Continuing our series on layered defense, we are going to take a look at full packet capture. Full packet capture (FPC) is still fairly misunderstood in the IT community. For many, FPC is synonymous with NetFlow, or simply source/destination and metadata information on packets. Others think of it as a beast that is used in conjunction with Wireshark to show a ton of indecipherable data. On the contrary, FPC is one of the most powerful practices that we can employ to give us a full, deep understanding of everything that is coming and going on a network, with the ability to…
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We told you not to trust your neighbor. But you should be able to trust your vendors, right? Not necessarily! In recent weeks there have been a couple of high profile security vendor breaches/vulnerabilities. Juniper Networks disclosed two backdoors in their firewall code and Fortinet also had a backdoor/vulnerability within their software. Both Juniper and Fortinet backdoors would give an attacker access to your firewall. Your firewall! Remember -- this is the very device that is supposed to keep your network protected!! Oh, the irony. So... Down with vendors, then? Obviously, no. We cannot grow all of our solutions at home. And…
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More times than not, people who fall victim to identity theft think about online transactions and recent credit card purchases that they made when trying to figure out how their information was compromised. Sadly, it really only takes some confidence, creativity, and a bit of luck to prey on someone and assume their identity. The computer is optional. Yes, it is important to protect your passwords. Yes, it is important to secure your network defenses. Yes, it is important to think twice before using that shady looking phone charging station. But, as we've said in the past, attackers look for the weakest penetration…
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We've mentioned in numerous blogs that you need to stick with what you are good at and I cannot stress how important this is when it comes to secure network security services. We have seen numerous companies try to handle their own security and they either do it inefficiently or just plain wrong. Using a managed security service provider (MSSP), like an IT managed service provider (MSP), will provide you better results at cheaper costs. Benefits of a MSSP Cheaper cost. A huge benefit that may not be immediately evident to management is how much cheaper it is to go with…
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Do you think all of the bad guys are sitting in smoke-filled rooms in the Chinese war ministry? Do you think your network is safe if you prevent people from getting to the Internet too openly? Ah, if only that were true. The fact of the matter is that one of your biggest vulnerabilities is sitting among you. Some are malicious and some are accidental. Some researchers believe that the percentage of incidents due to insider threats may be as high as 55%! Long story short -- the average user is a significant source of your IT and data security risk.…
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