Avaya 555-245-600 manual Avaya Communication Manager and Servers, Built-in Linux security features

Avaya Communication Manager and Servers

Avaya Communication

Manager and Servers

This section discusses Avaya’s security designs:

●Built-in Linux security features

●One-time passwords

●Shell access

●Root access

●Remote access

●Secure access

●Monitoring and alarming

●Data encryption

Built-in Linux security features

Proprietary vs. open operating systems

Open operating systems such as Linux or a version of Microsoft Windows are often thought to be less secure environments compared to proprietary systems. To some extent this is true, but it is important to understand why Oryx-Pecos, Avaya’s proprietary operating system for its legacy products, is more secure than an open operating system because it does not support the types of network connections that converged voice and data network configurations demand. So why not enhance Oryx-Pecos? Aside from the economic reasons, there is a security paradox: to make an operating system secure, reveal its inner most secrets. When the operating system software is publicly available and implemented in varying environments for a wide range of applications, there are many more eyes looking for security holes. The expertise of the entire technical community is brought to bear on the problem. Of the major operating systems (Unix, Linux, Windows), one is not inherently more secure than another. Each has inherent security flaws. All can be made secure through the application of a good security policy, which includes proper administration and configuration, and diligent application of vendor updates when security problems are discovered.

The Linux environment has a security advantage because

●Problems can be identified both by testing (hacking) and by reviewing the source code itself.

●Security “holes” tend to be fixed more quickly compared to proprietary operating systems.

Issue 6 January 2008 229