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Internet Security

Only a few years ago, it was mainly large corporations that depended on Internet connectivity and had to dedicate resources to protect their networks from a small, but destructive community of elite hackers

Nowadays, the threat is much more widespread. Smaller businesses, whose Internet connectivity is often critical, are now regularly attacked by a growing base of less expert hackers with one simple motivation - profit.

Hacking for profit is easy to do. Anyone with some knowledge about how computers work, and the intention to do harm, can download free programs and scripts that do the dirty work automatically. Once in, these programs take control of the compromised computer and run silently in the background, watching what the user types (for example, credit card numbers), sending out spam-email, and otherwise wreaking havoc.

If you think your business isn't at risk, think again. Industry analysts estimate that over 40 percent of all small businesses managing their own network security are hacked every year. They further estimate that more than half of those companies don't realize it until the damage becomes obvious.

All computers need protection. The issue is: how much is enough?

Many small businesses mistakenly believe that the low-level of security offered by a basic Network Address Translation (NAT) router with simple firewall features, which allows networked computers to share a single broadband internet connection, provides the same network protection as a true firewall. These devices were designed to provide easy connection to the internet and any security benefits are a side effect.

Basic routers leave networks vulnerable to attack and don't offer the strength of a fully_integrated_firewall_security_solution. An integrated security solution employs a layered approach that utilizes both Network Address Translation (NAT) and Stateful Packet inspection (SPI) functionality, can inspect both inbound and outbound traffic and is designed specifically for security whilst maintaining the convenience and flexibility of a low-end NAT device.

A basic router may stop the external hacking attempt but will do nothing to prevent the other types of threat.

Icon Computer Services recommend WatchGuard Firewalls. To take the next step to protect your network please call 01792 795300 or Contact Us.

Types of Threat

A wide variety of complex, sophisticated attacks threaten today's business networks, and new attack types continue to emerge almost daily. Some common current threats include:

Malicious code including Viruses, Worms, and Trojans that are hidden within files or innocuous code. Once they enter a network, they can self-propagate, and are capable of compromising individual workstations or an entire network.

Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can disable an entire network and severely disrupt the normal daily operations of a business. DoS attacks are hacker attempts to flood a network with illicit traffic, while denying legitimate users access.

Internal and external hacking, or unauthorized access, to critical data and systems for the purpose of theft, duplication, or destruction. Successful hacks can cause downtime, loss of employee productivity, and considerable cleanup and data recovery expense.

Blended threats, such as Nimda and Code Red, often combine the characteristics of worms, viruses, Trojans, and other malicious code to launch rapidly spreading attacks that cause widespread damage. These threats are especially adept at exploiting security technologies that work independently of each other on a network.

Exploiting open ports. Once a router opens a port by putting it in the NAT table, all traffic destined to that port is allowed through to the local computer identified in the table. Hackers use automated programs to guess which ports are open, and they keep trying until they get through.

Some Trojans (programs containing malicious code) are designed to infect a machine, then "phone home" to their creator. As this is an outbound connection it will be allowed by a router even though it gives a hacker full access to your network. A correctly configured firewall will block this connection and therefore prevent the Trojan from causing further damage.

Spoof attacks. Routers are especially susceptible to spoofing. That’s when hackers alter data packets to make it look like they’re coming from a valid source. Anyone with sufficient technical knowledge, using hacking tools freely available on the Internet, can put another user's IP address in the "From" (source) field of packets. Since NAT relies on analyzing addresses, false addresses can easily compromise routers.

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