Security + Exam Guide (Charles River Media Networking/Security) - page 29

To best understand this process, match the following descriptions with their corresponding numeric values in Figure 3.1:

1. A start message is sent from the remote client to the access point and the access point asks the client for identification.

2. The client sends its identity to the access point. The access then transmits or forwards the client’s identity to an authentication server.

3. The authentication server transmits an accept or reject message to the access point.

4. If the access point receives an accept message from the authentication server, the client’s port activates and the client is allowed to communicate with the server.

The 802.1X standard is fairly new and it is likely that CompTIA will target it on the exam specifically within a wireless or remote connectivity related question.

Microsoft does a great job explaining this technology. If you are interested in learning more about 802.1X, you may find the following site very informative: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/planning/wirelesslan/solutions.asp .

E-mail Security

At home or work, e-mail is arguably the most important communication tool available in today’s fast paced technical world. E-mail is a fast, inexpensive, acceptable way to transfer information and communicate. Unfortunately, the use of e-mail and attachments to e-mail messages provide a very large security threat to the welfare of systems and networks in general. Providing secure e-mail and messaging systems has quickly become a top priority for home users and businesses alike.

Threats

There are many threats associated with the use of e-mail. Virus threats are usually the most thought of but threats in the form of malicious content, leaks of confidential information, and the threat of those not-so-innocent spammers are becoming much more of a concern today. Server and workstation downtime, as well as the basic loss in human productivity that can result from these threats, are motivating the penny pinchers to invest more in e-mail and network security.

The most obvious threat to e-mail and e-mail systems comes in the form of e-mail related viruses. E-mail attachments offer an excellent opportunity for dangerous viruses to be proliferated and released even in a firewall-protected corporate network environment. Firewalls protect intranetworks from unauthorized user access. Unfortunately, they do not scan or filter e-mail and attachments. It is important to implement and enforce a proactive plan that includes an e-mail antivirus system with updated virus definitions that scan all attachments that are included with incoming e-mail.

It is also imperative that e-mail users are educated and informed of the dangers that can occur with the improper handling of dangerous e-mail messages. In other words, good e-mail security plans should include the empowerment of users to assume some basic common sense when opening e-mail and attachments that are suspicious.

Our basic human nature tells us to click on things we shouldn’t. If curiosity killed the cat, lack of common sense killed the human’s local area network. Here is an example you can use as a demonstration. Create a Hotmail or some form of Web mail account with an obscure address. Then, send an innocent e-mail with an executable attachment to five people you know. Name the subject, “Don’t Open This, It’s Very Dangerous.” Check to see how many of the five people opened the e-mail. Get the meaning? Could this possibly be considered a form of social engineering?

Confidential information leaks from within corporate infrastructures seem to be very prevalent these days. Disgruntled employees or employees with little common sense can forward company data and personal information to the outside world. This can lead to serious legal ramifications .

Spammers , or unsolicited commercial mail distributors , can use corporate mail servers as hosts to spread their advertisements within a company and beyond. This can cause a company to be blacklisted with Internet service providers and cause a reduction to the productivity of a mail server.

Here are some basic guidelines to file that can save you or your company a lot of time, money, and sanity when it comes to protecting e-mail:

1. Develop a corporate e-mail security policy that defines a set of rules your users should follow. In other words, take the time to educate them on some of the common practices that should be followed, such as confidentiality and general security practices.

2. Install a proven antivirus protection product that scans all inbound and outbound e-mail and attachments. The product should provide an alerting service and a centralized quarantine snap-in to isolate viruses if detected . Very importantly, if your users have the ability to use outside mail services from their desktops, install a desktop solution that scans IMAP and POP3 mail services.

3. Install content-filtering software that scans for key phrases and information in e-mail that might be confidential to your company.

4. Install an anti-spam software product that will identify and allow you to block out unwanted/unsolicited information.