Optical LANs Provide Advanced Security Features to Better Protect Networks Against Data Breaches

Transcription

1 LANs Provide Advanced Security Features to Better Protect Networks Against Breaches The news headlines tell the story. Network data breaches at Fortune 500 companies are driving chief information officers (CIOs) and IT professionals to make investments to ensure that corporate info is secure and protected, yet still highly available. A recent Gartner study finds that security is a Top 10 technology priority for CIOs, 1 and Infonetics Research ranks security as a top concern for Enterprise-access Networks. 2 Tellabs LAN Solution Tellabs LAN Solution and Tellabs Panorama PON Manager play vital roles in providing more secure LAN with consistent security policies and procedures, fewer human errors and a more reliable network infrastructure [Figure 1]. The solution improves network security in a number of ways, including: Mitigating the security impact on corporations and IT leadership Eliminating the inefficiencies of legacy copper-based LAN Improving network element management security Providing systemwide security across the LAN Taking advantage of the inherent security of optical fiber Leveraging the security features of ONTs Exceeding Government, Military, HIPAA and PCI requirements LANs improve network security by: Providing powerful security measures at the physical layer, the data layer, user level and port level Reducing the threat of both internal and external malicious attacks while lowering LAN costs Supporting breach response plans and macrosecurity programs Complying with HIPAA and PCI requirements Leveraging the inherent security features of fiber Line Network s Figure 1: Tellabs LAN Solution provides advanced security throughout the network. 1 Gartner 2 Infonetics See Tellabs.com for more information about Tellabs Solutions 1

2 Mitigating the security impact on corporations and IT leadership What is the cost of losing data, files and records accessible through the LAN? In 2014, a Ponemon Institute study concluded that the average cost of a data breach to a company in the United States (U.S.) was $5.85 million per incident. The average cost to U.S. businesses for each lost or stolen record averaged $201/record. The industries for which the costs were the highest are Healthcare ($358 per file) and Education ($294 per file). Ponemon Institute found that the root cause was 42% malicious/ criminal, 30% human error and 29% system glitch. 3 A Healthcare News article describes how LAN downtime can result in lost data, files and records. 4 The Healthcare vertical is an excellent example of this correlation between data loss and network reliability. Doctors, nurses and healthcare staff are constantly uploading critical data 24/7/365, and if the LAN is down, then data/files/ records can be lost. The Healthcare News article reports that healthcare organizations are making significant IT investments to transform the IT infrastructure and ensure that patient information is secure, protected and highly available. How can businesses protect themselves from data breaches as a result of insecure LAN equipment and infrastructure? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a securityplanning guide outlining the steps to secure a corporate network: 5 Identify all devices and connections on the network Set boundaries between your company s systems and others Enforce controls to ensure that unauthorized access, misuse or denial-of-service events can be thwarted or rapidly contained and recovered from if they do occur The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says that cyber insurance should be considered to mitigate losses from security incidents, such as data breaches, business interruption and network damage. Insurance should promote the adoption of preventive measures in return for more coverage. And the insurance should encourage the use of best practices by basing premiums on the level of protection. 6 Therefore, proactively building a more secure LAN can lower the costs of cyber insurance. CIOs and IT staff often have network security key performance indicators (KPIs) than can affect performance and compensation reviews, including: The number of security breaches/incidents in systems and infrastructure Percent of systems/applications compliant with security policies/standards Security patches applied within timelines/deadlines percentage Uptime percent for business-critical systems Business time lost due to unscheduled downtime There are real costs associated with data breaches. LAN equipment and infrastructure are possible entry points for malicious activity. It is best for CIOs and IT pros to have a proactive data breach response plan. And with a proactive, highly secure LAN in place, CIOs and IT pros can benefit from lower lost costs, better KPI reviews and lower insurance premiums. Eliminating the inefficiencies of legacy copper-based