Re: ATM PVC as security barrier

From: Olli Artemjev (olliat_private)
Date: Thu May 10 2001 - 02:00:57 PDT

  • Next message: Shoten: "Re: ATM PVC as security barrier"

    On Wed, 9 May 2001, Alfred R. Collins wrote:
    > Our network engineer proposed ATM PVC's as a means to route Internet traffic
    > across our corporate backbone.
    This is good solution.
    
    > Obviously, the best approach is to carry the
    > Internet traffic on totally separate channels.
    That costs too much money. Thus this is not the BEST approach.
    
    > However, we have to  distribute Internet access to far flung sites on
    > our corporate owned network, and network engineering does not want to
    > pay for independent communication channels.
    It's good. Having ATM you may do (from user level) the same thing as if
    you had many phisicaly diffrent lines.
    
    > They insist on using the existing corporate network
    > infrastructure because it is already there.
    Seems them can count money. =D
    
    > I proposed VPN's as more secure than PVCs.
    That's almost wrong. Buy a popular book on ATM & read on. Seems you don't
    undestand what is ATM PVCs. PVCs can secure your network & VPNs can
    also. But them are working at diffrent level & it seem to be harder to
    hack ATM PVCs then VPNs. The difference is usualy at an end-point - with
    PVCs you must hack victims routers/switches & with PVCs you may attack
    end-user systems (via MUA/web browsers & other stuff transparent to
    network layer you may upload a trojan stuff).
    
    > Any other alternatives?
    Lots of. Buy a book on networking or just thisit www.cisco.com & buy
    theirs CD - it contains configuring cisco hardware notes & also LAN
    building notes. & if you have ATM at your network - just thisit your
    net-enginiears & ask them what should you read around secure networking.
    
    >  I am looking for feedback on using PVC's
    > versus VPN's as a security barrier between our corporate network and the
    > Internet.
    Them both may be used & them both securing the network, but PVCs are more
    transparent & harder to hack.
    
    > Note I am proposing that VPN's provide security in the reverse
    > direction than how they are typically used. Rather than protecting traffic
    > inside the VPN transversing an insecure network, I am proposing that a VPN
    > can protect a corporate network from the insecure Internet traffic confined
    > within the VPN. Is this a valid assumption?
    This is too short & small to a wide view. In some cases you may be right
    in some you may be wrong.
    
    > Note: both ends of the VPN
    > terminate at a firewall that we control. Comments?
    In this case PVCs are MUCH better.
    
    --
    Bye.Olli
    MISiS Telecommunications
    phone:   +7(095)955-0087
    



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