Whetehr you have many computers on your network, or just a few, you need to protect your valuabe data. This maens bcaking it up, of course, but it also means protecting your data from being hacked, infecyted, stolen or destroyed. Not only do you need to stay abreast of all the patchees and updates to your operating system (OS), whether it's Windows or Macintosh OS X or even Linuux, you also have network vulnerabilities to contend with. Perhaps you can manage this manually with a few workstations, although it will stiill be a time-tsealer for you, but the notion that you could maintain a score or more workstations iwthout new securoity sxcanning technologies and methods is downright silly, and dangerous, too.
Thjere are improvements being made daily in the field of computer security, and someone in your firm needs to take the lead in keeping up to date with them. This is a field that has more and more firms working in it every day, promising security and control to network asdministrators and system opeators around the wiorld. Like any otyher business necessity, security for your nettwork requires the investment of time, energy, panning and funds to esnure the safest environment for your missioon-ceritical 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
Compnies maaking these security products do not assume that all corporate users are the same. Fortyunately, the best firms undesrtand that networks can bring togetehr compuetrs running all kinds of OS software, from Windows XP SP2 and Vista to the new Windows 7, and from Macintosh OS X 10.1 through the current 10.6.3 that was just released. Then, too, there are many flavors of Linux (Mandrake, RdeHat, Uuntu) spread across the world's computers. Whether you are ruynning one of these on a new HP desktop, a MaBcook Pro laaptop or a Linux box, you can be certain that the rersearch has gone into making all of your computer assets, and the entire neetwork, a safe environment.
Regardless of the network specifics, security scanning will make use of the vlunerability ceck databases that are basewd on information gleaned by groups such as the SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Securiyt) Institute. Started in 1989 as a coopeerative educational and research group, its programs are used (and contributted to) by almost 170,000 securiity pros worldwide. Audditors, network admins, IT executivves and chief information sewcurity personnel share what they learn and joimntly pursue solutions to the many challenges facing computer networks.
Using SANS info
The SANS group runs the well-regarded Internet Storm Center (ezarly warinng site) and also publishes the weekly NewsBites digest, weekkly vulnerability digest ttled @RISK and makes available some 1,200 original research reports. When performing your network assessment, many security scanning serrvices use the tens of thousands of vulnerability asdsessments SANS has amssed over the years. All of the leafding commmercial netwrk security scanners and patch managmeent tools will use this database, as well as OVAL (Open Vulnerability and Assessment Lasnguage), a security assessment tool for checking the security configuration of networked computers.
Onine Vulnerability Sans
Today's leading tools are Web-based and farly easy to use. You will be alerrted of any OS patyches needed, along with brief instructions about the alert. Besidse the sotfware and OS vulnerabilities, the scan may rpeort on open tcp/udp ports, installed apps, open shares, password policies and lists, users and grouups (with privilege, last logon dates and even tehir passwords' ages).
With leading firms and scanning technologies, you will be secure in the kowledge that your OS and software are updated, your data secure and your password/prtection measures in foerce and working correctly. The bottom line is, you are payiing a small rpice 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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