t come easy or cheap,” says Nick Sharma, global head of infrastructure management services at Satyam Computer Services, which provides hosted services from a data center in Chennai, India, and other sites such as Cleveland.

This requires different types of experts: those who can understand and interpret the security aspects of regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, as well as those skilled at engineering a secure network, making threat assessments, and developing business-continuity plans.

As the threat of computer-initiated attacks increases and as regulators pressure financial institutions to shore up their information assets, banks are turning toward outsourcing their information-security functions to third parties.

In a managed security deal, the organization shares information security and business risks with the managed services provider. Such deals provide access to a range of security services and to skilled staff whose full-time job is security. The cost of managed security services is typically less than hiring in-house, full-time secur- ity experts. For example, a managed security provider can set up and monitor security on a 250-user network on a single T1 (1.5 Mbps) Internet gateway for about $75,000 a year, excluding hardware.

When retaining a managed security services provider, banks need to consider issues such as trust, dependence, and ownership. Establishing a good working relationship and building trust between a client and service provider are critical in deciding whether to outsource security services. The shared operational environment used by many service providers to support multiple clients poses more risks than an in-house environment. Service-level agreement guidelines fall into two categories: ser- vice-specific agreements and operational security practice agreements.

Managing the relationship with a service provider should include guidelines for moving from in-house services to provider-supplied ones or from one provider to another.

Finally, there are guidelines to consider using when terminating a relationship with a service provider, whether at the end of a contract or at some earlier point.

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189800154

Data Security Displacing Malware as #1 Concern Worldwide

Posted on June 29, 2006December 30, 2021 by admini

Data Security was the top concern of enterprise IT professionals according to the results of a recently released survey sponsored by Apani Networks, a provider of software that secures inside the network perimeter.

The results were compiled by a third party, Infosurv Market Research, for the first of an ongoing series of surveys aimed at investigating IT security issues and concerns within enterprises worldwide.

Results were based on 591 respondents worldwide and covered questions in the areas of data protection, security policies, network segmentation, de-perimeterization, IT security implementation and attack profiles.

The theft of data emerged as a clear primary focus for all respondents, with more than 70 percent of respondents indicating they were “somewhat” to “very” concerned about potential loss of data with 38 percent of respondents indicating that they experienced an insider attack during the past 12 months.

http://www.it-observer.com/news/6547/data_security_displacing_malware_1_concern_worldwide/