Year: 2018
Hikvision Participates in 2018 Security China
Hikvision exhibited their latest AI products and technologies at 2018 Security China. More than 1,000 organizations participated in the exhibition which attracted a diverse audience of global distributors, integrators, IT professionals, technology enthusiasts and consumers to join the conversations about solutions around AI, intelligent security, cloud and other mega trends. At the show, Hikvision announced the release to the Chinese market of its AI Cloud framework including platforms for AI applications, resource management, operations and maintenance services. Hikvision is working closely with eco-system partners on AI Cloud network infrastructure, platform services and application interfaces. In the product area of the exhibition, Hikvision showed its latest, core technological breakthroughs and products including: A 3D camera with the capability of 3D face modeling, which can prevent spoofing attack of photos, video and masks, and improve the comparison of facial features and side face; A demo model of 64MP PanoVu camera that adopts integrated design, panoramic images by an eightsensors patchwork to support 360° panoramic monitoring, as well as simultaneous panoramic and closeup pictures; A deep learning based thermal imaging camera for effective fire detection and with algorithms for behavior analysis and accurate face temperature measurement. In addition, Hikvision showcased its intelligent solutions for public security and commercial applications like safe cities, intelligent transport systems (ITS) and smart retail with more than 20 scenario-specific intelligent solutions on display. One example was the ITS solution, which has the capability to analyze video feeds, learn traffic behavior and support management of traffic flow, congestion and incidents. Visitors could also see a wide range of innovations and products for new Hikvision enterprises such as smart home products (EZVIZ), industrial automation (Hik-Robotics), automotive electronics and intelligent storage.
Matrix Participates in IFSEC India 2018
(5 to 7 December 2018)
Matrix has geared up to participate in the 12th edition of The International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) …
IFSEC India 2018
Over 300 Indian and Global brands to mark the 12th edition of IFSEC India, one of South Asia’s largest Security events by UBM India The International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) India Expo, South Asia’s largest security, civil protection and fire safety show by UBM India, is gearing up for its 12th edition which is slated for December 5th – 7th, 2018 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Supported by the Asian Professional Security Association (APSA), American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), Electronic Security Association of India (ESAI), Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) among others, and with ‘Security Update’ and ‘Security Today’ as the official media partners, the show will see participation from over 20 countries such as UK, USA, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Korea, Russia and will bring together over 300 domestic and globally renowned brands, key government officials, consultants, and business experts. The visitor profile of the expo will include professionals such as CSOs, Admin Heads, CIOs, CTOs, Facility Heads, Purchase Managers, System Integrators and Dealers & Distributors of organizations. Speaking on the announcement of the 12th edition of the IFSEC India Show, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “The South Asia region, which the IFSEC India Expo brings within its radar, is a vulnerable as well as a progressive zone with ongoing threats to homeland security, rising urbanization, proliferating crimes, and low people-to-police ratio being some of the most significant factors. The Government of India recognizes this vulnerability and has introduced strict regulations and guidelines that promote the use of security and surveillance in the country — the security of children within school premises, and the growing need for women’s safety being noteworthy instances. Besides, in a bid to make the country truly modern and secure, it has till date invested around ₹ 48,000 crores for its Smart City initiative that aims to create at least 100 smart cities in India. Owing to these factors, it comes as no surprise that the electronic security market in India