Allowing Outside Vendors on Your Network

Recent revelations about the Target attack have re-focused attention on the dangers associated with allowing an outsider on your internal network. There are a few key lessons we can take from this episode:

• Use strong authentication. Passwords just don't cut it in today's environment.
• Segment your network properly. It appears that Target did not fence off its HVAC vendor from its Point of Sale (POS) systems.
• Require background checks. If you require background checks for your own employees before they are on your network, your outsourcing contracts should require the same level of checks from your vendors.
• Monitor traffic on your network. Network segmentation errors will occur, but hopefully someone would pick up on SQL Injection attacks from your HVAC network.