There is a saying in the security world that
the only truly
safe computer system is one that is disconnected from the network,
switched off
and buried six feet under ground. The sentiment may be somewhat true
but it is
hardly a practical solution to the problems we face today in protecting
servers
and desktops from outside intrusion.
There are more computer systems connected to
the internet
either directly or via local area networks than at any time in the
history of
technology and the numbers are growing at a rapid rate. It seems that
not a
month goes by without another story in the news about the internal
network of a
major
corporation being compromised by an intruder.
The simple fact is that there really is no
such thing as a
truly secure system as long is it is connected to a network. If the
large
corporations with expensive firewalls and talented IT staff can’t
always
stop criminals from breaking in what chance do the rest of us have?
Fortunately all is not lost and we do not
have to pull the
network cables out of the back of our computer systems. With careful
planning
and system configuration it is quite possible to create a secure
environment
that will cause the hacker to move on to the next, easier target
without
rendering the entire system useless.
