There are too many ways that a network can be compromised to leave it to chance that nothing wrong is going on "behind the scenes". Key issues:
- Email-based viruses getting through unprotected mailboxes
- Worms, viruses and malware infiltrating outbound port/protocol access, backdoors, and "command and control"
- Trojan applications and phishing schemes
In addition to the potential damage to networks and data, there are other critical business reasons to be tracking and documenting key network security attributes:
- Employee productivity - wasted by accessing Facebook, ESPN, shopping, porn sites
- Bandwidth abuse that can be slowing down critical business applications
- Downloading of pirated software
- Loss of proprietary business data and information from the inside
