11 Small to Medium Sized Network Security Solution part 11

Project Development

We start with the initial vulnerability test and progress to each additional test as the project moved forward.

Original vulnerability assessment 25% high risks

After installing Arch Linux before configuration setting applied 33% high / 16% medium risk

 After installing dnsmasq and configuring 14% high / 14% low risk 

 After installing and configuring snort 12% high risk

    

The goal of the project was to provide an affordable security solution for a small to medium sized network. It was pretty much determined from the beginning that the hardware platform would be a raspberry pi. The undetermined was exactly what open source software solution would work well with the Pi form the operating system platform to the layers of other software that would be installed above and beyond the OS.

The other piece of the puzzle that needed clarification had to do with the penetration testing process. There are many tools available and endless opportunities to try and compromise a security solution. New vulnerabilities are discovered each day. I found that the initial penetration test was taking an inordinate amount of time to accomplish and so I needed to define more clearly the scope of that part of the project. I adapted the initial pen test to a more simplified vulnerability test due to time constraints. I explained the difference between the two since in any comprehensive security solution, especially as the network increases in size and makes use of any external facing servers or services, you will want to include pen testing at least once a year in your security solution.

I was glad that education was such an important part of the goal of my project because in the end the information gathered and provided has served to do just that. Provide an overall solid understanding of the nature of the risks that are out there, and ways to mitigate those risks and has exposed the danger of doing nothing at all and leaving the security of your network to chance.

Also I want to reemphasize the dynamic nature of network security, the need to wash rinse repeat, to not remain stagnate or believe that it’s a problem that is once solved always solved. I mention again the IoT (internet of things), and the idea that as things become more connected there will always be concerns about making sure that the rogue elements that exist will not be able to find and exploit security holes.