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Chapter 3
Assessing Current
Network Concerns
The number of reported incidents to the Computer Incident Advisory Capability
(CIAC)1 and the CERT2 Coordination Center has seen an increase each year
since its founding in 1988. This chapter examines current trends in network
incidents. As an individual charged with conducting a network vulnerability
assessment (NVA) within your own enterprise, you will quickly discover that
there are more possible problems or risks than you will have time to assess.
To improve your chances of being successful, it will be necessary to identify
which risks concern your enterprise most and then concentrate on them.
This chapter examines some current network concerns and provides a brief
discussion on how to minimize their impact on your organization. The chapter
then reviews two checklists that can be used as examples to help ensure that
important concerns are addressed. As with all checklists, I must caution you that
they are only a starting point. All too often, individuals employing checklists
complete the items identified and assume that they have completed the task.
Checklists are only starting points in a complete review process. Use them as
reminders of items to look for but keep an open mind for additional risk or threats.
Making a quantitative determination of the value of the information and
resources you need to protect is a first step in developing a comprehensive
information security plan. This determination can allow you to address areas
of greatest concern first and then look to lesser concerns as time and budget
permit. A balance between the budget available for protecting your network
and the value of that which is to be protected is what we seek.
Specific aspects of a network vulnerability assessment (NVA) include:
An analysis of the physical topology and architecture of the network
A critique of UNIX, which versions and revisions are part of the network
1 http://www.CIAC.org
2 http://www.CERT.org
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