Airport Security: Don’t Make The Same Mistakes

Airport "Security"

Those of us who travel through any U.S. airport are used to the inconvenience of airport security - the long lines, metal detectors, having to take off your shoes, belts, earrings, and of course the ominous "liquids and gels" inspection. While most people accept these inconveniences as an unfortunate necessity, much of what has been implemented shares some of the common pitfalls found in many computer and network security programs. Using the U.S. airport security model as an example, let’s take a look at some of the security being implemented and relate it to security gone wrong in the enterprise:

Throwing Technology at the Problem - Airports are equipped with some of the latest technology to provide security, such as full body scanners and x-ray machines, yet breaches still happen. Most of us who have served in a security role in an organization are all too familiar with this problem. The typical knee-jerk reaction from management to a security problem is to buy a product, such as a firewall, and install it on the network. Technology is important, but the process and people that surround it are what really makes it work. Training people to administer the firewall, and other security measures, to ensure they are being used properly is the key to success. Policy also needs to exist and be enforced, allowing (continue reading...)