The Importance of Network Security
With intrusion techniques getting more sophisticated by the day, Network Security has become a hot topic of discussion. Long gone are the days when businesses were able to operate with an unprotected network.
Exploitation of computer networks is becoming more common and it’s absolutely vital for small businesses to be able to protect their privacy from serious threats that would try to steal their information.
Many believe that employing a hardware router or a software firewall is the only step required in securing the network, but the truth is that these methods are only the first step to ensuring that your network is 100 percent secured.
In order to be sure that your network is completely defended from intruders, your network security should employ more than the traditional router and firewall setup. So that you can understand how involved network security should be, you first need to be familiar with a few of the terms related Network Access Control (NAC), the approach by which access to a computer network is determined.
Authentication, enforcement, endpoint security, and management are the four core components of NAC and their strength determines how well protected the information on your business network is.
Authentication – This is the shortened way of referring to comprehensive authentication protocol. These are the protocols that determine external threats to the network by verifying what should and shouldn’t have access to it. Firewalls handle many authentication needs but they alone can’t completely prevent snooping of unencrypted messages.
Enforcement – The second layer of defense behind authentication. While basic security assumes that an authenticated client never becomes a security threat, enforcement ensures that this doesn’t happen.
Endpoint Network Security – This NAC strategy focuses on security at the individual end-user level, while also being centrally managed. Personal firewalls and anti-virus programs on individual workstations are examples of endpoint security.
Network Management – As what is perhaps the most important level of network security, network management ties together the other components and tailors everything to the needs of the client business while. The term also applies to the constant monitoring of network activity
With all of these aspects of network security being deployed, businesses are better able to protect themselves from the biggest threats to their networks. Namely, threats like:
Viruses – Programs that compromise the network and spread until the network is rendered useless
Trojan Horses – Malware disguised as something that is welcome on your network. Once uncovered, it works similarly to a virus to steal information.
Spam – Unsolicited messages sent in bulk that than lead to cases of fraud and extra cost associated with acquiring more space to receive messages.
Phishing – An attempt to steal information such as usernames and passwords through the use of deception via email.
Packet Sniffers – Programs that intercept data sent over networks and decode the data in attempts to recover sensitive information.
With business being conducted over computer networks in such high volumes, the chances of coming under attack by the known dangers to network security increase greatly. Whether a business is a Fortune 500 conglomerate or a small local company, the vulnerability exists and steps should be taken to protect sensitive information.
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Importance Of Wireless Network Security
Wireless connections have become an increasingly popular way of providing internet access. Many people prefer it for their home connections as well as in the workplace because of the high speed Internet connectivity and flexibility of usage without a LAN connection. Though wireless has made providing internet access quite easy, it also presents many potential dangers in the form of a number of security problems. Configuring the necessary security features can sometimes feel confusing, time-consuming and non-intuitive.
As computer networks are the most common method for business to send all manner of data, classified or otherwise, security becomes a highly important part of the wireless network structure. The security level should always be updated and maintained to ensure the proper protection of data integrity and confidentiality that one would expect from a wired network connection. There is the dangerous possibility of any wireless network adapter within the range of another network adapter to easily access the other network.
According to some statistics, the amount of non secure wireless access points is steadily growing, with a large percentage of access points having little or no security enabled. An increase in availability of free tools over the internet has provided many with the tools needed to abuse unprotected wireless networks, thus posing a serious threat to businesses.
There are many reasons for this widespread lack of security. One source is ignorance or laziness on the part of network administrators. Particularly in small businesses and home connections, people are unaware of the seriousness of this issue and become complacent, not worrying so long as they are able to use the wireless connection to browse the internet or access files remotely.
By overlooking wireless security, businesses are essentially inviting a seemingly limitless pool of opportunistic hackers to access data transmitted across the unprotected network. After all, an open network not only provides unmonitored access to the internet, but also leaves open access to saved files and confidential data.
Poor security can result from even the simplest mistakes. For example, many businesses forget to change the default administrator passwords that hardware is shipped with. These passwords are readily available online, so it’s hardly challenge to acquire them. Additionally, all wireless hardware comes with a standard system ID. Like default administrative passwords, this information is easily found online. Simply changing these passwords to something unique can go a long way to securing a wireless network.
Another mistake often made by small businesses using wireless networks is neglecting to put a firewall in place. Many wireless routers have rudimentary firewalls built in. It is important to learn how the firewall works so that it can be configured properly. Of equal importance for security is enabling encryption. While there will always be methods to circumvent these measures, they will certainly keep all but the most determined hackers from causing trouble.
Security should be a priority for all businesses using a wireless network. Implementing such measures will prevent unauthorized access to vital financial information and other documents, thus keeping your business safe.
AVS Installations Robert Leggio has been an officer with several major audio visual companies since 1985. Having extensive audio equipment knowledge, Robert brings AVSI to an elite level with high standards.http://www.avsillc.com Co-Sponsored By: Mitsubishi, Tandberg, and AMX Corp.