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... r alteration of important information. This can include information about the configuration of the server or network, which could be exploited for many more attacks in the future. You also have to watch out for the possibility of sensitive customer or user information being given to people that are hacking into your system. One example is if you are operating a clothing department and you have your catalog online so people can sit at home an order. If you dont have a secure web site you then can get you information stolen.
If your information is stolen you then gave the hackers personal information as well as credit card information. This could lead to many problems. If the host used for your web server might be compromised. This then can allow the intruder to change the information stored on the web server host machines, particularly the information you intend to publish. If an intruder is able to access your host he then can install a program to execute when the user uses the server without the user knowing what he / she did. The intruders can also launch attacks on external sites from your server host machine.
By the intruder doing this, the information of the intruder is concealed thus leaving your organization liable for any damages that may happen. This would end up being deadly for you company. You can lose business, which then leads to the loss of money. When you are going to have a web page you have to make sure that you secure your web server.
As you can see this is a very important part of running a successful business. One key part that you can have in order to make sure your network is secure is by deploying a firewall (web). Deploying a firewall is a key part of securing a network. A firewall is the combination of hardware and software used to implement a security policy that governs the traffic between two or more networks. Some of these networks can be under your control. An example would be your organizations network.
Some also may be out of your control, like the Internet. A network firewall serves as a primary line of defense against external threats to your organizations computer system, networks, and information. You can also you a firewall to partition your organizations internal network. By doing this you then lower your risk from insider attacks.
Firewalls are widely known in organizations. The 1999 Computer Security institute/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey indicates that 91 percent of the organizations surveyed already deploy firewalls (Power 99). In the world today there has been very little publishing about designing, installing, deploying, operating, and maintaining firewalls. The term firewall is taken from the structural analog whose purpose is to slow the spread of fire in a building. In computer terms it is used in many ways. Some of the ways it is used are to identify a specific hardware component or software package.
Others consider the entire collection of systems and software deployed between two networks to be part of firewalls. You can also look at a firewall as packet filtering. If you use a firewall as a noun, you then are referring to the general concept of a technological mechanism for the enforcement of a network traffic security policy. When deploying a firewall you should include an interconnection between internal networks and networks not under administrative control. Some examples would be the Internet and business networks. You also have to consider that there are different security requirements between internal networks and interconnections.
When you are deploying a firewall you have to watch out for some security issues. Most of the organizations are connecting to the Internet to establish a business and electronic commerce as well as to access information rapidly. If your organization is connected to the Internet without the proper security you then become vulnerable to attacks from external adversaries. Without a firewall you would be unable to prevent many forms of access to your network, systems, and information assents.
Some of the risks include the loss of confidentiality of business information. An example would be financial records, planning data, marketing plans, and medical records. You may also have the loss of availability of mission-critical services such as EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), inventory controls and electronic mail. If the information is exposed, your adversaries then can plan an attack on you.
If your information does lick out you then have the right for others to sue you. The last important part would be the vandalism of public information services such as public web sites. Security is a huge issue. You have to make sure you are prepared for anything. If you do happen to have a security breach or an intrusion you then have to respond to it in an orderly fashion (web). Responding to intrusions is very important to operate a network system.
If you fail to respond to an intrusion, your security is then no good if you fail to act. Most organizations are not prepared to deal with intrusions. An intrusion is any intentional event where an intruder gains access that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of computers, networks, or the data residing on them. A breach is the same as an intrusion. Most organizations are likely to address the need to prepare and respond only after an intrusion has taken place.
Once an organization has realized that an intrusion has taken place, many of the decisions are rushed. If you rush a decision you then make yourself unable to understand the extent and the source of the intrusion. You can also reduce the protection of the systems, the networks and the ability to continue operating. If you rush you might not be able to collect information to better understand what happened.
Without such information, you then may not be able to take actions that can further damage your systems. Even if you have prevention measures in place, intrusions can still happen. In your organization you need a strategy for handling intrusions effectively that includes preparation, detection, and response. When responding to intrusions there are many security issues that come into play. An intruder can seek and take advantage of vulnerabilities in an operating system, network servers, and protocols. A good intruder can develop a program to rapidly penetrate a system.
It only takes an intruder a matter of seconds to cause damage to your system. If you fail to set up the necessary procedures and responsibilities it then could lead to many problems. Some of the problems that could occur would be extensive damage to data, systems, and networks if you fail to act immediately on an intrusion. The results of this can result in the increase of cost and loss of business. You can also have negative exposure in the news and media. This may damage your organization and its reputation with your customers and shareholders.
The worst that could happen would be legal action and the prosecution for failure to have a standard of care when your system is used to attack other systems. These are just a few of the security issues you have to deal with. To show you the number of incidents reported, vulnerabilities reported, and security alerts published I have included a chart of statistics from 1988 - 2000. I thought these numbers were interesting (web). Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Incidents 252 406 773 1, 334 2, 340 2, 412 2, 573 2, 134 3, 734 9, 859 Total incidents reported (1988 - 2000): 41, 162 Vulnerabilities 171 345 311 262 417 Total vulnerabilities reported (1995 - 2000): 2, 280 Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Advisories 12 23 21 19 15 18 27 28 13 17 Vendor Bulletins 2 10 20 16 13 Totals 12 23 21 19 17 31 53 50 34 22 Total security alerts published (1988 - 2000): 311 Total security notes published (1998 - 2000): 39 Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Mail 4, 448 9, 629 14, 463 21, 267 29, 580 32, 084 31, 268 39, 626 41, 871 34, 612 Total mail messages handled (1988 - 2000): 303, 046 The chart above shows you some of the incidents that have been reported. I feel that the chart shows you that there are quite a few people out in our society today that intrude on our network systems.
If you also look at how the numbers increase as the years go by. These only shows you that more and more people are out there trying to find important and personal information about a certain organization (web). These are only some of the ways you can make sure that your network is secure. Some of the ways you can secure your network is by the Securing of Desktop Workstations, Securing Network Servers, and Securing Public Web Servers. If you really want to be safe you can install a Firewall for your network system. After all this had been set up you then have to figure out a way to respond to the intrusions.
All these are ways to protect yourself and your organization from any problems that can effect you in the long term or short term. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Security Issues Important Part
