Is it possible to ban chat programs on an enterprise LAN?

To continue reading for free, register below or login

Requires Membership to View

To gain access to this and all member only content, please provide the following information (all fields required):

First Name:
Last Name:
Country: Select... Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia, The Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Man, Isle of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Panama Canal Zone Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
Email Address:

Do you manage, evaluate, recommend, implement, support or purchase security products, software or services?
YesNo

Please estimate the yearly security budget for your entire organization including all security products and services.
Please select... Over $10 Million $5 Million-$10 Million $1 Million-$4.9 Million $500,000-$999,999 $100,000-$499,999 $50,000-$99,999 $25,000-$49,999 $10,000-$24,999 Less than $10,000 None

What is your role in purchasing IT related products and services? (Check all that apply)
Technical decision maker
Financial decision maker
Recommend/Specify
Evaluate products
Implement Products/Services
Determine Needs
Create Security Strategy
None

By joining SearchSecurity.com you agree to receive email updates from the TechTarget network of sites, including updates on new content, magazine or event notifications, new site launches and market research surveys. Please verify all information and selections above. You may unsubscribe at any time from one or more of the services you have selected by editing your profile or unsubscribing via email.

TechTarget cares about your privacy. Read our Privacy Policy

BROWSE BY TAG Application Security,   Application and Platform Security,   IM Security Issues, Risks and Tools,   Malware, Viruses, Trojans and Spyware,   Information Security Threats,   VIEW ALL TAGS

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Application Security Are Web application penetration tests still important? What does 'invoked by uid 78' mean? How secure are iPhone App Store mobile applications? What security software should be installed on Internet café computers? Are message stubs a secure part of email retention policies? How does a Web server model differ from an application server model? Can Google Earth and other mash-up applications threaten enterprise security? Do European laws prevent a U.S. company from blocking spam? Can one antivirus program be used to get rid of spyware? How to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) session hijacking IM Security Issues, Risks and Tools What are effective ways to stop instant messaging (IM) spam? Secure messaging complications result in limited protection How to lock down instant messaging in the enterprise AOL closes AIM attack vector, but risks remain Researcher says AIM still vulnerable, AOL insists it's fixed Serious security flaw in AOL Instant Messenger Security flaws found in AOL, Yahoo IM programs Flaw found in MSN Messenger AOL, Yahoo, Trillian IM applications under threat Security vendor Postini acquired by Google Malware, Viruses, Trojans and Spyware ISP shutdown latest cat-and-mouse game with hackers How to get rid of malware, botnets on a hospital IT network How can search results lead to malware? How to prevent mobile phone spying Should a national cybersecurity strategy include offensive botnets? How to defend against rogue DHCP server malware New Trojan stealing FTP credentials, attacking FTP websites Cybercriminals exploit Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett deaths When BIOS updates become malware attacks Antispyware buying guide for Indian enterprises

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary greynet  (SearchSecurity.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

As you have discovered already, imposing controls on the use of instant messaging (IM) within an enterprise network is not easy, but let's review your options, starting with some non-technical aspects.

The first step for an enterprise that wants to keep its network free of MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Skype and other programs of that kind must be to establish an information security policy that outlaws them. Make sure all employees are aware of the policy and the penalties for violating it. In this phase, try to present the logic for the ban: the fact that IM is a serious attack vector, and using it on the network undermines the security and viability of the company.

If any use of these programs is detected after the policy has been publicized, you must then apply the stated penalties. Failure to do so will render the policy moot, undermining efforts to enforce it, either through technology or simple oversight. The good news is that, depending upon your corporate culture, a properly handled policy outlawing IM may solve your problem.

Unfortunately, some companies shy away from a policy approach. To those who don't like personal confrontation, it might seem more appealing to implement bans and other policy decisions by technical means alone. This is a risky strategy, however, that should be avoided for several reasons. Apart from the legal jeopardy already mentioned, it's difficult and taxing to win a war of wills on the technical front. Instant messaging services are adept at evading firewalls. IM clients can automatically adjust their settings to connect to IM servers, even if direct access to those servers is blocked on all network ports. The client will use an HTTP proxy server to pass through the firewall. For more on the technical challenges of controlling IM use, see my previous responses: Can DHCP be used to selectively block instant messaging clients? and How to selectively block instant messages.

You might want to ask why IM should be banned. After all, there are legitimate business uses for IM. One strategy might be to formally implement IM using an enterprise instant messaging (EIM) service. Microsoft's Office Communications Server, for example, not only incorporates IM firewall technologies, but can also integrate access control with Active Directory. This is my preferred security configuration because a proper identity and authentication management system can block specific users or specific groups of users from accessing IM services.

If there is a need to monitor and control IM traffic across an entire network, consider using an application-layer firewall, which controls the traffic to and from a user-defined list of instant messaging server hostnames. You can also try a gateway specifically tuned to detect IM and P2P use, such as the products from FaceTime Communications Inc. and Akonix Systems Inc.

More information:

• Lock down instant messaging in the enterprise with these tips.
• Widget malware on social networking sites poses security threats. Learn how to mitigate the risk.