NT isn't nearly as secure as Microsoft would like you to think -- and if you're building enterprise applications on it, you'd better know how to close those gaping holes! This is the first systematic, expert guide to making NT the secure operating system it's supposed to be. The Windows NT Security Guide presents end-to-end coverage of account security, identification, authentication, access control lists, object security, physical security, securing the Registry, remote access, internetworking with NetWare, and much more. It shows how to supplement built-in NT security with firewalls, proxy servers and other mechanisms. It introduces third-party products, consultants and organizations that can help you improve NT security in your environment. Finally, it previews and evaluates the forthcoming improvements to NT's security model that will be part of Windows NT 5.0. Windows NT Security Guide is a must read for every Windows NT network administrator.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
INTRODUCTION Managing and controlling information systems and technology (IS&T), I have come to realize that Microsoft's Windows NT is defining both the present and the future of business computing. NT is very quickly gaining momentum. If you're not sure about this just compare the amount of new products that is being developed for the NT platform with the others. Open the classified section of any major newspaper or call any professional career consultant and you will find that NT and other Microsoft BackOffice products (such as SQL, SMS, and SNA) experts are in high demand across the board. The demand for such professionals is great. But the key word here is professionals, as there are not many! With the increasing implementation of NT within all kind of organizations, large or small, single- or multi-platform oriented, on the Internet or not, security is also becoming a factor. Furthermore, it is clear that the security of NT is not really understood. Many don't understand it at all; others are still trying to figure out what the C2 classification means, and how NT fits in. For example, there are many books about NT installation, deployment, troubleshooting, implementation, and so on. But not many are willing to discuss its security. If so, it comes as a slim chapter, many times mixed with Internet-related security issues or physical security. I believe one reason for this lack is the existence of few other operating systems, such as UNIX, OS/2, OpenVMS, NetWare and Mac, encompassing corporate LANs and WANs. The other reason has to do with professional expertise on operating system (OS) security, which is still a fairly new trend. How hard is it to find an NT security professional? You will be lucky to find an OpenVMS expert and even luckier if you find one that is also proficient on UNIX security; and I'm talking about OSs that have been around for awhile, not like NT, which has been around for only a little more than five years. This book tries to fill in the gap that a lack of NT security professionals creates. It tries to provide you with enough information on NT security so that you can at least get started on plugging the security holes in your NT-based network and plan for a more secure business-computing environment. NT has become one of the major platforms for delivering many network services, extending its services to Intranets and Extranets. If you're involved directly or indirectly with the management and control of a network run under NT 4.0 server, you must take into consideration the security and contingency issues when implementing it at your organization. NT uses data and devices in more ways than you could ever imagine, which makes it necessary that it be closely controlled and managed. Throughout this book you will find that the risks in an NT system and NT-based network are greater than in many other systems. This is not for lack of security (NT is one of the most secure OSs I've known) but due to the sum of the risks of its parts. Therefore, this book reviews the basic installation of Windows NT Server 4.0, not in detail, since for that you have your NT manuals and many other books, but with security in mind. Today, NT-based networks are generating a number of new challenges to your corporate network and business computing that didn't existed before. NT is changing the way organizations share information and their control structure. Thus, this book also discusses the implementation of security in the NT 4.0 environment, what to watch for and what to stay away from. This book is for NT managers involved with the management and control of NT 4.0, as well as for Internet managers involved with the systems integration and security of local networks and the Internet. It is for those installing NT for the first time who are concerned about security, as well as for those upgrading to NT 4.0 and wanting to plug the security holes that they may have left behind when first installing NT. It also covers the security implementations necessary when allowing Internet access through protected networks, either via Internet Information Server (IIS), the installation and configuration of which are also covered in this book, as well as through Remote Access Services (RAS). The book also looks into the implementation of peer Web configurations, the usage of Microsoft's latest security strategy application, the MS Proxy, as well as its Web authoring FrontPage. This book discusses a suite of Microsoft's applications necessary to any Internet manager to survive in a Web-centric environment. It also discusses the security threats exposed by a lack of security when connecting to the Internet and the security policies that can be adopted. To complement this NT security knowledge base, the CD that accompanies this book has several security and diagnostics tools for working with Windows NT Server 4.0 IS THIS BOOK FOR YOU? This book is designed for network administrators, system managers, Internet managers, and even Webmasters using or planning to use Windows NT Server 4.0 corporate wide and beyond the Intranet/LAN level. It provides a brief, general basic information for network professionals who are not yet familiar with NT's networking system. It also