Part 1: Isolate the Web services host server

There are several choices for placing a Web server in an organization's network. To ensure that traffic between the Internet and the server does not traverse any part of your private internal network and that no internal network traffic is visible to the server, place it on a separate, protected subnetwork. A public Web services host is intended for public access. As such, people from locations all over the world will access the host and the information it serves up. Regardless of how secure the host and its application software are configured, there is still the chance that someone will exploit a new vulnerability and gain access to the Web services host. To guard against an intruder capturing network data flowing between internal hosts or either obtaining information or access to internal hosts, the Web services host must be isolated from the internal network and it traffic.

By placing the Web services host on a subnet isolated from public and internal networks, network traffic bound for the Web server subnet can be better monitored and controlled. This aids in the configuring of any router/firewall used to protect access to the subnet as well as provide intrusion detection. It also prohibits the capture of internal traffic by an intruder who has gained access to the Web server.

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