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Dec 19 2007   10:04PM GMT

The Insider Threat



Posted by: Tony Bradley
Intrusion prevention, Networking, Internet, Security, Hackers, Windows Security

I know that it is sort of a “sky is falling”, FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) sort of statement, but the threat from inside your network is significant. While you focus on keeping unauthorized users out, locking down your network perimeter, detecting and blocking incoming malware, etc., your authorized users may be busy at work pushing the boundaries of their access and poking your internal security measures for holes. Then there are those users who are authorized access and unwittingly expose sensitive data, such as placing it unprotected on a USB thumb drive which they subsequently misplace while stopping for a cup of coffee. There are a number of ways- both intentional, and accidental- that your users may pose a bigger threat to your network security than all of the bad, nasty external forces seeking to compromise your systems. Check out How dangerous user behavior puts networks at risk to read the whole article and hopefully pick up some tips you can use to protect your network from the inside as well.

Dec 11 2007   2:21PM GMT

Cisco Confirms VoIP Security Hole



Posted by: Tony Bradley
Hackers, IP communications, Cisco, VoIP

VoIP is the new wireless (unfortunately, wireless is still the new wireless as well). By that, I mean it is the hot new technology that everyone is implementing even though they don’t really know how to properly deploy it and they have even less knowledge of how to secure it. Vendors are guilty too. They rush products to market to take advantage of the popularity, but the products are not designed securely and they are not adequately tested. The result is a bunch of flawed and vulnerable VoIP networks out there, built on essentially beta-version hardware, just waiting to be exploited. At HACK.LU 2007 in Luxembourg this past October, security researcher Joffrey Czarny described a technique to eavesdrop on remote conversations using Cisco VoIP phones. Check out Cisco confirms ability to spy on remote calls with VoIP to learn more about this, and other, VoIP exploits that may affect your cutting edge phone network.


Nov 29 2007   2:17PM GMT

LAN Security: What Hackers Don’t Want You To Know



Posted by: Tony Bradley
Networking, VLAN, Hackers, ARP Poisoning, Switches, LAN, Ethernet, Security

This blog is titled “Connectivity” because it deals with all aspects and issues of network connectivity. That includes how to ensure your network connectivity is secure and available, and how to make sure that malicious attackers can not intercept or disrupt your network connectivity. Do you know what ARP Poisoning is? How about a multicast storm? Have you heard of Spanning Tree Protocol or VLAN Trunking Protocol hacks? Do you know how to protect your network from them? Networkworld.com recently hosted a chat session with Christopher Paggen and Eric Vyncke, authors of LAN switch security: What hackers know about your switches, which covers a wide range of security issues and the authors’ advice and tips for how to lock your network down and protect against these (and other) threats. Read LAN switch security: what the hackers know that you don’t to see what the authors have to say.