WHAT IS NETWORK SECURITY?

The networks are computer networks, both public and private, that are used every day to conduct transactions and communications among businesses, government agencies and individuals. The networks are comprised of "nodes", which are "client" terminals (individual user PCs) and one or more "servers" and/or "host" computers. They are linked by communication systems, some of which might be private, such as within a company, and others which might be open to public access. The obvious example of a network system that is open to public access is the Internet, but many private networks also utilize publicly-accessible communications. Today, most companies' host computers can be accessed by their employees whether in their offices over a private communications network, or from their homes or hotel rooms while on the road through normal telephone lines.

Network security involves all activities that organizations, enterprises, and institutions undertake to protect the value and ongoing usability of assets and the integrity and continuity of operations. An effective network security strategy requires identifying threats and then choosing the most effective set of tools to combat them.

Threats to network security include:

Viruses : Computer programs written by devious programmers and designed to replicate themselves and infect computers when triggered by a specific event

Trojan horse programs : Delivery vehicles for destructive code, which appear to be harmless or useful software programs such as games

Vandals : Software applications or applets that cause destruction

Attacks : Including reconnaissance attacks (information-gathering activities to collect data that is later used to compromise networks); access attacks (which exploit network vulnerabilities in order to gain entry to e-mail, databases, or the corporate network); and denial-of-service attacks (which prevent access to part or all of a computer system)

Data interception : Involves eavesdropping on communications or altering data packets being transmitted

Social engineering : Obtaining confidential network security information through nontechnical means, such as posing as a technical support person and asking for people's passwords

Network security tools include:

Antivirus software packages : These packages counter most virus threats if regularly updated and correctly maintained.

Secure network infrastructure : Switches and routers have hardware and software features that support secure connectivity, perimeter security, intrusion protection, identity services, and security management.
Dedicated network security hardware and software-Tools such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems provide protection for all areas of the network and enable secure connections.

Virtual private networks : These networks provide access control and data encryption between two different computers on a network. This allows remote workers to connect to the network without the risk of a hacker or thief intercepting data.

Identity services : These services help to identify users and control their activities and transactions on the network. Services include passwords, digital certificates, and digital authentication keys.

Encryption : Encryption ensures that messages cannot be intercepted or read by anyone other than the authorized recipient.

Security management : This is the glue that holds together the other building blocks of a strong security solution.

None of these approaches alone will be sufficient to protect a network, but when they are layered together, they can be highly effective in keeping a network safe from attacks and other threats to security. In addition, well-thought-out corporate policies are critical to determine and control access to various parts of the network.

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Microsoft repairs critical Windows flaws

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Microsoft issued two security bulletins on 11 Jan, 2011 repairing two critical flaws that affect all versions of Windows. The software giant also updated a security advisory, issuing a temporary automated workaround that if deployed, would block attackers from exploiting an Internet Explorer zero-day vulnerability.

Microsoft released only two security bulletins in January, repairing three vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows and Windows Server. It was a quiet month compared to December, which saw a record breaking 17 bulletins.

The first security bulletin addressed two critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Data Access Components, a framework used by application developers to access Windows data stores. The vulnerabilities could be used in drive-by attacks or by tricking a person to visit a malicious webpage. The update is rated "critical" for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, and rated "important" for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

In addition, Microsoft addressed a vulnerability in Windows Backup Manager. The security bulletin is rated important and affects users of Windows Vista. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution, but Microsoft said a user would have to visit a remote file system location or WebDAV share and open a Windows Backup Manager file.

Microsoft also updated a security advisory, addressing a memory bug in the Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) function within Internet Explorer. The memory could be used by attackers to remotely execute malicious files, Microsoft said.

The software giant added an automated fix-it temporary patch that prevents the recursive loading of CSS stylesheets. Writing in the Microsoft Security Research and Defense blog, Microsoft engineer Kevin Brown said the workaround is an MSI package that uses the Windows Application compatibility toolkit to make a small change to the .DLL controlling CSSS loading in Internet Explorer.

Jason Miller, data and security team leader at St. Paul, Minn.-based patch management firm, Shavlik Technologies LLC, urged administrators to take a close look at the workarounds available to temporarily address the vulnerability. The temporary fix could cause Internet Explorer to display pages improperly, he said."This is a vulnerability that attackers typically like to jump on, so there is some risk with this," Miller said. "Before you deploy it you need to test what it can do to your systems."

