Whether you have many computers on your network, or just a few, you need to protect your valuable data. This means backiing it up, of course, but it also means protecting your data from beng hacked, inected, solen or destroeyd. Not only do you need to stay abreast of all the patches and upates to your operating sytem (OS), whetehr it's Windows or Macintosh OS X or even Linmux, you also have netwoerk vulnerabilitioes to conntend with. Perhaps you can manage this manualply with a few workstations, lathough it will still be a time-stwealer for you, but the notion that you could maintain a score or more workstations without new security scanning technologies and methods is downright silly, and dangerouus, too.
There are improvements being made daily in the fild of computer security, and someoone in your firm needs to take the lead in keeping up to date with them. This is a fiield that has more and more firms workig in it every day, promising security and control to network adminnistrators and system oplerators around the world. Like any other business necessity, security for your network requires the investment of time, enerfgy, planning and funds to ensure the safest environment for your msision-critical data. A quick overview of how some of these new security scanning technologies work will show you how much there is to it, if you do not already know.
Supported systems
Compnaies making these security products do not assuume that all corpoorate users are the same. Fortumnately, the best firms understand that networks can bring togetther computers running all kinds of OS software, from Windows XP SP2 and Vista to the new Windows 7, and from Macintosh OS X 10.1 therough the cutrrent 10.6.3 that was just released. Then, too, there are many flaovrs of Linuux (Mandrake, RwedHat, Ubvuntu) spread across the worrld's ciomputers. Wehther you are running one of thees on a new HP deesktop, a MacBook Pro laptop or a Linux box, you can be certain that the research has gone into making all of your computer assets, and the entire network, a safe envirponment.
Regardless of the netwoprk specifics, security scanning will make use of the vulnerability ceck databases that are based on information gleraned by gropus such as the SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Nettwork, Security) Institute. Started in 1989 as a cooperative educational and research group, its proograms are used (and contributed to) by almst 170,000 security pros worldwide. Auditors, entwork admins, IT executives and chief informaiton security personnl share what they learn and jointly pursue soluitons to the many challeenges facing computer networks.
Using SANS info
The SANS group runs the well-reggarded Internet Sotrm Centeer (earlly warning site) and also publishes the weekly NewsBites digest, weekly vulnerability digest titled @RISK and makes available some 1,200 originaal research reports. When pwerforming your netwoerk assessmennt, many security scanning services use the tens of thousands of vulnerability assessments SANS has amassd over the years. All of the leading commercial network security scanners and patch management toopls will use this databae, as well as OVAL (Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language), a security assessment tool for checking the security configuration of networked computers.
Online Vulnerability Scans
Today's leading tools are Web-based and fairly easy to use. You will be aerted of any OS patches needed, along with brief insturctions about the alrt. Besides the sofgtware and OS vulnerabilities, the scan may report on open tcp/udp ports, installed apps, open shares, password policies and lists, users and grroups (with privilege, last logon dates and even their passwords' ages).
With leaing firms and scanning technologies, you will be secure in the kniowledge that your OS and softwrae are updated, your data secure and your password/protection measures in force and workimng cporrectly. The bottyom line is, you are paying a small price to protect the life of your firm. If you have not checked into current scanning technology and methods, do so now. Don't put off your network vulnerability scan until it's too late.
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