SAN misconfiguration opens door to hack attack
Published: 02 May 2002 10:14 BST
IP-based storage area networks provide exciting opportunities but also present a security risk according to Brice Clark, vice president of storage technology, Hewlett-Packard.
During a panel session at Veritas Vision 2002, Clark warned that if an IP storage area networks (SAN) is not configured correctly there is a risk that hackers will be able to access the disk controllers from the Internet.
Organisations should not assume that creating a physically separate network for the SAN provides sufficient security, as it is too easy for someone to accidentally plug a cable into the wrong port, exposing the SAN to the Internet.
Other panellists were also bullish on IP SANs. Brocade's senior director for hardware platforms, Steve Beer said it is not a question of whether the technology will be widely adopted, but when. He identified the potential to integrate servers in remote locations with the corporate SAN.
Rhonda Gass, vice president for storage systems development at Dell sees the technology as an opportunity to bring network-based storage to the mass market.
Playing on Dell's "Dude, you're getting a Dell!" slogan, she suggested that in the not too distant future the company would be saying: "Dude, you're getting an IP SAN!"
Stephen Withers is attending Veritas Vision 2002 as a guest of Veritas.
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