Saturday 27 June 2009

Why you need Internet Filter and Wpa Cracker?

Internet Filter software helps to control and regulate what is browsed on the World Wide Web. Most companies use these filter software to restrict what their employees are allowed to browse on the web while they are using the office network. You can easily provide internet connectivity using a WiFi and installing a penetration testing device with a wpa cracker feature to secure the data on your system.

On corporate network there is a need to monitor and block adult and other improper websites which freely circulate virus and spamware. The Internet filter is software which encourages the IT departments to conform to the various IT standards and security requirements and prevent their employees from using the websites that the company management do not desire them to browse.

The Internet filter software is for the management to control the browsing habits of their employees. The management is able to ensure that the web browsing is productive and useful for the company. With this kind of filter the management is able to enforce the vision and mission of the company on their employees.

The Internet filter technology can work in a passive or an active manner. The passive Internet filter technology does not require changing the network infrastructure or configuration or the client PC. This passive technology does not lead to any extra time or delay for the functioning or speed of the network. Active Internet filter technology requires an extra layer on the network configuration that behaves like a gateway. Thus in the active Internet filter there will be a delay or difference of speed of the network.

In your office you may be providing employees internet connectivity all through the day. You want the employees to constructively progress with their work using the internet. Now, the connectivity can be provided using WiFi as the employees will not be tripping over wires all the time and also the employees are mostly using laptops with WiFi connections when traveling.

However, WiFi systems can be unprotected and hackers can easily enter your system through vulnerable points. You can prevent this by installing a penetrating testing device and this should have the wpa cracker feature. If others are entering your WiFi system they are also reducing your bandwidth. WiFi-protected Access (WPA) were created to minimize the security flaws in WiFi connectivity. Wpa cracker creates a hashed key and also rotates the key on a per packet basis. This feature basically enhances the security of the WiFi, so that unwanted hackers are not able to enter your WiFi system and also anybody else other than the authorized users do not use your WiFi connectivity.

Using a wpa cracker you can prevent your documents being stolen and your bandwidth being used by someone not authorized by your system. The wpa cracker is a linux-based program that can run on all platforms. A portable wpa cracker is required on your laptop if your laptop is moving out of your office WiFi system and you are using the web through another WiFi. The wpa cracker gives a list of all IP addresses that are trying to communicate with your WiFi router.

With many computers using the WiFi network it is difficult to monitor your internet traffic. A wpa cracker lets you monitor the entire networks activity from anywhere inside the WiFi’s limits. You can also block harmful URLs by using an internet filter to make the system foolproof.

Understanding the Process of Vulnerability Assessment

In computer technology, vulnerabilities are defined as the primary gateways where network security threats are manifested. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by hackers and criminal elements and will try to penetrate the network either to steal information or to wreak havoc and disrupt operations. That is why network administrators should regularly perform vulnerability assessment tests and monitoring to secure the network from such attacks. With the use of state of the art hardware such as penetration testing, antispam appliance, and content monitoring tools, assessments of vulnerabilities can become easier.

The primary cause of vulnerabilities of most corporate networks is administrative error. There are times that system administrators and security engineers can commit configuration errors when building networks. These configuration errors can lead to serious security threats if they will remain un-patched. The problem is that manual vulnerability assessment can be very time consuming and tedious. It is also prone to further human errors thus aggravating the vulnerabilities. That is why companies normally automate this task by using penetration testing tools to find unsecured areas of the network. For companies maintaining mail servers, they could use antispam appliance and mail server security monitoring in order to protect the electronic mailing system of the network.

A penetration testing appliance capable of performing vulnerability assessment is a plug and play technology. Network administrators can simply set up the device as a security gateway of the local network. When deployed, the security appliance will automatically perform periodic assessments and detect probable sources of security threats. From the automated reports gathered from such assessments, administrators and IT managers can implement solutions and countermeasures that will patch the vulnerabilities. The process is similar also for configuring mail server security appliance. An antispam appliance will be configured to monitor incoming mails. It can detect spam mails that may contain malicious content. A threat management mail system will also provide reports for administrators so they can implement new security solutions and electronic mail policies.

However, a vulnerability assessment will be effective only if network administrators will follow baseline security standards and implement security patches released by developers and vendors. If administrators will not adhere and abide by security advisories, then their networks will remain vulnerable to attacks. One of the best ways to simplify security management is to implement a unified threat management system. A UTM system can perform comprehensive network vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, spam and web content filtering. A UTM device therefore can serve as anti-penetration hardware and antispam appliance. Such system will simplify the work of network administrators and will bulletproof corporate networks from malicious attacks.

Performing periodic security and vulnerability tests is very critical if you want to protect your corporate networks from hackers. Without effective monitoring and assessment tools, you cannot expect that your network will be 100 percent safe from attacks. And to ensure that network monitoring and assessment will be free from human errors, you need to deploy a unified threat management appliance that will secure your network from external and internal security threats.