The Illustrated Guide to Security

October 27, 2010 — CSO —

If a picture's worth 1,000 words, these illustration and diagrams have a lot to teach about security. A dozen interesting and illuminating looks at data center security, image spam, forts and castles, and much more from CSO's archives.

Each headline links to the full diagram and story.

19 ways to physically secure your data center

Mantraps, access control systems, bollards and surveillance. Your guide to securing the data center against physical threats and intrusions.

The clean desk test

A messy desk is a vulnerable desk. We've created one with 20 egregious violations of a good clean desk policy. See if you can find them.

What a botnet looks like

Researcher David Vorel mapped interconnected, bot-infected IP addresses and created this geometric representation; CSO contributor Scott Berinato annotated the map and added interactive controls so you can zoom in and explore botnets' inner workings

October 27, 2010 — CSO —

If a picture's worth 1,000 words, these illustration and diagrams have a lot to teach about security. A dozen interesting and illuminating looks at data center security, image spam, forts and castles, and much more from CSO's archives.

Each headline links to the full diagram and story.

What it's like to get hit by a DDoS attack

Akamai illustrates traffic trends during a 2009 DDoS attack emanating from IP addresses in Korea

19 ways to physically secure your data center

Mantraps, access control systems, bollards and surveillance. Your guide to securing the data center against physical threats and intrusions.

The clean desk test

A messy desk is a vulnerable desk. We've created one with 20 egregious violations of a good clean desk policy. See if you can find them.

What a botnet looks like

Researcher David Vorel mapped interconnected, bot-infected IP addresses and created this geometric representation; CSO contributor Scott Berinato annotated the map and added interactive controls so you can zoom in and explore botnets' inner workings

What is a CSO? Part 2

How security and the CSO can create business value and competitive advantage. The goal is to remove friction and connect operational risk management across the organization.

A few good information security metrics

Here are five smart measurements--and effective ways to present them.

Protecting Joe's office

Joe's got a billion-dollar secret. How can he keep it safe from thieves, turncoats and spies? Everything from the gate to the office shredder has a role to play. Click on the diagram to see some of his security measures.

Information Age lessons from a Bronze Age fort

What can the Information Age learn about defense-in-depth from a 3,000-year-old Irish fort? Plenty.

Image spam, diagrammed

Ransom notes, pixel salad and GIF layering: How image spam dodges your email filters.

How to secure a priceless painting

Museum security is a kind of art form unto itself. A way to all at once create safety and accessibility. To bring us as close as possible to inspiration while preventing miscreants from stealing it.

The offsite meeting security test

Executives are gathering at a sensitive offsite meeting. Can you spot 12 risks -- some physical, some digital? See page 2 to check your answers.

Crowd control lessons from ancient Pompeii

What computer models are telling us about how to manage a crowd, the ancient Romans already seemed to know.

How product diversion works

The opportunity for diverted goods largely springs from "tiered pricing," in which one product may be sold at different price levels in different markets or circumstances.

Just for fun:

The first and second annual Ultimate holiday gift guides for CSOs

What do you get for the person who already has accountability without authority?

With a big hat tip to Steve Traynor, who has served as CSO's art director since our launch in 2002.

Read more about data protection in CSOonline's Data Protection section.

Other stories by Derek Slater