Users can also apply Protected Mode in Windows Vista and Windows 7, and Enhanced Security Configuration in Windows Server 2003 and 2008. More advanced customers can use the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit as a workaround for the exploit. Engineers are still preparing patches for several other publicly known Microsoft zero-day vulnerabilities. A flaw in the Windows Graphics Rendering Engine causes it to improperly parse a BMP thumbnail. The vulnerability affects all versions of Windows except Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The security advisory includes a workaround and an automated fix-it to temporarily address the issue.

Other zero-day flaws include a IIS 7.0 and 7.5 FTP service vulnerability, several other memory corruption vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer and an ActiveX control vulnerability in the WMI Administrative Toolkit.

Source: searchsecurity.com

Tulip Acquires Data Center in Bangalore

Source:IT NEXT Magazine


Tulip Telecom, one of the leading players in Enterprise Data services provider, in an endeavor to further strengthen its end to end data services offering, has announced the acquisition of a Data Center facility in Bengaluru at a value of Rs 230 crore.The company has acquired 100% shares of SADA IT Parks Private Limited (SADA).


This is the Company’s fifth Data Center and will have the total Data center space of approximately 10 lac sq. ft. The Bengaluru facility will be owned and operated through a wholly owned subsidiary of Tulip Telecom named ‘Tulip Data Center Private Ltd (Subsidiary)’.It is spread across an area of 9 lac sq. ft the tier 4 Data Center will be set up in Bengaluru (Karnataka) with a total investment of Rs 900 crore spread over a period of 3 years.


This state-of-the-art data center is planned to be ISO 20000-1 & 27001 certified and will be designed as per Seismic Zone 4 specifications with raised floors, precision air-conditioning with accurate temperature and humidity control systems with separate cooling zones. The completed facility will aim to offer the widest range of physical security features, including state-of-the-art smoke detection and fire suppression systems, motion sensors, and 24x7 secured access with biometric & proximity card readers, as well as video camera surveillance and security breach alarms.


Tulip Telecom has been able to set the highest service delivery standards in data center services with its mature service delivery practices and security standards. The company already has four operational data centers (two in Mumbai, and one each in Delhi and Bengaluru) with ISO 20000-1 & ISO 27001 certifications to ensure reliable and high quality service delivery.  Some of the biggest telecom companies in the world also use Tulip’s data centers and networks to establish their networks in India.


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Dell has Launched Printers in India

Source:www.itnext.com


Dell has launched printers in India, introducing a comprehensive range of printing devices for home offices, small and medium businesses and workgroups. The company said that the new multifunction printer lineup is engineered to reduce total cost of print by providing increased product reliability with comprehensive warranty and maintenance coverage. The range of printers being launched include the 1250C, the world’s smallest single-function A4 color laser-class printer  and a host of monochrome printers including the multifunction 1133 and single-function printers - 2230d, 1130, 1130n, 2330d, 2330dn.


Designed exclusively to meet the needs of small and medium organizations and small workgroups of large businesses worldwide, the single function and multi-function devices deliver outstanding print quality, fast printouts and optimal energy efficiency without compromising affordability. According to the company, the printers would offer lower initial printer procurement costs and lower operational costs over time, and aims to provide improved printer output capacity.


Product Information:


Dell 1130 and Dell 1130n will be available in the market for INR 6500 and INR 16000 respectively. These monochrome single function printers offer stylish, high-speed printing (up to 19 pages per minute on the 1130 and 24 pages per minute on the 1130n), feature ample memory (8 MB for the 1130 and 64 MB for the 1130n), and a covered 250-sheet paper drawer.  Additionally, the Dell 1130n model includes Ethernet networking standard.


Dell 1133: It is priced in the market for INR 11000 – The multifunction (print, scan, copy) monochrome laser printer prints up to 22 pages per minute (A4) with a maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 12,000 pages. It comes standard with a 250-sheet paper drawer and 64 MB RAM, delivering high efficiency and reliability.


Dell 1250C : It will be available in the market for INR 17000 - The single-function A4 color laser-class printer delivers the next evolution in LED printing technology with excellent print quality, low energy consumption, and simple maintenance compared to conventional laser printers in the same class. It performs efficiently at speeds of up to 12 pages per minute mono and 10 pages per minute color and can reliably produce high quality prints at a maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 30,000 pages.