is expected to witness a tremendous growth with a projected CAGR of nearly 13 percent over the next decade.” “IFSEC India 2018 aims to act as a catalyst for the progress and vision of this proliferating industry, as it provides a platform for industry players to collectively ideate, innovate, spot trends and enable the shift in India’s security paradigm from a defensive approach to a monitoring and responsive one,” he further added. IFSEC India will include in its already formidable repertoire, products and technologies pertaining to CCTV & Surveillance, Biometrics & RFID, Integrated Systems, Access Control, GPS Systems, Video Management, Parking Automation, Transport, Access Control, Perimeter Protection, IoT, Smart Homes, Security & Safe Cities in addition to surveillance for the knowledge of end users and providers. Key global brands & distributors include Premier Plus Partners: Aditya Infotech, Advik, Dahua, eSSL, Globus, Hikvision, Mark, Nuctech, Real-time, TVT and Zkteco; Premier Partners such as Axestrack, Biomax, Honeywell, Mantra, Panasonic, Road Point, Seagate, Timewatch, Unique Electrovision, Vantage, and Western Digital, among others. Significantly, in an industry where up gradation of technology is the very key to surviving competition, the IFSEC India Expo provides high-impact, informative demos and a wealth of opportunities for the visitors to network and learn about new technologies, industry best practices and trends, challenges, market insights and discover the best solutions to keep their business and clients secured. One of the novel ways by which the expo this year is encouraging this vital interaction between key exhibitors with cutting-edge innovations to offer and big-ticket buyers is through the creation of the Regalia Lounge, an exclusive, private 5 star lounge, meant solely for one-on-one interactions and high octane business on a ‘By Invitation Only’ basis. With security in India continuing to be an onerous task, IFSEC India 2018 has decided to proactively decipher relevant insights gained in the global security market as well as latest technology such as aerial vehicles and drones by conducting a two-day conference with the theme ‘Unraveling the Evolution in Security Tech alongside the exhibition. The conference will witness the presence and participation of eminent industry personalities including Shri D.R. Karthikeyan, Chairman, Assocham Homeland Security Council; Capt. Raghu Raman, President – Risk, Security and New Ventures, Reliance Industries Ltd.; Shri M.S. Upadhye, IPS, Chief Security Commissioner, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation; Lt. and Gen. Sudhir Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM, Former Quartermaster General, Indian Army, among others. Some of the trending topics scheduled to be discussed at the conference are – ‘Corporate Risk Management: Integrating Standards and Best Practices into Operations’ , ‘The Evolving Role of a CSO in Crisis Management and in Ensuring Business Continuity’, ‘Regulatory Compliance Requirements Related to Corporate Security’, ‘Industry Best Practices in the Manufacture of Security Products by Bureau of Indian Standards’, ‘Technology-Enabled Disruptions’, ‘Emerging Paradigms in Security Architecture’, ‘How AI & IoT Add Value to Video Surveillance Systems’, ‘The Threat of Cyber Attacks on Security & Surveillance Systems’, and ‘How Drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Can be Effectively Used to Enforce Homeland Security’. This year, IFSEC India is all set to host the 3rd edition of the IFSEC India Awards. With the impressive growth of the Electronic Security Industry in India, the awards have been crafted to specially get the minds behind electronic security in various industry verticals like BFSI, Retail, Manufacturing, Energy, Healthcare, PSUs, IT & ITES and Infrastructure in the limelight. The awards will recognize the excellence and innovations of CSOs & Security officers who continuously work behind the scenes to ensure robust security. The process advisors for the IFSEC India Awards will be Ernst and Young. IFSEC India owes its rich legacy to the 40-year-old IFSEC Global and success to the way the Indian edition has modified itself to suit the specific needs of this region. Recommended by industry experts as the pre-eminent authority on the global security and fire industry, the expo has nudged the industry on the path to a completely secure, smart and digitally enhanced world.
