Network Security

March 2008 - Palm Beach Computing, LLC. adds new line of firewalls and IP PBXs for sale or rent to their list of services.

Why Is System & Network Security Important?

There are those who believe that the security issues facing home users are greatly exaggerated, and that the only entities which need to be concerned about desktop and network security are businesses which have critical data on their machines. And many think that only broadband users or folks with high-speed connections need to be concerned.

Truth is, the vast majority of computer systems, including corporate ones, are not compromised for the data they may contain. Rather, they are often compromised for practice purposes, such as storage space for warez, or to create remote zombies for large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against other networks. Compromised systems today are even being used to send SPAM.

Most systems are not necessarily compromised by a dedicated cracker trying a variety of remote commands until he/she successfully cracks the system password. Instead, most attacks today are performed using automated tools which attempt to exploit known vulnerabilities in various OSes and applications.

On a number of occasions, Internet traffic has been bogged down by the propagation of Viruses and Worms via unpatched systems. Among the more notable instances are Code Red, NIMDA, SQL Slammer, MSBlaster, and the Sasser worms. Given the rapid growth of home networks, this situation will only get worse if security does not become more important to more people -- vendors and users alike.

REMEMBER: Security is not simply about protecting yourself directly -- it's also about protecting your neighbor (and the Internet) indirectly. Don't let your computer be a bad citizen.

Security Is Not A Product...

Best practices include maintaining a properly configured network or desktop firewall, as well as up-to-date AntiVirus software, and making use of non-privileged accounts for day-to-day activities. Best practices also include patching on a regular basis.

By not keeping up with system patches, and by not adhering to other best practices, you will be contributing to the proliferation of worms and viruses on the Internet, and at some point, you may find yourself having to explain to some corporate (or government) network administrator why your system appears to be attacking his/her network. And it won't matter if you have anything valuable on your machine or not.

Security is not about a specific product...
Security is not about a specific brand...
Security is not about a specific Operating System...
Security is not just about protecting yourself from others...
Security does not end with a firewall...
It is all about layers...

It takes all of these elements, collectively, to constitute good security practices. Doing one or two of them does not make for great security. It might make you better off than someone who isn't practicing any of them, but it's about as useful as getting only one or two vaccinations for your kids.

Please contact us for a free consultation.