LAN LAN security is gaining greater importance every year for IT professionals. What s not changing is the architecture, cabling and equipment used by legacy copper-based active Ethernet LANs. In comparison, LANs have many attributes that can tighten network security. Legacy copper-based LAN A legacy copper-based active Ethernet LAN is a complex distributed network. All of its resources are distributed to the farthest reaches of the LAN, which makes implementing and managing consistent security policies and processes difficult. With network intelligence distributed to all the disparate end-points, security policy, security procedures, equipment configurations and moves/adds/changes (MACs) require more human touches, which increase the chance of errors. Copper-based active Ethernet LAN is inherently less reliable, contributing to security risks due to loss of data, files and records. Copper cabling introduces security weakness since its radiant data is tasked with transporting data that is, you do not need to tap into copper cable to gain access to sensitive data, files and records. Finally, all of the deep network devices with full functionality and intelligence add complexity and vulnerability to malicious access. LAN In comparison, the LAN architecture promotes centralized intelligence and management, which simplify the implementation of consistent security policies and processes. The Tellabs Panorama PON Manager element management system reduces the need for human touches on equipment, thus reducing errors. cabling is also inherently more secure than copper cabling. And deep network devices in LANs do not store any configuration or user information and present no local physical management access. 3 Ponemon Institute SEL03027USEN.PDF 4 Healthcare News healthcares-slack-security-costs-16b 5 FCC 6 DHS See Tellabs.com for more information about Tellabs Solutions 2

3 Fewer than 500 users Enhanced Security Quantifiable Savings for fewer than a 500-User/Employee LAN Realistic deployment size for an Enterprise LAN served by a Tellabs 1134 OLT $99, Symantec data breach calculator theorized that this is the cost of a data breach for a service only company that has only employee/company info at risk 7 29% Ponemon Institute found that the root cause of 29% of network errors was a system glitch $28,983 $99,994 x.29 = Percentage of responsibility for a secure LAN infrastructure $28,983 Proportional savings for Tellabs LAN, but it could also be argued that $99,994 is the true value at risk Figure 2: Potential savings from a Tellabs 1134 OLT blocking a security breach for a 500-user and/or end-points LAN. What are the potential cost savings from blocking data breaches with Tellabs LAN Solution? A realistic deployment size for an Enterprise LAN being served by a Tellabs 1134 Line (OLT) is 500 users and/or end-point devices. We can use the Symantec data breach calculator to get an estimate of $99,994 for the cost of a data breach for a service only company that has only employee/company info at risk. 7 The Ponemon Institute study found that the root cause of 29% of network errors was a system glitch, so we can extrapolate that $28,983 in savings (29% of $99,994) is attributable to a 500-user/device using LAN. [Figure 2]. An Enterprise LAN being served by a Tellabs 1150 OLT most likely has 1,000 to 5,000 users and/or end-point devices. The Symantec data breach calculator estimates $1.5 million for the cost of a data breach for a service only company where only employee/company info is at risk. If we apply the Ponemon Institute 29% system glitch percentage, we can extrapolate that $435,000 in savings (29% of $1,500,000) is attributable to a 1,000- to 5,000-user/device LAN. But just like the insurance cost for any calamity, it could also be argued that $1.5 million is the true cost [Figure 3]. Improving network element management security A secure LAN starts with the Tellabs Panorama PON Manager, the element management interface for the LAN. Within the Tellabs PON Manager, role-based access for users is established through strict authentication and authorization [Figure 4]. This is where secure passwords are assigned and managed. Based on IT staff credentials, privileges are defined for what a user can view and modify. Then the activity of the IT staff can be tracked, which helps root cause analyses during troubleshooting and can help with junior IT staff training. User management is very important to achieve the highest levels of security, stability and operational efficiency. The Tellabs PON Manager supports IPv6 and IPSec, which provide additional security functions. Finally, the Tellabs PON Manager is where secure profiles/templates are created for ONTs, ports, connections and other network elements. Within these secure profiles/templates are consistent security policies and procedures. Information managed within these profiles/ templates includes: ONT identifier and name, Ethernet