Defensible Security Architectures: Reconfiguring Current Assets

Name: Defensible Security Architectures: Reconfiguring Current Assets
Author: James Youngblood

Learn about asset prioritization, device hardening, software updates and firmware in security architectures

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Course: On-Demand

Hello, my name is James Youngblood and in this module of defensible security architecture, we're gonna be talking about reconfiguring our current assets. And to begin with, in this lesson I wanna talk about the planning phase of reconfiguration. We want to do some asset mapping and prioritization, and I always tell my students you can't truly say that your network is secure if you don't know what's on your network. Now, if you'll look to the left, here I've simulated a network. This network has several pieces in, it's got a few switches a couple of servers and a couple of firewalls on a router. The reason why I bring that up is 'cause once you see that even with just those few things, this looks like it's a rather large network. But the truth is it's really not. This is kind of a smaller network, and I wanted to point it out to you because you can start to see how you can lose track of things on this network rather quickly. So how do we prevent that from happening? There's several software programs out there that we could use that can show us what exactly is on our network. Now there are two specific ones that I like to use. The ones that I like to use is one from a company called Spiceworks, and it's their network backbone map. And then the other one I like to use is one that's that has a funny name to it. It's called Angry IP Scanner. Now, I can't simulate the Spiceworks Scanner in the environment that I'm in now, but I can simulate the Angry IP Scanner. So I'm gonna actually do that here. And you can see I've already done this scan once but let's go ahead and run this again, just so you can see what it looks like. Now I've got my IP Range as 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.0.255. And that's because of the network that I'm on. I know that that's the IP Ranges that they're using. So we'll take a look at this network and see what all we can find. Now what's important for you to notice is anywhere that there is a red dot inside of the Angry IP Scanner that means there's nothing connected, nothing using that IP address. Where we see the green and the blue dots, that means there is a device there and it is responding, but it may not be responding with all the information about it. That could be because the firewall is turned on or for other reasons. But the point being is we can see that there are several devices there. We'll look at this one here, 10.0.0.16. So we can already see that there's our host name and it gives me the MAC Address, and it also tells me that there are some filtered ports on this one; port 80, port 443, and port 8080. That's something that can become more useful for us later on where we're trying to secure our devices. But the point being is I do have information here that identifies what this device is. I have the Hostname and I also have the MAC Address and of course the IP address. So now I've got a listing of the devices that's on my network, what I want to do next, though, is I want prioritize them. And prioritization, this is where things get tricky because there's not a cookie-cutter way of prioritizing devices. It's gonna be dependent upon your company and your network. There are some people that they will tell you that you prioritize your network devices. Those are the things that matter most. So when we're going to go do the reconfigurations we're gonna start with reconfiguring our routers and our switches. But others will tell you no, you need to start with the endpoint devices, the PCs and the servers. Those are more important. And so you'll start with those by going in at setting changes on those to make them more secure. Others will tell you it's the firewalls, your security devices should be prioritized. Here's the point. No matter what is your decision on what device should be prioritized and shouldn't the one thing I will tell you is, once that you start that plan, stick with it, don't change it. So in this particular lesson we talked about the planning phases of reconfiguration and reconfiguring our assets. We've talked about mapping our assets and we've talked about prioritization. I want you to join me in my next lesson as we talk about hardening security appliances.

Intermediate Provider : James Youngblood 3 Lessons · 13m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

The cost of implementing security methods may seem substantial, but the cost of a security breach can be exponentially higher. Security breaches can cost businesses thousands or even millions of dollars. How can a small company afford the costs of implementing security on their network? Surprisingly, most companies already have the tools and equipment needed to protect their network, but they are not being consistently updated or configured properly. Minimal changes can help our current equipment do a better job of securing our network. Updates, patches, hotfixes, service packs, and firmware updates can address security issues and help prevent breaches in our network. However, computers, laptops, and smartphones are not the only devices that need updating. We will discuss all the devices that need regular updates, including servers, network switches, routers, and firewalls.

Updates increase the security of your network and can prevent over 80% of breaches. In these lessons, we will explore the importance of updating and patching devices and software. You will learn the need for asset mapping and prioritization and how to harden assets, particularly security devices. Finally, you will learn the differences between patches, hotfixes, service packs and firmware updates.

What You'll Learn

Define and describe hotfixes and how they address security issues
Explain the differences between patches, hotfixes, service packs, and firmware updates
Define and describe device hardening, particularly for security appliances
Plan the reconfiguration of existing network assets to improve security
Map and prioritize assets that require regular updates
Identify which devices need regular updates, including servers, network switches, routers, and firewalls

Key Takeaways

The cost of a security breach can be exponentially higher than the cost of implementing security methods, reaching thousands or even millions of dollars.
Most companies already have the tools and equipment needed to protect their network, but these are often not consistently updated or configured properly.
Updates, patches, hotfixes, service packs, and firmware updates can address security issues and help prevent breaches, preventing over 80% of breaches.
Devices beyond computers, laptops, and smartphones require regular updates, including servers, network switches, routers, and firewalls.
The course covers asset mapping and prioritization and how to harden assets, particularly security devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It explores the importance of updating and patching devices and software, the need for asset mapping and prioritization, how to harden assets (particularly security devices), and the differences between patches, hotfixes, service packs, and firmware updates.

Which devices does the course say need regular updates?

The course discusses all the devices that need regular updates, including computers, laptops, smartphones, servers, network switches, routers, and firewalls.

What skills will I gain from this course?

Skills include Device Firmware Upgrades, Firmware Security, Firmware Updates, IT Security Architecture, Security Implementation, and Server Patching.

What lessons are included in this course?

The course includes three lessons: The Planning Phase of Reconfiguration; Hardening Security Appliances; and Patches, Hotfixes, Service Packs, and Firmware Updates.

Why is this course relevant for smaller companies concerned about security costs?

The course explains that most companies already have the tools and equipment needed to protect their network, and that minimal changes such as consistent updates and proper configuration can help existing equipment do a better job of securing the network.