HID Global Upgrading Security at University of Hull
The University of Hull has brought their access control technology into the mobile age. To better serve its students while also increasing security throughout the campus, the university partnered with HID Global, a worldwide leader in trusted identity solutions. The partnership has provided the university more efficient access control to campus buildings and has improved the experience for students and staff. Challenges The University of Hull manages abogcfut 25,000 students and 2,500 staff identities with an expected increase in students year over year. Students and staff were accessing housing accommodations, lecture halls, libraries, research buildings, and other secure locations with old access card technology. To improve their security, the University of Hull updated their magnetic stripe (magstripe) cards to contactless technology several years ago, but still found the solution lacking. Issuing thousands of access cards and maintaining credentials was logistically demanding and inefficient. “As you can imagine, over 520 people arriving at student residences for the weekend, with all of their parents, grandparents, dogs and others, is quite chaotic,” said Gary Moore of the University’s ICT Department. Beyond the laborious upkeep of physical cards, the University of Hull – like many other universities – found that students often lost or misplaced their student IDs/ access cards. The University of Hull sought to reduce the need for staffing and late night disturbances caused by students who lost their cards. The university wanted a new solution that could be integrated into their current secure access software, while also being able to efficiently issue and manage student IDs. The new solution also needed to be easy for students to adopt. While security was imperative for the university, they didn’t want it to create a hassle for students and staff using the new solution. Solution The University of Hull partnered with HID Global to increase security while improving their identity management process and the student experience at the same time. The university deployed iCLASS SE® readers and HID Mobile Access®, which make it possible for students to carry their IDs (that also contain their access credentials) on their smartphones. Now, students and staff simply use their mobile phones, smartwatch, and other mobile devices to quickly and conveniently access buildings across the campus. HID Mobile Access integrates with the University of Hull’s security software, provided by Genetec, and eliminates redundancy in the workflow required to manage identities. “The university considers secure access control to be very important for the safety of the students and staff. It’s not only good for a student, it’s also good for their parents to know that there is solid security around the student residences,” said Gary Moore, “HID and Genetec have seamlessly integrated the mobile access offering so that now all I have to do is add a credential into the Genetec system, which auto-populates the HID Mobile Access Portal. This simplifies my process. Now, I just enter information once to provision a credential–unlike the previous two-step process.” “The benefits and advantages for having mobile access will definitely come to the fore next year when we register mobile credentials prior to student arrival,” added Moore, “We can have students’ mobile IDs pre-deployed before arrivals. From the students’ perspective, they just arrive and start using their smartphone to access their room. It’s far easier.” To enter a secured door, students and staff present their mobile device to an iCLASS SE reader for access. Benefits With HID Mobile Access, the University of Hull stepped up their security and reduced the need for physical access cards that are cumbersome to manage and often misplaced by students. Moving to a mobile infrastructure for access control had many benefits including: Seamless integration with third-party software and devices. Higher user satisfaction. Scalable. Increased efficiency. Ease of use. When surveyed, students reported positive feedback from using HID Mobile Access. “It makes the university a lot more attractive for students,” said Mark Mullaney, Assistant Director of Commercial Services at the University of Hull, “For the student, it provides a more secure way to access buildings and provides a better experience for them overall, and for the university itself, it is a recruitment tool that we can offer to incoming students.”
Four Ways Hikvision Offers State-of-the-Art False Alarm Filter to SMB Customers
Do SMB customers want the latest intelligent surveillance features without a full system upgrade? With Hikvision, they can enjoy the benefits of cutting-edge false alarm filter with an average of 90% accuracy while protecting their existing investment. False alarm filter is one of the most intelligent features of modern surveillance systems. Designed to filter out movements from things like rain, leaves and animals, these systems focus on movements by relevant objects like people or vehicles. This prevents time and costs being wasted on nonthreatening events. Saving time and cost is important for small and mediumsized businesses (SMBs); the question is, how can they access such innovative technology in the most cost-effective way possible? Tech-savvy surveillance Hikvision’s EasyIP 4.0 security solution features intelligent false alarm filter within its AcuSense NVR and IP camera ranges. Currently, a Hikvision AcuSense NVR supports up to four camera channels with false alarm filter Hikvision AcuSense enabled devices can filter out false alarms with an average of 90% accuracy. What’s more, the AcuSense Quick Target Search feature saves time by identifying footage of people and vehicles automatically, avoiding staff having to search through footage manually. Add in Hikvision’s ColorVu IP cameras, which provide full color, vivid images even at night, allowing customers to take advantage of false alarm filter around the clock. Easily accessible For SMBs looking to access these features