by teddlesruss dat who

Created on: November 21, 2008   Last Updated: December 04, 2008

Network security is important. Whether you're your own boss or are working for an employer at a small or medium enterprise as the IT person, you need to have security in place. There are two schools of thought about security at the LAN level, one says to shut off everything and permit only what is required, the other believes that leaving the network open and concentrating on securing each application and PC is a better return for time invested in security.

To that latter, I have only this to say not securing your LAN means that your users must know about and maintain the security of their applications and computers and devices. Do you really trust them that much?

Lastly, it's a statistic bandied about, over and over: your biggest security threat comes from the inside. Now go back to that previous paragraph and try that thought again. If the first iteration didn't convince you, this second one should...

Users are the most common source of security threats. Some of the ways they can compromise your LAN are listed here:

1. Direct hacking for revenge. It's not surprising. An employee angry with a manager may well hack into the financials system to see how much their "incompetent" manager is getting, or even to fraudulently alter details.

2. Direct hacking for profit. If said employee has been placed on notice or feels unhappy and wishes to move on, they may well take confidential company information and make it available to prospective employers for privileged consideration.

3. Indirect compromise by downloading or visiting websites, file sharing networks, or email. Unless you'e protected these points of entry, the user can easily find their way quite by accident to a malicious website, or download a maliciosu file, or have one emailed to them. Once they open it, your network is compromised from the inside.

4. Indirect compromise by working on files from home. Some users take work home on a USB drive or portable device such as an iPod or similar. If their applications at home are not protected, then there's every chance that the file they bring home the next morning is infected. Your network is compromised from the inside.

5. Direct compromise by taking company assets offsite to an insecure network or situation. If the employee takes their PDA or laptop out on business, or home to work from home, or out into the field, there's a chance that the machine may become compromised and then infect your network next time it is connected to the LAN, either directly or via VPN.

6.

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