In this day and age, there are many ways that others can use to intrude upon us. For the purpose of this article, let’s concentrate on intruders whose purposes are not totally benign. In these days of cyber crime, the intruder does not go around wearing a mask over his eyes, a striped jersey and carrying a sack on his back marked “loot”. Also, it is no longer necessary for him (or her) to physically intrude onto your premises. Someone wishing to steal sensitive or secret files from the computer in your downtown company office does not have to enter the building where the computer is located; all they need do is to get their computer connected to yours. You cannot see them but is there an intrusion prevention system that will warn you that someone is up to no good?
Maybe You Cannot Prevent Intrusion Attempts But, You Can Negate Their Effect
Since plugging a cable into the back of your computer might be difficult, your cyber intruder is more than likely to be using some sort of wireless connectivity device to find a way into your computer directly or through the company network. You can be warned that such activity is happening by reinforcing your password and firewall protection with a system of special sensors capable of detecting virtually any type of wireless connectivity device operating nearby. This should be linked with software detection of a device trying to gain access to your computer.
The hardware side of your Intrusion Prevention System (the sensor) has uncovered a possible intruder operating in the vicinity; software identifies the device this possible intruder is using and cross checks it against your list of devices that are permitted legitimate access. Any device not on your “white list” will be “blacklisted” and denied access. Furthermore, the whole incident will be logged and details made available for any follow up “detective work” that you may decide to instigate.
It’s Not Only About Intrusion Prevention
Although the pricing is not hugely expensive, you may feel that the cost of a stand alone Intrusion Prevention System would be hard to justify. Fortunately, the technology involved can also help you in other ways. For example, it can tell you if your staff are using their smart phones during working hours to update their social network websites using internet connections that you are paying for.
