Information is Power – and yours may be on sale as we speak

by Juniper Employee on 11-03-2008 02:00 PM

In my last post we discussed a shift in the types of attack vectors that organizations have experienced and thus what results in a major security gap that organizations must come to terms with.  But this is not the only change that makes organizations more vulnerable to a potential security breach Regardless of an organization's charter, its greatest asset is its information. Whether it is a patented idea, customer data, or confidential roadmap, information is the single most important asset which determines if a company will prosper, eek by, or fade into oblivion. So if information is our greatest asset, why don't we better protect it?

 

When I go to on customer calls, one of the first things I do is open my laptop and do a networks scan. Most of the time, I can hop onto the network and gain full access without being challenged. I have full rights, full reign and the proverbial carte blanche to do as I wish. But don't think that this is an aberration. TJMaxx, UBS and Best Western all share the common bond and they are just a few organizations on a very long list of companies whose data has been stolen.

 

Hackers today can do more damage with a keyboard than a gun. Whether they sell confidential corporate information on the black market or commit identity theft, the motivation is financially based and can be highly lucrative.

 

Beyond soft targets, we also have sleeping sentries. A recent Verizon study noted that 63% of the organizations studied took MONTHS to find that a breach has occurred.  This is long after the damage has been done and is too late to mount a meaningful defense.

 

The motivation for hacking has evolved from breaking into websites to gain notoriety to a potential financial windfall for using or reselling confidential information. The sooner we mount the right defense to address this new reality, the better chance we have for ensuring that our organization is not on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for all the wrong reasons.

Labels:
1
About the Author
  • Michael Rothschild is the Senior Manager of Solutions Marketing at Juniper Networks, responsible for security solutions for the enterprise. When he’s not busy helping customer’s understand the importance of a solutions focus to address the new security threats affecting business, Michael is a professor of marketing and volunteers as a paramedic.
  • Krishna is a Distinguished Engineer in the Service Layer Technologies group at Juniper. He's currently working on DPI technology initiatives in products targeted at service providers and enterprise markets. Krishna has 19 years of experience in data networking involving Ethernet, ATM, IP, Switching and Security technologies. He has authored 10 patents in the areas of switching, security and QoS. He was actively involved in the IEEE 802.1 and ATM Forum standards committees. Prior to Juniper, he was the co-founder and System Architect at Top Layer Networks where he played a pivotal role in bringing multiple products to the market. He has also held senior engineering roles at Digital Equipment Corporation and Fore Systems.
  • As a Solutions Architect and Leader of Enterprise Solutions Engineering, Lior Cohen is responsible for developing reference architectures and best practices utilizing Juniper products. He has been designing and building enterprise networks and security solutions for over a decade and has helped several Fortune 500 companies develop risk mitigation strategies and implement information security technologies. Prior to joining Juniper, Lior was Chief Technology Officer for a privately held information security consulting firm where he led multi-national consulting and auditing engagements for the financial services and real estate sectors. He also filled various roles at Check Point Software, including leading the company’s Solutions Center. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Information Systems from Tel Aviv University.
  • Rich Campagna, Senior Product Manager in the Access Business Group is responsible for business strategies, product development, partner interactions and customer engagements to help drive the growth of Juniper Networks' Unified Access Control and SA Series SSL VPN solutions. Rich is also an avid snowboarder and motorcyclist (not at the same time).
About Technically Secure
Welcome to Technically Secure, the Juniper Networks blog dedicated to trends and innovation in the world of IT risk management and security. Here we'll offer technical perspectives on network security, covering things happening within Juniper Networks as well as issues across the industry as a whole. Our mission is simple: explore ideas, share information, and provide insight that will help you take a proactive stance on threat and risk mitigation.

Our primary objective is to explore technical IT security issues as business and technology challenges that could compromise the effectiveness of enterprises and service providers. We'll share our strategies for staying ahead of today’s rapidly changing threat landscape and focus in particular on innovation in network security technologies.

We’ve assembled a great team of bloggers to kick off these conversations with you, but we encourage your participation. If there's a topic that you'd like us to cover, let us know by commenting on the blog. We’re not just talking — we’re listening.

Our Bloggers Krishna Narayanaswamy,
Distinguished Engineer

Krishna is a Distinguished Engineer in the Service Layer Technologies group at Juniper. He is currently working on DPI technology initiatives in products targeted at service providers and enterprise markets.

Krishna has 19 years of experience in data networking involving Ethernet, ATM, IP, Switching and Security technologies. He has authored 10 patents in the areas of switching, security and QoS. He was actively involved in the IEEE 802.1 and ATM Forum standards committees.

Prior to Juniper, he was the co-founder and System Architect at Top Layer Networks where he played a pivotal role in bringing multiple products to the market. He has also held senior engineering roles at Digital Equipment Corporation and Fore Systems.

Michael Rothschild,
Senior Manager
Solutions Marketing

Michael Rothschild is the senior manager of solutions marketing at Juniper Networks, responsible for security solutions for the enterprise.

When he’s not busy helping customer’s understand the importance of a solutions focus to address the new security threats affecting business, Michael is a professor of marketing and volunteers as a paramedic.

Lior Cohen,
Solutions Architect

As a Solutions Architect and Leader of Enterprise Solutions Engineering at Juniper Networks, Lior Cohen is responsible for developing reference architectures and best practices utilizing Juniper products. In his free time, Cohen enjoys mountain biking and spending time with his children.

Rich Campagna,
Senior Product Manager

Rich Campagna,
Senior Product Manager in the Access Business Group at Juniper Networks is responsible for driving the business strategies, product development, partner interactions and customer engagements to help drive the growth of Juniper Networks' Unified Access Control and Secure Access SSL VPN solutions. Rich is also an avid snowboarder and motorcyclist (not at the same time).

Labels
Blogroll