in the most efficient way, Hikvision’s cameras and/ or NVRs can be added to their existing surveillance system, to provide reliable false alarm filter capabilities while protecting their investment. Below, we describe four different ways Hikvision false alarm filter can be added to SMB customers’ surveillance systems. If SMB customers do not want to replace their existing IP cameras, they can keep them and add an AcuSense NVR. This will support false alarm filter and Quick Target Search across four channels. It is possible to add extra channels, but these will only have traditional alarm detection features. This solution is best suited for users who only need false alarm filter in four camera locations. Conversely, if customers would prefer to keep their existing NVR, AcuSense IP cameras can be added to the solution. It’s worth pointing out that this is most suitable for the customers that need false alarms to be filtered out in real time. A conventional NVR will not record or display the false alarms, as the functionality resides in the cameras. Similarly, users cannot search the alarm information delivered by the cameras as the NVR does not support Quick Target Search. ColorVu cameras deliver bright color video images, even in low light and at night. When paired with an AcuSense NVR, SMB customers get a system that delivers highly effective false alarm filter, plus Quick Target Search capability, around the clock. The only limitation of this setup is that it is designed to deliver the above features to a maximum of four channels. It is possible to add more channels, but they will only display normal alarm information, and will not support Quick Target Search. This solution is best suited for the customers who need reliable false alarm filter under low light conditions and across four locations. When customers need false alarm filter for more than four camera locations, a cost-effective solution can be delivered by combining conventional IP cameras with AcuSense IP cameras and an AcuSense NVR. Because both AcuSense NVR and AcuSense IP cameras support false alarm filter, the functionality starts to overlap when only four AcuSense IP cameras connect to an AcuSense NVR. It is recommended to apply both products when customers need the function for more than four channels. To be specific, customers can connect up to four conventional IP cameras to an AcuSense NVR for false alarm filter, and then can use AcuSense IP cameras for the remaining channels. In this way, both false alarm filter and Quick Target Search will be available across all channels. Discover more For analogue surveillance system, it is not a conundrum if customers ask to add false alarm filter to their existing system. They can easily replace with an AcuSense DVR from Hikvision’s Turbo HD 5.0 product range, which makes the very most of legacy cabling. Accordingly, the system will be able to perform false alarm filter and quick target search across up to four channels. If customers have the requirement for more than four channels, they can either add extra AcuSense DVRs or Hikvision AcuSense network cameras. With Hikvision, SMBs can take advantage of state-ofthe-art surveillance systems in a way that suits their business needs and their budget. Equally important, the above mentioned different solution options can help system integrators and installers engage in new conversations with their customers. By – Ashish P. Dhakan – MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.
Growth in Police Body-Worn Cameras Fuels Digital Evidence Management Market Evolution
The globally installed base for law enforcement and police body-worn cameras is forecast to increase by nearly 30 percent in 2018, exceeding 1.5 million bodyworn cameras in use worldwide. With a greater number of body-worn cameras in use and an associated increase in potential evidence collection, the capabilities of underlying digital evidence-management systems are becoming an increasingly critical factor in the ability of law enforcement to effectively manage and interpret huge repositories of digital evidence. IHS Markit describes digital evidence management software as software used to manage multimedia digital evidence. At the entry level, this software must be able to manage the storage of video captured through a bodyworn camera or an in-car video surveillance system, however, the initial ingest of media from the recording device does not need to be within the digital evidence management software. The software can act as a platform to connect existing repositories and device configuration applications. Digital evidence software can be bundled with body-worn cameras or in-car systems or sold separately. The market for digital evidence management software has evolved rapidly, since federal funding programs in the United States for law enforcement body-worn cameras were announced in 2014. This funding and subsequent initiatives stimulated and accelerated increases in shipments of bodyworn cameras in the United States and globally, setting the current trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated digital evidence-management solutions. The following diagram illustrates the evolution of capabilities in available digital evidence management ecosystems. Example features are organized in four cumulative tiers, with increasing levels of feature sophistication, from tier one to tier four: The capabilities of digital evidence management software can range from simple media storage to sophisticated investigation and case-building tools. The evolution of the ecosystem and integrations with records management systems and other existing law enforcement workflows allow law enforcement to gain additional efficiencies and insights from digital multimedia evidence. These workflows offer the potential for quicker evidence availability and wider-reaching investigations. The ‘Body Worn Cameras & Digital Evidence Management Report’ from IHS Markit focuses on the global market for body-worn cameras, digital evidence management software, and in-car video surveillance systems used by police and law enforcement.
