Benefits:
Reduced attack surface: Leaving open connections creates vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Terminating inactive connections minimizes the potential entry points for unauthorized access.
Minimized access risk: By closing unused connections, you reduce the chance of someone gaining unauthorized access to systems and data through those connections.
Improved network performance: Inactive connections consume system resources. Terminating them frees up resources, leading to smoother network operation.
Enhanced security posture: Implementing this control demonstrates adherence to a recognized security standard, strengthening your overall security posture.
Accountability:
Senior Management: Establish and enforce policies: Senior management sets the security direction by defining clear policies mandating connection termination after sessions or inactivity. Allocate resources: They ensure sufficient resources are available for the IT security team to implement and maintain the control effectively. Provide oversight: They hold the IT security team accountable for implementing and enforcing the control.
IT Security Team: Develop and implement procedures: The IT security team translates policies into actionable procedures, outlining the technical steps for terminating connections. This includes defining inactivity timeouts and configuring systems to enforce them. Monitor and analyze logs: They monitor logs to identify potential issues with connection termination, such as excessively long inactive connections or failed terminations. Investigate incidents: In case of security incidents potentially linked to open connections, the team investigates and takes corrective actions.
System Owners: Configure systems according to policy: System owners ensure their systems are configured to adhere to the defined policies and procedures for connection termination. This may involve setting timeouts for specific applications or services. Manage user access: They manage user access privileges to reduce the risk of unauthorized access through open connections. Review logs: System owners should review logs for their systems to identify anomalies or potential security concerns related to connection termination.
Individual Users: Terminate sessions when finished: Users play a crucial role by logging out or closing applications when they are no longer actively using them, thereby facilitating proper connection termination. Comply with security policies: They are responsible for adhering to established security policies, including those related to session management and connection termination.
Implementation:
Network devices: Configure firewalls, routers, and other network devices to automatically terminate connections after a set period of inactivity.
Application timeouts: Implement session timeouts within applications and services to automatically close idle connections.
Monitoring: Regularly monitor network activity for long-lived or inactive connections. Investigate any suspicious activity.
Training: Train system administrators and users on the importance of closing unused connections to maintain a secure environment.