provides advanced configuration and troubleshooting information for professionals heavily involved with the day-to-day management of NT-based networks and wanting to improve the security factor in their networks. The latter part of this book can also be used by Webmasters and Internet managers as a reference on the security and Internet tool when using Window NT-based remote servers and dial-up networks. Chapter 1 - Windows NT and the Competition, provides a brief history of Windows NT and how it became the OS it is today. It provides a basic comparison of NT with some of the main operating systems available in the market and an overview of the Microsoft's BackOffice family as a strong corporate backbone to complement and support NT's robustness and versatility. Chapter 2, The NT Server Architecture: A Quick Review, provides a quick overview of the main components of NT and internals. It takes a look at NT's architecture, its preemptive multitasking and multithreaded features, and its C2 security classification and what this entails. It provides a basic introduction to NT security concepts, from trusting domain relationships to file system security. Chapter 3, Understanding and Planning Security on NT-based Networks, is a detailed review of all the major security concepts of NT, from the system level to the client and corporate level. Chapter 4, Evaluating Network Configuration, offers you a more secure approach in configuring your networks in light of the security issues discussed on Chapter 3. It covers network topology, protocols, and tunneling. Chapter 5, Implementing Security on NT 4.0 Server, is an in-depth and detailed discussion of the issues involved when implementing security on Windows NT. It covers NT's security features and tools, check it against few of them main OSs on the market and its extendibility. It also provides extensive recommendations on implementing security at your NT-based network. Chapter 6, Managing the Server Security, provides specific information on managing your NT 4.0 server, including devices, services, adapters, port, telephony, and domain management. Chapter 7, Physical Security, discusses the physical security features and tools provided by NT to protect data and systems access. It discusses RAID protection levels and the disk administrator, using replication to enhance security and other NT features. Chapter 8, NT Tunneling: The PPTP Protocol, discusses the PPTP protocol, which provides a way to route Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) packets over an IP, IPX, or NetBEUI network, thus greatly enhancing the security of your NT-based network. Chapter 9, Securing Remote Access Services, reviews the security implementation steps when configuring a RAS server and given many troubleshooting tips. Chapter 10, Securing Your Network: The TCP/IP Challenge, discusses the Internet Protocol, its structure, routing capabilities, security threats and countermeasures. Chapter 11, Enhancing Your Server Security: Tools for the Internet, talks about a few of Microsoft Internet tools designed to be fully integrated with NT, such as IIS, FrontPage and MS Proxy, and their advantages security weaknesses, and the alternatives to enhance security when using these products. Chapter 12, So, You're a Network Advocate: NT versus NetWare, discusses the integration of NT and NetWare, the security implications, and migration tools, and NetWare's security weaknesses that you should be aware of. Chapter 13, So, You're a UNIX Advocate: NT versus UNIX, follows the same approach as Chapter 12, discussing NT's portability with UNIX, and the security issues that should be taken into consideration and giving an analysis of what to expect of this integration. Chapter 14, Optimizing the Performance of the NT Server, provides you with tools for enhancing the performance of you NT system, configuring it to detect problems, issue alerts and reports, and monitor security. It also provides you with tips and tricks to increment security and performance on your NT network. Chapter 15, The NT 4.0 Registry, discusses one of the most vital components of NT, often the target of hostile attacks: the registry. Chapter 16, Enhancing NT Security with Encryption Tools, discusses a very efficient alternative that NT provides: data encryption. Chapter 17, Intranet and Extranet Security, provides extensive information on NT's Intranet and Extranet security based on Microsoft's CryptoAPI and other security resources. Chapter 18, Looking Ahead: What to Look for in Windows NT 5.0, is an overview of what is in store with NT 5.0, its advantages and challenges, and how to keep your NT 4.0 configuration easily upgradable. Appendix A, The System Difference Utility (sysdiff), provides a review of sysdiff and how to take advantage of this great tool in setting up NT workstation security automatically throughout your organization. Appendix B, NT's Hardware Compatibility List, instructions on where and how to get the list and regular updates are included here for your convenience. Appendix C, What is on the CD. I hope that this book will be of use to you. Certainly it can't cover the entire bases that you will need to have a 110% secure system (let me know when you find such a model!) Nonetheless, this book provides you with enough information to help you to implement security at your NT-based network and live to talk about it. Let's work! Read on. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marcus Goncalves has an MS in CIS by SouthWest University (LA) and 11 years of experience in the IS&T arena. Working for Automation Research Corp. as Sr. IT Analyst, Marcus lives in Southborough-MA with his wife and three kids. He is the author of several books on NT and security, including Web/Internet and Intranet Security. Some of his titles include Protecting Your Web Site With Firewalls, by PTR/Prentice Hall, NT Server: Management and Control, written in association with Ken Spencer, also by PTR, Internet Privacy Kit, by Que, Firewalls Complete, by McGraw-Hill. For a complete list of his titles and articles published on many trade magazines, please refer to his home page at http://members.aol.com/goncalvesv. To contact him, please e-mail goncalves@arcweb.com.