8 Steps to Making Systems more Secure
Today we are seeing the rise of Internet of Things or IoT whereby literally billions of devices are increasingly being connected to the Internet, and sharing the information and data they collect. These could be simple devices like a thermostat or light bulb, or more complex devices like CCTV cameras and so-called smart bins. This inter-connectedness and ability to share information can bring intelligence and efficiency that could not have been imagined in the past. Today, buildings can optimize their performance to ensure they are meeting not only the requirements of the occupants in terms of comfort and security but also they meet mandatory environment or legal requirements. No longer it is necessary for the council to send trucks around daily or multiple times a day to empty rubbish bins because the bins can hold more rubbish (or recycling) thanks to an integrated compactor. When it approaches the full mark, it contacts the local council to advise that it needs emptying. These are two simple examples of how connectedness and intelligence help improve performance and efficiency. There is, however, a downside to this increasing level of connectedness, and this relates to security. With the explosion of devices that are now being interconnected along with the sensitivity of many of these devices, there is a need to ensure that these devices are being connected with a high degree of security. For an example of what could possibly go wrong when the bad guys are able to take advantage of exploits in an IoT environment, look no further than the movie Die Hard 4.0 starring none other than Bruce Willis. While somewhat dated today, the movie illustrates what could potentially happen should attackers are able to take control of buildings and critical infrastructure such as traffic control systems. While this movie may seem fanciful in its portrayal of what capable hackers could potentially accomplish, it is important to understand that security comprises a series of counter-measures to reduce or mitigate both the likelihood of an attack and the severity thereof. While it may seem like commonsense, there are many common or routine tasks which are required to improve security that are still not being implemented. Let’s take a look at a few of these. Change default usernames and passwords: Most, if not all devices, have default usernames and passwords that can easily be found by a child using a search engine. Default passwords should be changed immediately, and even better is to also change, delete or disable the default username as well. Don’t share passwords: Every user of a system should have their own username and password. This ensures that when that user leaves the organization, their account can simply be disabled or deleted and there is no need to change the shared account details for every system the user had access to (which in reality just doesn’t happen). Use strong authentication: Using strong passwords that have a reasonable length with a combination of letters, numbers and special characters, and don’t include dictionary words which ensures that passwords can’t be easily compromised. Better yet is to use digital certificates with the keys that are generated within a token or device which not only delivers strong authentication but also provides non-repudiation. Use centralized authentication: Using a centralized authentication system such as Active Directory, RADIUS or LDAP simplifies the process of managing user information as there is a single system that needs to be administered instead of multiple systems. Restrict access: Access to systems should be restricted to the minimum level that is required for a user to perform the tasks they need to perform. In addition, firewalls should be used to segregate and isolate systems so that an issue or attack on one system is less likely to impact other systems. Integrate redundancy: Redundancy should be integrated to ensure the system continues to operate in the event of a failure or attack. In many cases, the cost of lost business is far greater than the additional cost of redundancy. Don’t forget physical security: Security is about layers and one of those layers is physical access. If an attacker can obtain physical access to a system, their task will be made simpler so be sure that physical access is only available to those that need it. Maintain backups: From time to time, things will go wrong, and when this happens, it’s important that you have a backup that is off-line and stored in a different physical location. While these steps may seem simple and common-sense, there are many IoT systems today where the level of security in use leaves much to be desired. There are many additional things that can be implemented but ensuring that each of the above steps is undertaken will go a long way toward improving the security of systems that are deployed today. By- Scott Penno – Regional Marketing Manager, APAC, Allied Telesis
