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Satellite comms security risk warning

By Tracy Burrows, ITWeb contributor.
Johannesburg, 07 Jul 2003

Local networking and maintenance specialist Des Little, MD of black-owned Computer Pro, says local companies will have to up their security as SA`s telecommunications industry is deregulated.

Little says local companies and local telecoms service providers are going to have to spread their security blankets to ensure they cover Internet and wireless LANs, as well as satellite communications, which are often more prone to intrusion or attacks, such as Internet Protocol address spoofing, than the more traditional types of networks.

Little says network security is a high priority among overseas and local corporates but is often only centred on the obvious network security threats, those which focus on Internet and wireless LANs.

"People generally seem to overlook satellite communications, certainly in this country, because it is still at the fringe of new-world communicating. But arguably the biggest risk, in terms of network security, comes from satellite communications. The problem with satellite communications is that the degree of security built into commercial satellite services, which are used around the globe by the commercial sector, can be somewhat limited. Control is also difficult due to the fact that the satellites themselves are launched into space.

"They are often also at the discretion of the commercial service providers involved in the first place. It is not guaranteed that these commercial service providers are going to put in place sufficient security measures.

"The other problem is that once a satellite has been launched into space, upgrading it to take into account the myriad of possible threats from the ground, or attacks from ground-based networks and communications, is not such an easy task.

"Very few African companies use satellite communications at the moment, mainly because of the punitive costs. But as more and more companies make use of this type of communication, they should take the trouble to make sure their chosen Internet service provider can offer them a level of security that is on par with the security provided to safeguard normal Internet communications."

Little says satellite-based communications takes network security to the next level. "This might still be pretty much a future technology in Africa, but certainly in the US it is creating increased attention as more and more corporate and government communication is carried via satellite."

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