Cisco security solutions specialist Eric van Gend says the increasing speed and sophistication of virus and hacker attacks demands that networks become more adaptive, self managing, self protecting, and self healing. "An ongoing strategy from Cisco is to create self-defending intelligent networks."
"In future, networks will need automatic systems that will be able to respond to virus attacks within seconds to prevent serious damage", he told customers and partners of Cisco Systems and Internet Solutions in Bryanston yesterday. "There is a constant need to pay attention to security because the world is constantly changing."
Van Gend says there is a very high level of security awareness in South Africa, but like the rest of the world, many decision makers do not realise the scale of the risk. "They still need to be encouraged to implement the measures necessary to withstand potential breaches of their networks from within as well as from outside." He says the most expensive attacks come from inside and can cost companies up to ten times more in lost revenue than outside attacks.
Van Gend warns that it is important for companies to act now to deploy multi-layered defence systems as creators of viruses become more skilled in avoiding detection. He emphasises the importance of protecting networks against the unknown and says Cisco has found that the most effective way of doing that is by using host based intrusion detection, "which is proactive rather than being merely reactive like most other security systems."
"Although the virus is present on the network, host-based intrusion detection as implemented by Cisco means that viruses can be prevented from executing until the necessary patches can be applied in a controlled and more cost effective way."
Van Gend says host-based intrusion detection is currently one of the most important components of a total security solution that also includes network-based intrusion detection, anti-virus software, access control, and firewalls. "Future security efforts will be aimed at preventing any access to networks and Cisco will be making an important announcement in that regard around the middle of next month."
"Security is a business issue and should be viewed in the same way as insurance instead of a negotiable cost," says Van Gend. "Cisco uses all its own products to secure its own network because our business depends on it and we cannot afford to have our network compromised." Van Gend advises that every component of the network should be security aware and should be an integral part of a total security solution. He says it is this approach that differentiates Cisco from other security vendors.
"If I have a sole mission in South Africa as a security evangelist, it is to encourage the installation of host-based intrusion detection", says Van Gend. "Hopefully more companies will introduce host-based intrusion detection, whether Cisco or not, because that is one of the ways of stopping viruses executing and doing damage."
Share