Dahua Hdcvi 5.0 Technology Brings New Insight into Surveillance to your Service
Dahua Technology presents the world with HDCVI 5.0, the latest instalment to a revolutionary series for the global surveillance industry initiated in 2012, which brings clarity, intelligence and security to an unprecedented level. For those who are not already familiar with the field, there’s no need to rush into jargons of technical details behind the acronym. Simply imagine a really good security guard you hire who happens to enjoy an exceptionally sharp eyesight unaffected by the darkness of night; who also happens to be able to recognize each and every face ever shows up with correct names attached; who also happens to be smart enough to identify potential threats approaching and brave enough to take spontaneously actions; who also happens to never get tired 24/7. It doesn’t take a miracle to have such a great security guard. Dahua HDCVI 5.0 Technology accomplishes all the aforementioned and more. Now let’s cut to the hard-core facts and numbers that confirm the various groundbreaking benefits brought to you by HDCIV 5.0, which consists of HDCVI active deterrence camera, 4K/ 5MP/ 1080p Starlight HDCVI camera, 1080p full-colour HDCVI camera and HDCVI 4K & H.265 AI XVR. When used combined, they will take care of your security problems in the following 5 aspects. Perimeter protection HDCVI 5.0 can detect potential risks based on configurable motion, tripwire and intrusion rules. The system will send alarms to users when unwanted moves occur. Furthermore, the system boasts intelligent analyses that filter minor objects like animals, insects, leaves, light, raindrops etc., thus reducing false alarms and allowing users to focus on real threats that are people and vehicles. Face recognition HDCVI 5.0 is able to determine if there is a face in the monitoring video and crosscheck it with faces stored in database to see if it belongs to a suspect or distinguished guest according to users’ own black/ white lists, and take corresponding actions that could either be an alarm or a free pass without manual check at entrance control. Fully guaranteeing accuracy and process efficiency, the system supports up to 24 pic/s face recognition and 20 databases with up to 100,000 face images in total. Metadata search Constituted with feature attribute information extracted from target faces such as gender, age, glasses, masks, beard and expressions, metadata makes it possible to do smart search by comparison between the modeled object and database or matching with identity characteristics, which significantly enhances accuracy and efficiency. In addition, the metadata is also of great help to platforms that allow potential business applications realized by third parties. Active deterrence Enjoying PIR and motion dual-detect which improves accuracy and reduces storage space for motion detect based recording, HDCVI 5.0 can not only send real alarms to users in time but also warn off intruders with white light and siren on site. Thus, the system is a watchdog that not only watches but also barks. Moreover, together with the alarms sent to users in real-time are visual and audio verification with HDCVI videos, the most immediate evidence of what really happened. Starlight & full-color For HDCVI 5.0, darkness is no excuse. With starlight cameras ranging from 1080P to 4K and full-color, which are endowed with high performance sensor and larger aperture lens, the system is able to give high color reproduction and light sensitive performance resulting in more vivid, brighter images, meeting the requirements in low-light monitoring environments such as parking lots, urban streets, shops etc. Full-color camera allows 24/7 color monitoring for collecting chromatic information such as colors of clothing or vehicle. Even in total darkness, the system still functions, thanks to light compensation with smart IR (for common starlight cameras) or smart white light (for full-color cameras). The images gathered, after being treated with advanced processing technology to reduce noises while retaining low smear and clear details, are useful materials for further intelligent analysis. It should also be noted that HDCVI 5.0 keeps all born features of HDover-Coax system including seamless upgrade and easy-to-use. It further simplifies system deployment with practical features as smart H.265+ encoding and broadcastquality audio. As a leading solution provider in the global video surveillance industry, Dahua Technology has always put great emphasis on ‘innovation, quality and service,’ which naturally leads to the birth and ever evolving of HDCVI solutions. The latest HDCVI 5.0 is another milestone on the way to Dahua’s ultimate goal – enabling a safer society and smarter living. By – Balasubramanian Jayam Head of Marketing (India & SAARC), Dahua Technology Co., Ltd.
