Information Security Management, 2nd Edition

11.1 Firewall Systems

In 2021, a major power grid based in Houston that supplied electricity to the East Coast of the United States was shut down by Russian hackers using a ransomeware attack. This, and the incident presented at the beginning of this chapter, illustrates the need for following good security practices, including vulnerability assessments and determining patching requirements. Because patching may need system reboots or some disruption in operations, many companies plan for updates at given intervals called a patch window. During the time prior to the patch window, the technology is vulnerable and must be carefully watched. Ways to mitigate include designing proper firewall architecture to reduce and control the attack surface ...