Dell 2230d : It will be available in the market for INR 22000, with a printing speed of up to 35 ppm (letter), the Dell 2230d Laser Printer makes light work of monochrome printing tasks. Yet with its small footprint (15.98" x 14.55") and low noise, it can sit comfortably and quietly on the desk in any office environment. A resolution of up to 1200 x 1200 dpi ensures the printouts are razor sharp for both monochrome graphics and text. In case the workload increases, the robust Dell 2230d is designed to handle up to 35,000 pages per month and comes with duplexing standard.


Dell 2330d and 2330dn will be available in the market for INR 25000 and INR 30000 respectively - The Dell 2330d/dn Laser Printer offers fast, high-resolution output with professional quality, dual-sided printing capability as standard to help reduce paper consumption and the ability to handle large print volumes to meet the needs of growing businesses. Both models have been designed for a duty cycle of up to 50,000 pages per month). The Dell 2330dn model includes Ethernet networking and duplexing standard.

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Remote Desktop management

Desktop Management Service offered by IT infrastructure Management Company is a fully remote-managed solution that offers world-class, reliable and secure support and maintenance services for corporate desktops. These solutions help IT departments to deliver high-quality, cost-effective desktop support by optimizing desktop infrastructure, improve end-user productivity and protect corporate desktop assets.Major Components of Desktop Management:

·         Diagnostics and Root cause analysis: Help diagnose and identify root-cause issues for performance and security related issues with the desktop

·         Security management: Ensure that the desktop is free of any virus, mal-ware, ad-ware, etc. This includes a full detection and removal of security threats

·         Tune up and performance management: Identify and resolve issues related to poor performance with the desktop. This includes disk de-fragmentation, clean up of startup files, clean cache etc

·         Patch management: Identify any patch anomalies with the desktop applications and ensure all patch levels are current with the desktop

·         Backup and archiving: Proactively backup the critical data stored in your desktop, and protect yourself from any critical data loss or failure of hard disks

·         Remote assist: Instantly solve any problem on end-user desktop using remote assist service. Qualified experts will remotely connect to desktop and solve any desktop issues any-time anywhere

Intel launches 2nd Generation Core processor

Intel has launched the much awaited second generation Intel Core processor family. Powered by new features and services, it claims to deliver an entirely new visual experience with processor graphics built in. According to company, more than 500 desktop and laptop PCs are expected from all major OEMs worldwide throughout the next year. In India, systems are likely to be available from OEMs like HCL, Wipro, MSI, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba and Dell amongst others as well as from local channel partners.

New features include, Intel® Quick Sync Video, and a new version of the company’s award-winning Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi), which now adds 1080p HD and content protection for those wishing to beam premium HD content from their laptop screen to their TV.

  

New Visual Experience for Today’s Lifestyles

The 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family is the first “visibly smart” microarchitecture to combine visual and 3D graphics technology with performance-leading microprocessors on a single chip. By incorporating the newly architected Intel HD Graphics on each 32nm die  significant graphics performance improvements over previous generation graphics can be enabled, for both HD media processing and mainstream gaming.

New processor graphics technology will focus on the areas where most people are computing today: high-definition (HD) video, photos, mainstream gaming, multi-tasking and online socializing and multimedia. Enhanced visual technologies like HD graphics are built into every 2nd Generation Intel Core processor. For consumers, this means improved PC experience, with better overall power management, greater efficiency and battery life.

Another feature offered by the company is Quick Sync Video which takes the wait out of editing and sharing videos with performance that completes in minutes what used to take hours. Intel estimated that a 4 minute HD video that used to take 4 minutes to convert to play on an iPod would now take just 16 secondsii.

Smart Performance, Energy Efficiency and Intelligence Merge

The Core i5 and i7 processors also include the enhanced  Turbo Boost Technology 2.0. This feature automatically reallocates processor core and processor graphics resources to accelerate performance, giving users an immediate performance boost when and where it’s needed.

Other previously revealed chip features, all manufactured on Intel’s second-generation high-k metal gate transistors include  Vector Extensions (AVX),  InTru, 3-D, and Clear Video Technology HD.The chips are made on Intel’s 32nm manufacturing process on the company’s second-generation high-k metal gate transistors. These unique advantages further boost performance; reduce power consumption for better battery life and smaller designs, and lower overall manufacturing costs.

Intel announced more than 20 processors, wireless adapters and chipsets, including new Intel Core i7, i5 and i3 processors, Intel 6 Series Chipsets, and Intel Centrino Wi-Fi and WiMAX adapters. More than 500 laptop and desktop PC platform designs are expected from all major computer makers worldwide based on these products. The quad core based systems will be available in early to mid January timeframe with additional dual core versions in February.

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