port configuration, PoE settings, IEEE 802.1x, LLDP, RSTP settings and NAC are configured as autonomous rules-based provisioning. The goal of Tellabs LAN is to improve physical LAN security, enabling consistent security policies that are centrally managed while reducing human error and increasing network stability. Enhanced Security Quantifiable Savings for a 1,000- to 5,000-User/Employee LAN 1,000 to 5,000 users Realistic deployment size for an Enterprise LAN served by a Tellabs 1150E OLT $1,500, Symantec data breach calculator theorized that this is the cost of data breach for a service only company that has only employee/company info at risk 7 29% Ponemon Institute found that the root cause of 29% of network errors was a system glitch $435,000 $1,500,000 x.29 = Percentage of responsibility for a secure LAN infrastructure $435,000 Proportional savings for Tellabs LAN, but it could also be argued that if and when the event happens, $1.5 million would be at risk Figure 3: Potential savings from a Tellabs 1150 OLT system blocking a security breach for 1,000 5,000 users served by LAN 7 Symantec See Tellabs.com for more information about Tellabs Solutions 3

4 Line Network s Figure 4: Tellabs Panorama PON Manager provides centralized intelligence, control, automation and management across all network elements. Providing systemwide security across the LAN The Tellabs Panorama PON Manager provides much of the system-wide centralized intelligence, control, automation and management. There are other security features and functionality associated with the OLTs and the LAN solution that contribute to enhanced security across the entire network [Figure 5]. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) Tellabs LAN Solution support the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), an encryption algorithm and constantly churning keys. GPON uses 128-bit AES encryption for downstream transmissions. To illustrate the relative size of a 128-bit key would require a constantly changing (i.e., churning) 340 undecillion (that s 39 zeros)-size number. AES has been adopted by the U.S. government and is now used worldwide. GPON has no encryption in the upstream direction because the traffic is granted and orchestrated by the OLT, which has the intelligence to recognize rogue or unexpected ONTs that have neither been properly authenticated nor authorized. The GPON protocol is a stateful protocol; therefore, any interruption of communications is deemed suspicious, and that ONT is quarantined immediately. Simply stated, the OLT with its centralized intelligence are managing tens if not thousands of ONTs simultaneously, and only it can decipher the order of upstream transmission from multiple ONTs. Service Segmentation In the past, LAN services (e.g., voice, video, wireless access) services were physically separated onto different Layer 1 cabling for security purposes. These overlay networks were costly to purchase and operate negatively impacting building space, introducing wasteful material, consuming power and emitting thermals. Today, it is an accepted practice to provide secure transmission over a single physical network utilizing Layer 2 VLAN trunking because service-level VLANs can extend to all end-points. This is how LANs segregate and secure data flows to each client device. Even different ports and ONTs on the same VLAN can be offered different Service Level Agreements with VLAN trunking. What used to be relegated to disparate physical networks can now be converged over a single fiber with LAN. Authentication and Authorization Another important aspect of security over an LAN is the support of consistent authentication and authorization policies. This is accomplished through the Tellabs Panorama PON Manager within profiles and templates relying on protocols, such as IEEE 802.1x, NAC, PAC, DHCP and RADIUS, and IEEE 802.1x. They provide controlled access through strong authentication mechanisms for end-user devices utilizing encryption keys. This helps with intrusion detection and protects from unauthorized activity at the user and device levels. These functions work in concert with Network Access Control (NAC) and Port Access Control (PAC) functions, Line Network s Figure 5: Tellabs LAN Solution has systemwide security enhancements. See Tellabs.com for more information about Tellabs Solutions 4

