User Manual Part 1
Table Of Contents
- Check Point Safe@Office User Guide 8.0
- Copyright & Trademarks
- Contents
- About This Guide
- Introduction
- About Your Check Point Safe@Office Appliance
- Safe@Office 500 Product Family
- Product Features
- Wireless Features
- Optional Security Services
- Software Requirements
- Getting to Know Your Safe@Office 500 Appliance
- Getting to Know Your Safe@Office 500W Appliance
- Getting to Know Your Safe@Office 500 ADSL Appliance
- Getting to Know Your Safe@Office 500W ADSL Appliance
- Contacting Technical Support
- Safe@Office Security
- Installing and Setting Up Safe@Office
- Getting Started
- Configuring the Internet Connection
- Managing Your Network
- Using Bridges
- Configuring High Availability
- Using Traffic Shaper
- Working with Wireless Networks
- Viewing Reports
- Viewing Logs
- Setting Your Security Policy
Introduction to Information Security
Chapter 2: Safe@Office Security 35
Computer and Network Security
A great deal of an organization's existing information is processed and stored electronically
by single (standalone) computers or computer networks. Therefore, an attack on an
organization's computers or computer networks can result in extensive information theft or
abuse. However, computers and computer networks today are not just tools used to store
information; they are the heart of an organization's operations and crucial to its
communication and business transactions. For example:
• Nowadays, most of an organization's communication and business transactions
are conducted via email (regardless of the organization's size).
• Online stores process orders and supply products over the Internet.
• Emerging technology today allows an organization's branch offices to
communicate, share data, and even establish low-cost VoIP (Voice over IP)
communications, rather then using the traditional phone system.
• Applications are hosted on a main computer rather than on personal
workstations. This helps organizations share application resources. For example,
in service departments, the customer database is located on a main computer,
while all customer relations transactions are managed by software clients
running on the agents' computers.
• In order to withdraw money from any ATM machine, your PIN and the details
on your magnetic card are scanned and verified against the details on the main
bank computer.
• A department store in New York can query the inventory of the main warehouse
located in Chicago and enter orders for missing products, all in real time.
In other words, on top of the damage done by computer information theft or abuse,
unauthorized access to a computer or a computer network can seriously damage the entire
organization's essential operations, communications, and productivity. For example:
• An online store's Web site can be hacked, so customers cannot enter orders.
• An unauthorized user can take advantage of an organization's email server to
send unsolicited bulks of email. As a result, the organization's Internet
communication lines will be overloaded, and employees in the organization will
be unable to send or receive emails.