Network Defense

How does “defense in depth” relate to network protection?


Historically “defense in depth” was coined by the military. They used this as a description for delaying an attack, rather than preventing one. This is basically where the front line will start to break down the attackers so they get weaker and weaker as they reach the more aggressive defense. This prevents the defenders from being out numbered or completely bombarded. In network protection, many computer systems and firewalls are used to ensure that the whole network is not attacked at once by a virus or an intruding hacker. The layers allow for the virus to be quarantined, investigated, and removed before it becomes strong and takes over the entire network. This delay allows trouble shooters time to find a solution.

Many companies will use multiple firewalls to prevent network attacks. In addition they will use various anti-virus and spy ware software packages. Usages of the zone level controls are becoming more prevalent on internal Internet accesses. Many employees cannot access personal yahoo, hotmail, or AOL sites or check these email accounts from work. There are security levels put in place to prevent viewing websites with questionable images or text. Many companies keep code in different locations and/or on various networks. Probably the main line of defense is the login ID and password. My company requires we change our passwords every 60 days.

- By David Ephraim of Atak Interactive, Inc.