April 2004 Sys Admin NSM Article Online

I learned today that my April 2004 Sys Admin article Integrating the Network Security Model is now available online. I've also posted .pdf and .ps versions at my TaoSecurity.com publications page. From the article:

" Intrusion detection is a controversial topic. Although intrusion detection systems (IDS) were once hailed as the answer to the shortcomings of firewalls, they are now labeled "dead" by some market analysts and are threatened by intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and 'deep inspection' firewalls. In this article, I'll look at the detection and validation of intrusions through an operational model called network security monitoring (NSM). I will briefly explain NSM theory and introduce several tools for integrating NSM concepts into existing prevention and detection systems.

NSM is the collection, analysis, and escalation of indications and warnings to detect and respond to intrusions. NSM is an operational model inspired by the United States Air Force's signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection methods and Todd Heberlein's 'Network Security Monitor' (ref AttackCenter.com). SIGINT is the collection of information on communications and the transformation of that information into intelligence products. Similarly, NSM collects and analyzes network traffic to identify and validate intrusions. NSM uses full content, statistical, session, and alert data to help analysts make decisions. Whereas intrusion detection cares more about identifying successful attacks, NSM provides evidence to gauge the extent of an intrusion, assess its impact, and guide effective remediation steps."

I am currently proofing an article for the February 2005 issue called "More Tools for Network Security Monitoring."