Network Security Bible, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2. New Approaches to Cyber Security

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Understanding the current nature of the threat

• Learning new approaches for dealing with the threat

• Identifying the mindset that is needed to properly secure an organization

What makes security so exciting is that it is not static. It is always changing and new. Techniques that worked last year to secure a site are no longer effective. Therefore, it is important to constantly understand the mindset of attacks so new strategies can be created.

This chapter will introduce you to general trends and the mindset needed to protect an organization. A firewall and/or intrusion detection will not protect a site if it is not focused on the correct risks and configured to protect against high-likelihood threats. Only by understanding the problem can an organization create an effective way to deal with the problem.

General Trends

No matter what field you work in, you can't help but notice the impact that the Internet has had on society. It has opened up opportunities and markets that people only dreamed of before. As with any new technology there are always positive and negative aspects to this. The positive side is the tremendous number of business opportunities. The negative side is the huge security risk now posed to so many companies—a potential danger few companies are truly aware of yet. It's like getting in a brand-new car and driving down the road at 80 mph, only to realize that the engineers did not equip the car with brakes. If a ...