Sec280

Case Study: Network Infrastructure Security

It is important to secure the Windows and Unix/Linux servers for many reasons. Leaving the servers open to shortcomings and vulnerabilities can open a door for those who seek to damage, destroy, or obtain sensitive information from the company. It’s important to identify any possible vulnerability and secure each one quickly and efficiently to protect information, and the system itself. Preventative measures are the best defense against attacks, and securing the network servers before they are breached will help to ensure that those who seek to gain unauthorized access will be kept out.

Information stored such as personal information, salaries, social security numbers, and even credit card or bank information are all susceptible to theft if the system is not secure. Identity theft is a very serious and prominent threat; proper measures should be taken to ensure the safety and security of this type of information. The company also stores sensitive information about its employees, business practices, legal and financial information, all of which also need proper safeguarding.

Secondly, a breach in the server could do irreparable harm to your corporate image, profits, and daily activities. Once infected, a server will generally “revert to a backup image, which may affect the availability of key, revenue-generating applications and services”. (Bit9) It is vital that the servers be secured and that patches, upgrades and updates are diligently followed up on.

Securing the servers starts with identifying the vulnerabilities and shortcomings. Remove unnecessary services which may leave ports open to attack. “The more services running on an operating system, the more ports will be left open, thus leaving more open doors for malicious users to abuse.” (Acunetix) Secondly, be sure all security patches are installed, and continue to update regularly and on time. User accounts should be created to give access only to the...