Network Server Security

In this modern day and age of computing, networks are a huge part of IT. It is important now more than ever that data sent over any network, whether it be a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network; The Internet) is kept safe, private (when required) and uninterrupted in

| “Security controls are the management, operational, and technical safeguards or countermeasures employed within an organizational information system to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and its information” (NIST SP 800, 2009). The control allows the organization to efficiently mitigate the risk coming from the use of information System (IS) to conduct business operations and processes.

Formal user access control procedures must be documented, implemented and kept up to date for each application and information system to ensure authorised user access and to prevent unauthorised access. They must cover all stages of the lifecycle of user access, from the initial registration of new users to the final de-registration of users who no longer require access. These must be agreed by IDI. User access rights must be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that the appropriate rights are still allocated. System administration accounts must only be provided to users that are required to perform system administration tasks.

Individual users play an important role in any form of institution or organization but concerns are raised about the security. The network administrators clearly lay down a set of rules, regulations and protocols that an individual user has to agree accordingly upon which part of the resources and what class of service that the user can obtain.

Access control refers to the mechanisms that identify who can and cannot access a network, resource, application, specific action.

Security is the heart of internetworking. The world has moved from an Internet of implicit trust to an Internet of pervasive distrust. In network security, no packet can be trusted; all packets must earn that trust through a network device’s ability to inspect and enforce policy. Clear text (unencrypted data) services represent a great weakness in networks. Clear text services transmit all information or packets, including user names and passwords, in unencrypted format. Services such as file transfer protocol (FTP), email, telnet and basic HTTP authentication all transmit communications in clear text. A hacker with a sniffer could easily capture user names and passwords from the network without anyone’s knowledge and gain administrator access to the system. Clear text services should be avoided; instead secure services that encrypt communications, such as Secure Shell (SSH) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL), should be used. The use of routers and switches will allow for network segmentation and help defend against sniffing

Mandatory access control is a single user, normally the network admin, who is given access to the users’ rights and privileges. They control access policies and are also in control of choosing which objects and what systems each individual user has access to and what they do not have access to. The access is made in the form of different levels. Each system and all folders containing information are put into a specific classification. The user will be in a certain classification that will only allow them to access data

C1 - Discretionary Security Protection: In this sub division Access Control Lists (ACLs) security which protect User/Group/World. Security will protect following Users who are all on the same security level, Username and Password protection and secure authorisations database (ADB), Protected operating system and system operations mode, Periodic integrity checking of TCB, Tested security mechanisms with no obvious bypasses, Documentation for User Security, Documentation for Systems Administration Security, Documentation for Security Testing, TCB design documentation and Typically for users on the same security level.

When businesses provide computers for public use, several challenges are presented. In addition to allowing the general public this service, and ultimately growing their market share, a business must define the line between appropriate use and securing the network.

Due in Week Seven: Outline the Access Control Policy. Describe how access control methodologies work to secure information systems

The security and authorization family controls are focused on the creation and maintenance of a security plan. Through this it would identify the individuals responsible for information systems and the development of plans and how to implement them by creating goals to help them in meeting their overall goal for their security program.

While this is a daunting task, by breaking these controls down into larger groups the basis for policies and procedures are outlined and framed. The key areas that must be met initially are the establishment of a system security plan that describes we are implementing as well as the security control requirements for the

Mandatory Access Control (MAC) uses a hierarchy approach to control access to resources, such as data files. The system administrator is responsible for the settings in a MAC environment. All access to resource objects is controlled by the operating system based on setting configured by the system administrator. With MAC it is not possible for users to change the access control for any resource. Mandatory Access Control starts with security labels, which contain two types of information and are assigned to all resource objects on the system. The two types of information are classification, such as confidential or top secret and a category, which is basically an indication of the project or department to which the object is available, or an indication of the management level.

As the use of computers, databases, and technology in general, security has grown to be a powerful tool that has to be used. The threat of outside sources intruding and exploiting crucial information is a threat that is present on a daily basis. As a part of creating and implementing a security policy, a user must consider access control. Access Control is a security tool that is used to control who can use or gain access to the protected technology. Access control security includes two levels; logical and physical. Though database intrusions can happen at any moment, access control provides another security barrier that is needed.

Confidentiality: Access controls help ensure that only authorized subjects can access objects. When unauthorized entities are able to access systems or data, it results in a loss of confidentiality.