Topic: NETWORK INTRUSION DETECTION

Multiple network zones prevent intrusion

Multiple network zones prevent intrusion - We consider the Internet as an unsafe zone. When connecting to the Internet we use firewalls to create a safe zone that prevent intrusion from the outside world. Intruders want to get inside that zone for all kinds of reasons and we want to protect our information we keep in our safe zone. At the same time we want to have easy access to our information when connecting to our network and may choose to use a wireless access point in our safe zone. This will open a potential door for intruders near us.

Take a look at your information, there may be some information that you want to protect more than other. Thinking in this direction and consider the Internet as unsafe, we can use multiple zones within our network. Zones that are safer or less safer. A small office network or a home network can easily have an outer zone what keeps less important or public information and an inner zone that is safer, keeping information we do no want to expose.

Use firewalls to divide your network into multiple zones. In your safest zone, newer use any wireless access points. Instead use a wireless access point in the outer zone that allows visitor to use the Internet without getting access to all your network connected computers.

Having your Media Center and Kids computers in the outer zone and your home office computers

in the inner zone would be a typical way to use multi zones networks at home.

Intrusion through the wireless access point will only have access to the outer network where less important information are kept. In a home network, typical your media center and your kids computers are hooked up to the outer zone. In the inner zone you have your home office computers connected that will be protected by the second firewall.

Using a timer on your wireless access point will reduce the intrusion threat to specific time intervals. In a home network the wireless access point can be powered only between 6PM and 10PM. This will also save some power.

Dividing your network in multiple zones makes it harder for intruders to penetrate your network.

Use a firewall and a separate wireless access point. Having a stand alone wireless access point, you can always shut down your wireless connection and still have a working wired Internet connection.