The Inside-Out Approach to Infection Control

CHALLENGES TO THE SECURITY OF ENTERPRISE NETWORKS The common image of the enterprise network conjures up a fortress with a perimeter protected by a layer of security devices (firewalls, proxy routers, intrusion prevention systems, etc.). In this view, the territory is clearly demarcated and the feared attacks come from outside. Enter wireless technology and the ubiquitous laptop; rather than a fortress, enterprises now resemble a huge block of Gruyère cheese, riddled with security holes. Consciously or not, a laptop user may launch from the inside an attack vector acquired elsewhere. Coincidentally, with the realization that the hardened perimeter leaves their soft inside exposed, enterprises are experiencing an increase in the propagation and virulence of worms. The fast propagat ion rate of worms mandates an automated response to prevent network meltdown. In the area of infection control, enterprises must address two vital issues: (1) detection of worms that attempt to propagate from the inside out and (2) automated containment.