Sophos's 'NAC for Dummies' guide explains how companies can enforce
a security policy and prevent unpatched computers from accessing
the network.
Experts at Sophos have advised businesses to deploy Windows
security patches after Microsoft issued a warning of security flaws
in its software.
As part of its monthly "Patch Tuesday" schedule Microsoft has
issued a number of bulletins about security vulnerabilities in its
software. The list of affected software includes Microsoft SQL
Server, Exchange and various versions of Windows.
Separately, however, Microsoft has issued a security
advisory about an as yet unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft
Office Word 2002 Service Pack 3, which could allow remote code
execution. Microsoft acknowledges that it is possible that other
versions of Word are also vulnerable.
"As internet criminals become more organized and
financially-motivated it is more important than ever to ensure that
your business is properly defended with the latest patches," said
Graham Cluley,
senior technology consultant at Sophos. "It will be interesting to
see how quickly Microsoft can turnaround a fix to the possible flaw
in Microsoft Word, which is reported to be being exploited in the
wild by hackers."
Home users of Microsoft Windows can visit update.microsoft.com to have
their systems scanned for Microsoft security vulnerabilities.
Sophos suggests that every IT manager responsible for security
should consider subscribing to vulnerability mailing lists such as
that operated by Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx.
How can Network Access Control help your business?
Network Access
Control enables companies to control who and what is allowed
onto their network; blocking unauthorized users, controlling guest
access, and ensuring compliance with a business's security policy.
By implementing NAC firms reduce the risk of unauthorized, guest,
non-compliant, or infected systems compromising the network,
ensuring that only correctly secured computers gain network
access.
"NAC identifies managed, unmanaged and guest computers that do
not comply with your security policy, and acts as a vital tool when
dealing with newly reported security vulnerabilities such as
these," explained Cluley. "It is possible to quickly assess, for
instance, which computers are incorrectly patched or have their
firewall disabled. You may then choose to automatically fix
vulnerabilities before allowing the PCs to access your network, or
simply block non-compliant computers."
Sophos continues to recommend companies protect their desktops
and servers with automatically updated
protection against viruses, spyware, hackers, and spam.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.