Security: The Hardware Advantage
If you want to learn more about security, the hardware advantage is a good place to start. It consists of six major factors:
1) Speed. Hardware devices are much faster than software implementations. This gives hardware devices an inherent advantage over software-based ones, which means faster detection of intrusions and quicker response time in defending against a breach.
2) Depth. Custom hardware such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPSs), and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) can offer greater protection than general purpose operating systems running on computers or servers because they are capable of detecting attacks that are not readily visible in normal traffic patterns, or anomalies that can't easily be detected with conventional computer forensic processes.
3) Accuracy. Attack-based security systems, such as firewalls and IPSs, can be more accurate than signature-based ones, such as IDSs. This is because attacks tend to exhibit more recognizable patterns that can be detected by observing traffic throughput.
4) Flexibility. Hardware devices are inherently flexible and adaptive in their ability to adapt to changes in attack vectors over time. For example, signature-based IDSs are less effective against polymorphic malware because signatures of these varieties of malware change frequently enough so that their signatures cannot be updated fast enough for them to provide protection against this form of attack.
5) Reliability (stability). Hardware devices are more reliable and stable than software ones. Hardware-based products are much less susceptible to attack or infiltration than their software-based counterparts because they don't contain memory buffers, or any other part of the operating system that can be exploited by an attacker.
6) Physical presence. Hardware security devices are designed to be deployed in a physical space and must be physically accessed to be compromised, which makes them more secure than software-only solutions.
For these reasons, speed and accuracy, hardware advantages can make all the difference between effective protection against network attacks and breaches and inadequate protection that leaves your organization vulnerable to cyber threats.
For example, in a study done by the U.S. General Accounting Office, 167 out of 170 organizations surveyed that had experienced a significant data breach reported that they had not detected the attack or intrusion using security software. In contrast, only 10% of the same organizations said that they had not detected the attack or intrusion using "hardware-based technologies." ( http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08356t.pdf )
To learn more about these types of devices, there are a number of articles on our website that describe them in more detail:
http://www.security-corporation.com/network_hardware_advantage_security1#Intrusion+Prevention+Systems
http://www.security-corporation.com/network_hardware_advantage_security2#Firewalls
http://www.security-corporation.com/network_hardware_advantage_security3#Intrusion+Detection+Systems
http://www.security-corporation.com/hardware_advantage#Logical+Security+Fundamentals
You can also read about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security:The_Hardware+Advantage
By Michael Daugherty and John Daugherty
John Daugherty is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Security-Corporation, Inc. Mike Daugherty is the Chief Technology Officer of Security-Corporation, Inc. and a globally recognized expert in network security.
A version of this entry was was published on Glossy News in April and May 2013.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or official policy of Security-Corporation, Inc., its affiliates, or subsidiary companies. The information also does not constitute investment advice and should not be relied on as such. Any views expressed may change without notice. To ensure accuracy, please check official sources to verify information contained herein. This article may be updated periodically to reflect developing situations and new understandings about them.
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http://www.security-corporation.com/network_hardware_advantage_security2#Firewalls
http://www.security-corporation.com/network_hardware_advantage_security3#Intrusion+Detection+Systems
http://www.security-corporation.com/hardware_advantage#Logical+Security+Fundamentals
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You can check out our full blog on DDoS, Defenses and Security Services here : http://www.securitycorporation.com/blog/ Check out our JAVA Security products here : http://www.security-corporation.com/products/cloud-computing-and-sharing Products : http://www.securitycorporation.com/products Data Center Solutions : http://www.securitycorporation.com/solutions In addition, you can follow us on Twitter @Security_Corps and like us on Facebook.