5 NAP Server(s) WiFi Access Point AAA Server Network Distribution Radius OLT GPON Local Area Network ONT Laptop VoIP Phone Workstation POLICY DECISION POINT POLICY ENFORCEMENT POINT ACCESS REQUESTOR Figure 6: Tellabs LAN systemwide secure authentication and authorization mechanisms provide strong security at individual and device levels. which also include Dynamic Host Control Protocol (including Option 82) and RADIUS support [Figure 6]. Access Control Lists Access Control Lists (ACLs) assist with end-to-end security across the LAN. ACLs can be created at Layer 2 (Ethernet), Layer 3 (IP) and Layer 4 (TCP/UDP), and are either static or dynamic. Their purpose is to facilitate network protection for trusted and nontrusted devices, and to operate in conjunction with authentication mechanisms, for example: L2 Ethernet Filtering: source and destination MAC address, Ethertype and organizationally unique identifier (OUI) L3 IP Filtering: source and destination IP address and Protocol Level L4 TCP/UPD Filtering: Type and Port The Tellabs LAN system can support 2,048 basic ACL filters and 512 deep ACL filters with granularity down to the PON service module card. Rate Limiting Ingress rate limiting is an element of security necessary when enabling Ethernet bridging across the LAN. Its purpose is to limit all broadcast ingress datagrams down to a controlled and safe level. Rate limiting can be enabled on any ACL (not just broadcast). It protects against network flooding and blocking, and can be set in 64 Kbps increments. Rate limiting greatly reduces the potential for Denial of Service (DoS), redirects or other malicious attacks. IP/Ethernet Protocols Supported The Tellabs LAN system exceed the expectations and needs of Enterprise LAN standards-based Ethernet and IP protocols. That is, Tellabs LAN system support a long list of IEEE and RFC protocols too numerous to list for the purposes of this overview. Taking advantage of the inherent security of optical fiber The optical plant, also known as fiber cabling infrastructure, can make significant contributions to overall network security [Figure 7]. Fiber optic cabling is more secure than copper cabling. Fiber is neither susceptible to interference nor does it introduce interference. With fiber you have no cross-talk, no EMI, no RFI and no EMP, unlike copper cabling that allows RF emissions that can be eavesdropped without physical access. You cannot listen to fiber from any distance. Hackers would need to physically access fiber to gain entry to fiber-based communications, which is tremendously difficult to do. GPON is a stateful protocol that detects all abnormal, rogue intrusion events and thwarts physical tapping. Line Network s Figure 7: plant cabling infrastructure provides inherent security protections. See Tellabs.com for more information about Tellabs Solutions 5

6 Core Routers Public Access xdomain Content Aggregator VANGUARD Alarmed PDS Trunk Cable ODN Splitter 1:32 Flexible Interlocking Alarmed and Armored Fiber Optic Cable ONTS Desktop xdomain Thin Clients Internal Corporate OLT SMF (30 km) High Security d/locked Building Main Room/MDF d/locked IDF d/locked ONTs Nonmilitary illustration. If military, unclassified transmissions would be on separate networks. Figure 8: All- PON provides armored, alarmed and 24/7/365-monitored fiber cabling for added security. All- PON All- PON is a means of building highly secure LANs by combining the inherent security benefits of LANs with armored, alarmed and 24/7/365-monitored fiber cabling. 8 All- PON delivers unparalleled performance, security and information assurance [Figure 8]. It is JITC certified, NSTISSI 7003 compliant and deployed throughout the U.S. Department of Defense. All- PON can now be utilized by other markets that experience the high costs associated with data breaches and thus require highly secure LAN, such as hospitals, financial institutions and educational organizations. Even a legacy-hardened carrier protective distribution system (PDS) with electrical metallic tubing and concrete encasement requires periodic visual inspections (PVIs). The carrier (or cabling) was deployed below ceilings and above floors for the purposes of visual inspection. The electrical metallic tubing requires welding and epoxying of all connections. For security, the outdoor cabling requires concrete encasement. With All- PON and its armored, alarmed and 24/7/365-monitored fiber cabling, both CapEx and OpEx are drastically reduced. With the constant auto-learning threshold monitoring of the cabling 24/7/365, the requirement for periodic visual inspections is eliminated. The cables can installed out of sight above ceilings and below floors. Real-world business cases for All- PON showcase a 66% savings in install costs and 75% in faster MACs. Leveraging the security feature of ONTs The ONTs are inherently secure as well [Figure 9]. LAN ONTs are designed with no local management access. This is done because there are few needs for human touches at the ONTs. The ONTs are basically simple optical-to-electrical terminals. ONTs are highly secure and reliable, which ultimately helps improve security. Furthermore, LANs have centralized intelligence and management; no information is stored at the ONTs. User and provisioning information does not reside on the ONT. ONTs are a thin client user/device policies are managed solely at OLT. Thus, ONTs can move freely around the LAN and be sent back to the vendor for repair/return if needed without risk of network/user data being compromised. What if someone with malicious intent tries to access ports on ONTs? The open unused ONT ports are dead by default and cannot pass traffic. And even if that open port somehow got activated, the perpetrators would be blocked by NAC protection mechanisms. The activation of an open unused ONT port can only be done centrally from the secure Tellabs Panorama PON Line Network s Figure 9: Equipment redundancy options include uplink, control, timing, service module, power plant and fans. 8 Tellabs and Network Integrity Systems See Tellabs.com for more information about Tellabs Solutions 6

