US LIST OF 10 MOST OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF IT SECURITY Bank Systems & Technology : Top 10 Most Overlooked Aspects of IT Security

Webblog Editor Comments: This article is one of the best that I have seen on computer security and data protection and the need to do more with respect to the physical protection of computers.............the full article can be viewed at weblink.

Courtesy of Dark Reading
By The Staff of Dark Reading
Bank Systems & Technology
November 28, 2006

Before you hunker down, all comfy and cozy, in front of a crackling holiday fire, hold the fruitcake and eggnog: Feel like you're forgetting something?

Most likely, you are.

Did you post a surveillance camera in your server room? Check the trash can for discarded disk drives that weren't wiped clean of sensitive data? Do a deep background check on that new database administrator you hired? Look into that new third-party security services offering?

Encrypt the backup of the year-end financial data?

Gulp. Maybe you're not quite ready for the holidays.

You'd better watch out. But don't cry, and don't pout, because you're not alone. Most organizations have at least a few security issues that have been lost in the shuffle, and it's not too late to give them some attention.

So, with the help of Dark Reading's editorial advisory board, we've compiled this list of The 10 Most Overlooked Aspects of IT Security, along with the risks of skipping out on them, and some advice on how to attend to them. Our research turned up a wide variety of opinions on these topics, many of which are environment-dependent, so we're giving you this list in no particular order. You decide which bases you've got covered -- and which ones need your attention.

Consider this our contribution to your holiday shopping list. Post 'em on your blog and the company intranet, pass them on to your colleagues and business partners, all in good cheer. There is still plenty of time to make your own list -- and check it twice.

When you review your IT security architecture, you probably don't consider your organization's physical security. But that can be a lethal oversight.

"In order to truly achieve 'defense in depth,' we have to think physical security as well as information security. The best [logical] security can't prohibit a physical theft of a server if the computer room is not adequately protected," says Steve Delahunty, senior associate with Booz Allen Hamilton.

More often than not, the people who do IT security and the people who do physical security in large organizations don't work with one another. Many small- to mid-sized enterprise IT security groups may overlook physical issues altogether. It's not until a building break-in occurs that the two may even meet at all.

"It's always somebody else's fault when there's a break-in in the building," says Steve Stasiukonis, vice president and founder of Secure Network Technologies, regarding IT security blaming facilities management and vice versa. But IT security should be on the same team as the facilities management group, he says.

In many organizations, physical security is often focused more on protecting copiers, printers, and fax machines from theft -- not servers or computer equipment, Stasiukonis says.

"A lot of companies are allocating surveillance technology in the wrong places," he says, and not where intruders are more likely to gain access, such as the cargo landing where smokers take their breaks, or on the cafeteria patio.

Leaving physical access to chance in these areas makes it that much easier for an attacker to simply walk in and make a network attack or other breach.

"A lot of attacks become much easier because of physical security weaknesses," says Sean Kelly, technology consultant for Consilium1, who does penetration testing for clients. "It makes things a lot easier if you can walk in the door. And you don't have to be a technical person to perform these breaches -- it opens the door to a wider pool of data thieves."

Social engineering is way too easy a ploy to get a foot in the door, experts say. Stasiukonis, who stages social engineering exploits for his clients to audit their security, recently duped employees at a credit union client's facility, posing as a copier repairman stopping by to "clean" the copier machine.

"I busted into a credit union last week, wearing one of those copier company t-shirts," Stasiukonis says. "So I jacked in and grabbed the password and log-ins in clear text and then [used them] to break in from the outside, too."

Getting the IT and physical security teams together is crucial to thwarting social engineering attacks like these. But it's not easy to teach employees who to trust and who not to trust.

"Social engineering is a huge issue no matter what level of organization you're in," Consilium1's Kelly says. "Security awareness training needs to stress more on auditing and procedures to identify people you're giving information to, and for questioning people without badges."

(Editor's note: If there are other commonly forgotten security measures you've just remembered, we'd love to hear about them. Please send comments via the message board associated with this story, not by email. All postings are completely anonymous. Enjoy.)