Week 5 Bsa/310
Network security fundies Wk 5 bsa310
Introduction
The Essence of Network Security: * Allow everything to be accessible and secure at the same time.
What exactly does this mean? It means that all your local and network resources need to be made accessible all the time, but to only the right people. It is the second part of this statement that causes difficulty. Most administrators have no problem making the resources available, but the issue of "to only the right people" is where the confusion begins. Who are the "right people"? Who decides who the "right people" are? Is it possible for someone to be considered in the "right people" group only during certain hours of the day?
It is extremely important to realize that security is not a single technology. A person cannot go and buy security. Security is a mindset; it is a combination of feeling safe, knowing data is secure, and being as sure as possible that the network will not go down at any moment. These are not tangible items they are emotions.
Perfect security is a goal that few people pursue due to the fact that most security professionals realize there is no such creature. The concept of perfect security cannot exist for one simple reason: humans. As human beings, we are allowed the freedom to make decisions, both good and bad.
Take the following analogy as an example: A single workstation computer. No network card. This workstation is in a sealed room with no windows, only a single overhead halogen light and a single ventilation duct. There is an armed guard who verifies the user upon entrance to the foyer of the sealed room. To get into the sealed room requires a fingerprint scan, a retinal scan, and voice recognition. Once inside, there is only one user in the world that is authorized and has access to this computer. To log in to the system, the user must log in using biometrics and a password.
Can the owner of this business feel confident that this computer is secure? Since there is a
Introduction
The Essence of Network Security: * Allow everything to be accessible and secure at the same time.
What exactly does this mean? It means that all your local and network resources need to be made accessible all the time, but to only the right people. It is the second part of this statement that causes difficulty. Most administrators have no problem making the resources available, but the issue of "to only the right people" is where the confusion begins. Who are the "right people"? Who decides who the "right people" are? Is it possible for someone to be considered in the "right people" group only during certain hours of the day?
It is extremely important to realize that security is not a single technology. A person cannot go and buy security. Security is a mindset; it is a combination of feeling safe, knowing data is secure, and being as sure as possible that the network will not go down at any moment. These are not tangible items they are emotions.
Perfect security is a goal that few people pursue due to the fact that most security professionals realize there is no such creature. The concept of perfect security cannot exist for one simple reason: humans. As human beings, we are allowed the freedom to make decisions, both good and bad.
Take the following analogy as an example: A single workstation computer. No network card. This workstation is in a sealed room with no windows, only a single overhead halogen light and a single ventilation duct. There is an armed guard who verifies the user upon entrance to the foyer of the sealed room. To get into the sealed room requires a fingerprint scan, a retinal scan, and voice recognition. Once inside, there is only one user in the world that is authorized and has access to this computer. To log in to the system, the user must log in using biometrics and a password.
Can the owner of this business feel confident that this computer is secure? Since there is a