From the Back Cover
Windows NT's security holes: how to plug them tight!
If you're staking your company on Windows NT, you'd better know how to close its gaping security holes! Windows NT Server Security Guide is the first systematic, expert guide to making NT the secure operating system it's supposed to be. You'll find end-to-end coverage of account security, identification, authentication, access control lists, groups and users, object and physical security, securing the Registry, encryption, securing mixed NT/NetWare networks, and much more.
*Establish a tough, realistic NT security policy
*Strengthen Intranet/Extranet security with firewalls and proxy servers
*What NT's "C2" security certification means-and what it doesn't mean
*Secure your disk systems: NTFS, RAID and other critical issues
*Maximize remote access and virtual private network security
*Preview major changes in NT 5.0's security model
You'll walk step-by-step through closing documented holes in NT 3.51 and 4.0. You'll gain practical insight into using Server Manager and Performance Monitor to strengthen security and optimize performance. If you're migrating to NT, you'll find detailed comparisons of NT security with NetWare and UNIX. Last but not least, you'll find critical, up-to-the-minute coverage of major changes in NT 5.0's security model. For NT Server administrators, there's never been a security guide this thorough-or this important.
CD-ROM INCLUDED
The exclusive Windows NT Server Security Reference and Tools CD-ROM includes comprehensive listings of tools, third-party products and reference information.
If you're staking your company on Windows NT, you'd better know how to close its gaping security holes! Windows NT Server Security Guide is the first systematic, expert guide to making NT the secure operating system it's supposed to be. You'll find end-to-end coverage of account security, identification, authentication, access control lists, groups and users, object and physical security, securing the Registry, encryption, securing mixed NT/NetWare networks, and much more.
*Establish a tough, realistic NT security policy
*Strengthen Intranet/Extranet security with firewalls and proxy servers
*What NT's "C2" security certification means-and what it doesn't mean
*Secure your disk systems: NTFS, RAID and other critical issues
*Maximize remote access and virtual private network security
*Preview major changes in NT 5.0's security model
You'll walk step-by-step through closing documented holes in NT 3.51 and 4.0. You'll gain practical insight into using Server Manager and Performance Monitor to strengthen security and optimize performance. If you're migrating to NT, you'll find detailed comparisons of NT security with NetWare and UNIX. Last but not least, you'll find critical, up-to-the-minute coverage of major changes in NT 5.0's security model. For NT Server administrators, there's never been a security guide this thorough-or this important.
CD-ROM INCLUDED
The exclusive Windows NT Server Security Reference and Tools CD-ROM includes comprehensive listings of tools, third-party products and reference information.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Covers the very basics and not much more,
By A Customer
This review is from: Windows Nt 4.0 Server Security Guide (Prentice Hall Series on Microsoft Technologies) (Paperback)
Mr. Gonsalves' book provides the most basic information on Windows NT 4 Server Security. If are somewhat familiar with NT already, then you may want to pass on this book for a more detailed book. Mr. Gonsalves also writes as if he were an employee of Microsoft or a Microsoft cheerleader. The book does not offer a critical assessment of Windows NT security and often fails to point out shortcomings.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Only book comparing NT with Novell and Unix security,
By A Customer
This review is from: Windows Nt 4.0 Server Security Guide (Prentice Hall Series on Microsoft Technologies) (Paperback)
The book provides great insight on NT security, including access controls and registry. It's the only book I know comparing Novell and Unix security.
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