7 Manager console, most likely positioned in a locked room. Pulling a working service connection (i.e., cable) from an active ONT port triggers an alarm thru the Tellabs Panorama PON Manager and triggers NAC protection that blocks hacker access. If the fiber is tapped at the ONTs, could meaningful data, records and files be extracted? First, the reflection loss is too great to recover any ONT s upstream signal at another ONT. Second, only the OLT can synch upstream data from multiple ONTs, since upstream frame alignment is offset. This offset frame alignment means that an intermediate interception would not have correct frame alignment synchronization; therefore, no useful data, records or files could be gathered. Last, even if inline monitoring of a single ONT was attempted, once the fiber was accessed, the OLT (especially with All- PON) would immediately detect and alarm the system to the fiber tampering. Also, the faceplate screws of the Tellabs 120W Mini Network are alarmed through the Tellabs Panorama PON Manager. Lockable cover options can be deployed with the Tellabs 100 ONT series and Tellabs 700 ONT series end-devices. Exceeding Government, Military, HIPAA and PCI requirements The U.S. Federal Government and Military were the early adopters of Tellabs LAN because of its ability to improve network security both at the electronics level and across the cabling infrastructure. Today, other industry verticals such as Healthcare, Education, Retail and Financial are looking to LAN for the same security benefits. Government and Military All Tellabs LAN hardware and software pass rigorous and constant testing through Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC). All Tellabs LAN products are listed on the DISA JITC UC APL, which is publicly accessible to all Healthcare, Education, Retail and Financial entities considering the technology. In addition to JITC testing, Tellabs LAN has successfully completed U.S. Army I3MP/ I3C2 Performance Evaluation testing and Certified TEMPEST Technical Authority (CTTA), meets UCR 2013, STIGs and FIPS criteria. Tellabs LAN is deployed in the most secure government and military networks in the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) The intent of HIPAA is to protect patient data integrity from eavesdropping, manipulation and theft. LAN is a robust and secure solution that meets applicable HIPAA requirements. LAN presents no access to any ephi data. As such, LAN s primary role is to provide transport and systemwide security. LAN s combination of very robust security and no ephi data minimizes any risk to ephi data. LAN can also provide documented hardening of operational systems and procedures. These HIPAA policies and procedures are well-defined step-by-step procedures otherwise known as the Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for hardening the operating system, the Tellabs Panorama PON Manager and the LAN hardware (OLTs and ONTs). Tellabs LAN is deployed in HIPAA-compliant LANs. Payment Card Industry (PCI) The purpose of the PCI is to provide protection for credit cardholders by ensuring that merchants meet minimum levels of security when they store, process and transmit transactional data. LAN can help build and maintain a secure network for the protection of credit cardholder data. LAN is ideal to implement consistent PCI policies, including strong access control measures and regular monitoring and testing of the network all of which should be part of overarching information security policy and procedure, of which Tellabs LAN and Tellabs Panorama PON Manager play a vital role. Tellabs LAN is deployed in PCI-compliant LANs across multiple vertical markets. Summary No company wants to be the victim of data breach, and no business wants their security weaknesses to be showcased across all media outlets in the event of such an unfortunate breach. No doubt there are real costs for the business and a negative impact on the employees as a result of the breach. A fiber-based LAN infrastructure with Tellabs LAN solution and Tellabs Panorama PON Manager are a viable solution for building a more defensible LAN, where security polices and procedures are implemented consistently. Take the next step. Contact Tellabs today West Diehl Road Naperville, IL U.S.A. 2015, Tellabs Access, LLC. All rights reserved. TEL /15