Network Security: Submarine Warfare

[Gary Stoneburner <gary.stoneburner@nist.gov>]

re:
http://infosecuritymag.techtarget.com/ss/0,295796,sid6_iss21_art86,00.html

"Like old generals, we're still fighting the last war, in which our
network was a castle with impregnable walls, a well-defined entry point
across the drawbridge (head-end router), portcullis (firewall) and guards
(IDS).  Today's infosec paradigm is submarine warfare. Attacks can
come from anywhere, at any time. There's no well-defined perimeter, and
it's often difficult to tell friend from foe. Defenses should focus on
hardened, well-protected assets--not bigger, stronger fences. Stealth,
intelligence gathering and deception play increasingly critical roles in
enterprise security. "
He makes what I believe are some good points.  I cannot vouch for
everything he says, such as "Roughly 75 percent of attacks come from
the inside"; yet the article is worth reading.

Cheers,
Gary

PS - As to the insider/outside, there was a recent statistic that put the
majority of the attacks from the outside.  Whether it is still
mostly inside or now more outside, we can still be guilty of
"fighting the last war" if we are not careful.

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* Opinions expressed are not intended to reflect an official position
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* Gary Stoneburner
* Computer Security Division, National Institute of Standards & Technology
* 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930         
* Phone: 301-975-5394, FAX: 301-948-0279, Email: Stoneburner@nist.gov
* http://csrc.nist.gov/staff/stoneburner/gshome.html
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