SECURING FIBRE CHANNEL FABRICS - Brocade

Chapter 4: Security Basics for Storage ProfessionalsNon-maliciousInternal• Carelessness• Lack of training•Lack of securityawareness• Improper zoning•Misconfigured HBAs•Inadequate backups• Inadequate or non-existentoperationalprocedures• Reduced budgetsExternalN/AIt is interesting to note that this table does not include non-maliciousexternal threats. It is the writer's opinion that all external threats aremalicious regardless of the intent since the result is always malicious.For example, even if a curious individual breaches a system and onlybrowses around various directories, the security administrator whodetects this breach must now investigate. Who is the person thatbreached the system? What was his intention? Was she simply collectinginformation in preparation for a more significant attack in the future?Addressing these questions during an investigation takes time andcosts the company money, resulting in a loss. Hence, all externalthreats, no matter how benign they may seem at first, have a negativeeffect and are considered malicious.Protecting from External ThreatsAttackers from the outside come in many forms with different motivationalfactors. Some hackers attack systems for fame and braggingrights within the “black hat” community. Terrorists attack systems tocause maximum damage and loss to organizations. Others attack systemsfor profit and personal gain, such as organized criminals.Terrorist organizations have used cyber-crime to finance their terroristactivities. Some attackers are just curious individuals who want to seewhat they can do. These “script kiddies” may be young hackers withoutsophisticated computer knowledge, who download hacking scriptsand tools from the Internet and try them out on random organizationsand systems for amusement.Isolating the systems and assets from the outside world is the primarymethod used to protect against external threats. The defense-in-depthstrategy works well to provide multiple layers of protection from out-54 Securing Fibre Channel Fabrics