TechRepublic - IT Security: Growing attack surfaces require new security model

Patrick Lambert describes the intelligence-based security model - a response to new attack surfaces that don't fit into the standard perimeter-defense model.

By Patrick Lambert
January 16, 2013

These past 15 years have seen the network security world adopt rules that aim at keeping businesses secure when dealing with online threats. Every model in use right now is based on having a perimeter and making sure that no unwanted material gets into your servers, your workstations, or worse, steals your data. This perimeter has evolved, but typically involves a set of firewalls that filter out unwanted traffic; routers and switches, which deal with network congestion, including potential denial of service attacks; and intrusion detection systems to make sure that if someone does try to get in, they are caught in the act. Unfortunately, recent years have seen the attack surface widen by a lot. The combination of mobile business workers, who are using tablets or smartphones outside of the corporate network, along with cloud adoption, means that your attack surface is no longer restrained to just a few network pipes. Now you have to deal with people connecting through wi-fi, cellular networks, ad hoc connections, and many online services. All of this means that suddenly, your attack surface has grown exponentially, and using perimeter-based defenses no longer makes sense. This is when you should start thinking differently about security.

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