NETWORK SECURITY

As an experienced networking professional, you are asked to conduct a posture assessment on a local credit union's network. The credit union currently has two locations, a headquarters downtown office and a branch office on the east side of town. The headquarters has the following equipment:

1. Ten Windows XP and ten Windows 7 workstations connected to a Windows Server 2008 R2 file server.

2. One Windows Server R2 RRAS server accessed by home workers after hours.

3. One Windows Server 2008 R2 print server

4. One Linux database server

5. One Apache Web server for members to check their account balances online.

6. One firewall where the network connects to the credit union's ISP via a T# dedicated link.

The east-side office has five Windows 7 workstations, connected to the headquarters office Windows Server 2008 R2 server through a T1 link.

At the headquarters, the servers reside in a locked room that admits authorized users with an electronic badge access system. Both locations have numerous security cameras, including cameras in the computer room. The manager also tells you that the credit union has a security policy that all employees are required to read and sign when they become employees. He believes that the network is very secure and asks you if he could do anything else to ensure that the network is safe from security breaches. In response, create a checklist of items on this network that should be evaluated for security. Sketch a network diagram for the credit union (remember to include connectivity devices necessary for the LAN and WAN connections). Describe any entry points (physical or data transmission related) or situations that constitute potential security risks. In addition, explain how the credit union manager could better train his employees to understand network security