Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Telco Security Misses Mark

    By
    Dennis Fisher
    -
    May 20, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Searching for relief from the pressures of abundant capacity and intense competition for their core services, carriers such as WorldCom Inc. and Sprint Corp. are rushing headlong into the managed security services business.

      But the plans are drawing fire from security experts and customers, who say the carriers should look internally and secure their networks before offering external services.

      Although for years many carriers have employed large staffs of security professionals, most providers still lack basic security safeguards such as DDoS (distributed-denial-of-service) protection on their data networks. Indeed, Telus Corp., a Canadian company, last week became the first North American carrier to install an anti-DDoS system.

      Preventing and mitigating DDoS attacks is a challenge in that it requires cooperation among the victim, its ISP and, often, the attackers ISP. But such cooperation is nearly impossible if providers arent prepared for an attack.

      “The things enterprises can do [to protect themselves] are limited unless the carrier gets involved,” said Ted Julian, chief strategist of Arbor Networks Inc., of Waltham, Mass., which sells an anti-DDoS solution to enterprises and carriers.

      But according to some customers, most of the carriers still dont have their security houses in order.

      “I think its a lack of understanding on their part and a lack of perceived return on investment,” said Jon Rosensen, director of strategic initiatives at Stargate.net Inc., a Pittsburgh-based technology solutions provider and customer of several large carriers, including Sprint. “Theyre more focused on the physical security of the network.”

      Rosensen said when Stargates network was the target of several large-scale DDoS attacks several years ago, he decided to install his own protection rather than seek help from the carriers. “Customers were making decisions to go with other companies because they had more bandwidth and could absorb the attacks,” Rosensen said.

      For their part, the carriers say that while they may not have commercial DDoS protection products installed, they have done other things to mitigate security threats.

      Executives at Sprint, which recently unveiled a new set of security services, including penetration tests and vulnerability scans, said the investment and complexity involved in deploying DDoS or firewall protection makes it difficult.

      “Imagine how many entry points there are on our network,” said Dale Bachman, security practice manager at Sprint, in Overland Park, Kan. “It would be a large technical challenge, but it might be worthwhile. It sounds like a reasonable value-add.”

      “WorldCom has taken a lot of steps in addressing DDoS, but theyre not things that were packaging and selling to our customers, so wed rather not talk about them,” said Bob Blakley, manager of Internet security services at WorldCom, in Ashburn, Va. WorldCom recently announced a partnership with Internet Security Systems Inc. to offer customers a set of managed services, including event response and remote scanning services.

      Still, some in the industry question whether the carriers can pull off a move into managed services.

      “The telcos are good at things that are highly repeatable and highly automated. Security is anything but that,” said Daniel McCall, co-founder and executive vice president of Guardent Inc., a managed security services provider in Waltham, Mass.

      Related stories

      • ISP Protects Its IP Backbone From DDoS Attacks
      • Sprint to Roll Out Security Service
      • Anti-DDoS Tool Keeps Networks Running
      • Commentary: Fighting the Disorder of Magnitude
      Dennis Fisher
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×