In 2007, you wouldn't be alone in thinking that modems have very little relevance to the operation of your business. After all, with the penetration of broadband, the maturity of VPN technologies and availability of secure networking protocols, what use would remote users have for dial-up access? Unfortunately, you also wouldn't be alone in being wrong in your assumption. Modems aren't just connected to computer systems, they are also integral to managing key components of your infrastructure: everything up to and including the telephone system itself. They may have been installed by third parties as a contractual condition of providing 24/7 cover, or even your own support staff (without your knowledge or sanction). The big issue is that, unmonitored, modems proliferate at an alarming rate. Routinely, we detect anywhere between 0.5 - 1.5% of all of an organisation's direct dial telephone lines providing modem dial-in access. It doesn't matter how large or small, or what sector they operate in. The metrics are the same.

Unfortunately, you also can't take much comfort from any of the other network controls that you have in place. Your firewall offers no protection. By providing a direct connection through the telephone system, modems provide unmonitored data routes into and out of your organisation that bypass it completely. Even intrusion detection/prevention systems are likely to be of limited value. Key elements of infrastructure that are managed via modem are often not on the network (negating network-based IDS/IPS), and typically aren't suitable for installation of a host-based system.

Are you confident of your answer now?
Probably not. But don't worry. Our aim is to provide cost-effective, practical solutions to help you address and manage the issues.

If you still aren't convinced, please take a moment to look at our modem security FAQ section.