How to Defeat Unauthorized Access to Security Networks
The main benefit of IP-based security has always been how easy it is to make systems operate successfully over a single network. That benefit might also be IP security’s biggest Achilles heel. Consider: Once access is gained, interoperability means all systems can be adversely affected without much effort by a malefactor. Preventing unauthorized access has become paramount from a cybersecurity perspective. Any company that uses IP addressable devices should be concerned and needs to provide some form of unauthorized network access prevention. Today’s managed Ethernet switches, usually layer 2 in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model, have built-in security features. Related report: New Bug Leaves Up to 800,000 surveillance cameras vulnerable to hacking. Layer-2 managed switches can typically implement port security, which consists of checking incoming packets for a matching MAC address. If a packet with a valid MAC address is received on a particular port, the switch will allow that packet to pass through the switching fabric of the switch as normal. With this method it is therefore possible to easily implement basic port security to prevent an intruder from removing the original device and replacing it with a device designed for network intrusion. It can also protect against cutting the cable from the original device and connecting it to the intruder’s own network intrusion device to gain network access. This level of protection is common among most layer-2 managed switches on the market today, and indeed all ComNet managed switches support this capability as standard. This feature is referred to by many names, including (but not limited to) the following: port locking, MAC locking, port security and MAC filtering. MAC address spoofing The issue with the traditional layer-2 MAC filtering/ locking is that it can be defeated with relative ease in a matter of minutes by using readily available software that can artificially alter or ‘spoof’ the MAC address of the sender to match whatever the potential intruder wants. IP address spoofing or IP spoofing is the creation of IP packets with a false source IP address. The intent here is to hide the identity of the sender or impersonate another computing system. This allows the network to be fooled, giving access to the hacker. There is a simple solution to preventing unauthorized access when designing a modern IP-based security system. Devices can be installed on the edge that sense and lock out a port when a physical connection to the network is broken. Before that broken connection can be activated it must then be examined and reset. This simple check can prevent all sorts of unauthorized access and cannot be defeated. One example is Port Guardian, a feature unique to ComNet’s next generation of self-managed switches and managed switches. This firmware-based feature is a simple, yet effective way to prevent unauthorized access. Because the firmware is embedded, it can be retrofitted to the manufacturer’s select older switches. At the basic level, Port Guardian works as a layer-1 protection system so the actual data being sent on the port is not important and the switch does not need to know anything about it. This feature constantly monitors the enabled ports. Related: Why your approach to cybersecurity needs to be proactive rather than reactive. As soon as it detects that a cable has been unplugged or there is a link down event, the port will be immediately disabled and the network administrator notified via an SNMP alert (and optionally by a local contact relay if supported on the particular switch model) to the potential intrusion. When active, Port Guardian monitors the continuity of the connection to the IP device. As soon as that continuity is disrupted, the safeguard feature physically disconnects the port from the network and an SNMP notification is sent to the head end to be examined. This feature also thwarts spoofing by disabling the port as soon as an interruption is sensed. It works on any network that uses IP devices at the edge, be it an IP camera or an access control or intrusion device. Through any external network TX port, an experienced hacker can gain access to your network and control the devices connecting to it. This has the potential for the entire security system to be turned off. That includes any or all video surveillance, access control, intrusion alarm, intercom and other networked protection systems. Prevention by adding a feature to Ethernet switches is an easy way to stop hackers and should be an important part of every network design and deployment.