Preventing Security Breaches and Hackers

Network Security Controls and Issues

The many challenges of network security can be understood by realizing who needs access to the network itself. Access to secure networks should be accompanied by a certain need or reason by a person who has the authority to view, manipulate or reproduce information and data contained within that network. Access problems arise when there are no clear boundaries or guidelines as to who should have access to the network.

Within many commercial work settings, information held on networks can be very valuable to many non-employees of that workplace. For instance, many companies have their pricing levels contained within these systems. Competitors would very much like to know the financial situation of its rivals and security should not be overlooked in this manner.

Since networks are very mobile and can be accessed from various points and places, security from non-employees must be designed in a manner that ultimately protects the valuable information that can be used by others as well. Any non-employee who poses a threat should be safeguarded against to ensure that the network remains secure.

On a larger scale, government entities also have good reason to enter networks if they feel there is an issue. Law enforcement may be interested in the interworking of company if there is evidence of wrong doing. Federal and state tax monitors may also have an interest in viewing secure information to confirm or deny possible breaches of the tax code as well. Anti-social hackers also play a role in any threat analysis and a random hacker may have many tools to breach a security system for any number of unknown reasons.

Question 2

Despite strong efforts to protect networks, breaches still occur. Attacks come from many sources, and applications can become quite vulnerable if these security issues are not specifically and honestly addressed in a useful manner. There are several aspects to consider when securing a network or application against hackers and invisible threats that IT managers need to be aware of in order to offer the highest level of security.

Physical protection is a very important aspect of this effort of security. The actual physical location of sensitive equipment must be secured as a primary effort to prevent security breaches. This is accomplished by placing the computer equipment or servers in a location that is heavily protected by any number of means. Controlling access to these physical location is an important step in safeguarding the equipment itself and ultimately the entire network.

Cyberspace is not a physical place, however IT managers need to ensure that the proper digital efforts are taken to protect against hackers. Viruses, worms, bombs and Trojan Horses are all malicious modes of attack meant to disrupt the performance of applications and computer systems. Anti-virus software can help protect against this threat and if implemented need to be continually updated due to the consistently evolving nature of these threats.