Mainframes security with cruicial data?

port666 · New User Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 7

One question. Do Mainframes that store crucial and sensitive data like accounting, banking, and payrolls, are they suppose to be connected to the outside world (The Internet) or there just connected via Intranet (Internally) only connecting to the Windows-based consoles? ALso, what type of firewall do they use on the Mainframes?

Please explain.

priya · Posted: Sat May 28, 2005 10:26 pm

Why Windows? We can use LINUX based consoles...

port666 · New User Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 7

Becasue a friend of mine took me in for a tour in his datacenter, his server farm included the Z/VM Mainframe running SUSE Linux. connected to numerous Windows 2000 based consoles running a TYPE OF EMULATOR.

iN THE z/VM mainframe they has crucial police records, accounting records, payroll, waraant records and so forth. My question is, do they keep those mainframe out from the Internet? IS that the best way to do it?

port666 · New User Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 7

Can I get a simple answer as in just "I dont know"????

Rather than just having the topic ignored?

mmwife · Super Moderator Joined: 30 May 2003 Posts: 1592

Well Port, since you INSIST on an ans: ?some do, some don't.?

But seriously, folks! Mainframes generally don't give control of the CPU to a terminal user, with the exception of developers, and some other internal personnel, perhaps. But they've been dealing w/that for decades; on the other hand, that?s the Achilles? Heel of the PC environment. Once you click on to a field in an e-Mail, you chance giving control of the CPU to whoever sent it.

If you keep your MF CPUs out of range of that kind of situation your standard MF security components s/b sufficient.

Just one man's opinion.

sarma Kappagantu · New User Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 22 Location: Bangalore

Not only mainframes, all types of business systems have crucial data. For example, if you take many banks that provide funds transfer over internet, sites that sell over the internet with credit cards are all crucial.

The difference is ... having security measures in place. Though windows systems are more security prone. However, not connecting to net with fear of security risk is like not coming out of house due to fear of accident.

Regards,
sarma.