internal security

Protect your network from rogue employees

Judi Hasson — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:54:57 -0400

With every business and government organization dependent on their IT networks, full protection from both outside intruders and inside mischief makers is absolutely essential. The City of San Francisco learned that lesson the hard way. Terry Childs, a network administrator, stands accused of creating a super-password on the switches and routers in the city's Fibre WAN, and using it to block everyone else's access to administrative functions.

Childs was charged with four counts of computer tampering, and held on $5 million bail. The case highlights the need to protect organizations from rogue employees. Cameron Laird, the vice president of Houston, TX, security consultancy Phaseit, tells CIO.com that principles like access control have been incorporated into IT culture. But he said other protection concepts like "least privilege,'' are only beginning to be widely incorporated while "dual authorization" hasn't made it into the culture yet. "For an organization of any size, say the government of a city of a million people, you really need to get serious about how you manage privileges," Laird said.

For more on internal security:
- see this cio.com article

Training reduces internal security threats

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Users who receive adequate training in what constitutes a corporate security threat and how their actions put corporate networks at risk are more likely to take the necessary precautions. But relatively few companies offer such training to their users; according to a report from the Computing Technology Industry Association, only 36 percent offer security training awareness to their end users and only 29 percent required security training for IT staff. But IT managers are getting the message, placing a new emphasis on training. That includes posting information on the organization's Intranet, putting posters and flyers in breakrooms and talking about security during IT department meetings. In addition, vendors like Symantec and Foundstone offer comprehensive security training packages, such as Web-based courses. These courses can provide customized content that dovetails with existing company policies and procedures.

Read more about reducing internal security threats:
- read the article at TechTarget
- and this article from ComputerWorld

ALSO:
- read this on the security enemy within
- and this on avoiding insider attacks

Inside breaches often go unnoticed

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 20:01:38 -0400

It's a well-known fact that the biggest security risk facing enterprises is the internal element--the disgruntled or fired employee. However you might not be aware of another risk; many organizations are the unwitting victims of breaches caused by their employees' careless actions. According to a new survey by the Ponemon Institute, a lack of leadership and resources are to blame.

For more insight on internal security risks:
- read the article over at Computerworld

The top security mistakes enterprises make

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:01:35 -0400

If you're looking to shore up security then it's definitely worthwhile to check out an in-depth guide to the six worst security mistakes an enterprise can make. The list includes; not building a secure architecture, ignoring the needed training, avoiding using identity management tools, not recognizing the internal security risks, forgetting about securing Web appliances and going for products with more fluff than substance. Each topic is covered in-depth with good tips and suggestions for making sure each area gets needed attention by the IT organization.

For more on avoiding top security mistakes:
- get the lowdown at NetworkWorld

PLUS: Why security accountability is long overdue. Article

Tiny storage drives need security too

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Internal security risks are often cited as the biggest site of exposure for enterprises. Now, new tiny storage devices are making the potential for data theft even more likely. According to a new study by security firm Vontu, Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives--those small thumb drives--can be easily used to lift confidential and valuable data from within an enterprise. And that's not accounting for all the data that's being housed on those devices on an unauthorized level. Perhaps most disappointing is that many organizations don't even have a security policy in place on this new storage technology, despite some high profile incidents in which a portable drive containing data has either been lost or stolen.

Learn more about the need to protect tiny storage devices:
-check out this CIO Today article

Lessons learned from an internal hack event

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:01:35 -0400

The recent trial and last week's conviction of an systems admin charged with hacking the network at employer UBS PaineWebber was prominent in the news for the past month or so. As experts relate, however, the most interesting aspect of the criminal case is hitting home now as the logic bomb event that crashed 2,0000 servers on the trading company's network is bringing some good lessons learned and best practices into play. Security pundits say the case illustrates how internal threats are just as dangerous and require just as much attention as external threats and that poor internal security can actually help malcontents pull off such malicious attacks. Companies need to shore up monitoring and auditing of network administrator's work and keep a good close eye on those who have the power, access and the skills to do such damage.

For more on beefing up internal security walls:
- read this article at InformationWeek

Email snafu puts client addresses in public domain

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 20:01:39 -0400

While the news item below indicates that internal security issues aren't looming as large as many believe, it's still pretty clear that internal snafus can become huge financial and corporate headaches. Database vendor MySQL AB is feeling that pain right now after a staffer accidentally emailed nearly 10,000 customer email addresses into the text of an email instead of the "blind carbon copy" input on the form. While the company is scrambling to apologize to clients, it's also working on policy and a new process to make sure such an email security incident doesn't happen again.

For more on the email snafu:
- read this article at Computerworld

Reducing internal security risks

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 20:01:34 -0400

By now everyone in IT is fully aware that the greatest security threat comes from within--such as a disgruntled employee who steals files, or an ignorant user who doesn't take time to use the security software on their system, leaving an open door to networks. But there are some best practices IT leaders and security managers can exploit to decrease internal security risks. The first is learning who inside might be a potential hacker or threat, and the second is understanding the various threats and attack approaches that are taken by internal hackers. Then it's time to make sure that everyone has access to what they need and nothing more.

For more on reducing the internal security risk factor:
- read this article at CSO