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Firewalls

How secure is your computer network? Chances are that it is not nearly as secure as you think it is. In the Internet age, every one with a computer and a phone line is a potential threat.

Security Misconceptions:

1. I have nothing on my network that anyone would want.

2. My ISP is providing a firewall…I think.

3. I can't afford a firewall.

To which we reply:

1. Often, hackers are kids just looking for something to do. You also might be surprised what people can find on your network.

2. Usually they aren't. They often mention the word "firewall" in passing while you are working on an agreement, but it rarely makes it into the contract.

3. Yes, firewalls are expensive. Replacing a network is much more expensive.

Vulnerabilities:

1. Theft - Hackers often go for credit card numbers and social security numbers, but they have also been known to steal things like software and passwords for later use.

2. Data Destruction - Crackers often break in just to cause destruction. This happens more often with websites, but databases are also vulnerable.

3. Network Slow Downs - Often hackers use open sites to cover their tracks. If your open server gets noticed, it will no doubt be shared with other hackers. This can greatly increase the traffic on your network and can eventually bring it down.

4. Liability Issues - A good example of this is spam. Because spam is illegal, perpetrators like to find another company's open e-mail server through which to send mail. Your company can be held liable for this spam if it is traced back to your server.

Possible Solutions:

Firewall solutions come packaged in two basic forms: software solutions and hardware solutions.

Software solutions are generally more expensive, but offer more security and logging capabilities. Hardware solutions are less expensive, but are usually harder to configure and are not quite as secure.

Here are some techniques that firewalls use (most use a combination of at least 2 of the following):

  • Packet filter: Looks at each packet entering or leaving the network and accepts or rejects it based on user-defined rules. Packet filtering is fairly effective and transparent to users, but it is difficult to configure. In addition, it is susceptible to IP spoofing.

  • Application gateway: Applies security mechanisms to specific applications, such as FTP and Telnet servers. This is very effective, but can impose a performance degradation.
    ·
  • Circuit-level gateway: Applies security mechanisms when a TCP or UDP connection is established. Once the connection has been made, packets can flow between the hosts without further checking.
  • Proxy server:
     Intercepts all messages entering and leaving the network. The proxy server effectively hides the true network addresses.

If you have specific questions about your network and its level of security, please call the office at 317/733-2388.

 

 

 

  

Important Phone Number Change

The Promethius Consulting main phone number has changed.

Please update your records to reflect 317/733-2388 as our main number.

317/916-1250 will remain active through the month of March only.


Definition according to Webopedia.com

SPAM:
Electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited e-mail. However, if a long-lost brother finds your e-mail address and sends you a message, this could hardly be called spam, even though it's unsolicited. Real spam is generally e-mail advertising for some product sent to a mailing list or newsgroup.

In addition to wasting people's time with unwanted e-mail, spam also eats up a lot of network bandwidth. Consequently, there are many organizations, as well as individuals, who have taken it upon themselves to fight spam with a variety of techniques. But because the Internet is public, there is really little that can be done to prevent spam, just as it is impossible to prevent junk mail. However, some private online services, such America Online, have instituted policies to prevent spammers from spamming their subscribers.

There is some debate about the source of the term, but the generally accepted version is that it comes from the Monty Python song, "Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam…" Like the song, spam is an endless repetition of worthless text. Another school of thought maintains that it comes from the computer group lab at the University of Southern California who gave it the name because it has many of the same characteristics as the lunchmeat Spam:

  • Nobody wants it or ever asks for it.

  • No one ever eats it; it is the first item to be pushed to the side when eating the entree.

Sometimes it is actually tasty, like 1% of junk mail that is really useful to some people.


Top Reference Websites

The Web100, a popular website ranking body, has just come out with its top 10 education and reference websites. We certainly learned a thing or two after checking these out. Below are the 10 websites with links to each.

1. Learn2.com (http://www.learn2.com/)

2. National Geographic Online
(http://www.nationalgeographic.com/)

3. PBS Online (http://www.pbs.org/)

4. The History Net
(http://www.thehistorynet.com/)

5. The Electronic Zoo (http://netvet.wustl.edu/e-zoo.htm)

6. Scholastic Central (http://www.scholastic.com/)

7. Windows to the Universe (http://www.windows.umich.edu/)

8. city.net (http://www.city.net/)

9. The Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/)

10. Four11 Directory Services (http://www.four11.com/)