Retrieve the time from the Internet exposes you to risks. Don’t let anyone take advantage of this vulnerability: distribute time securely through your local network with a time server.
Why is it risky to look up the time on the Internet?
Using Internet time services to retrieve and distribute the time is a common practice in many businesses. It doesn’t require any special equipment – just an Internet connection. Up to now, this practice has seemed simple and safe in principle. However…
Accessing Internet-based time servers requires a specific port that creates an opening in your firewall. This open door allows you to recover the time easily, but it also opens up a security gap. It’s this hole in your local computer network that significantly increases the risk of intrusion in each server and exposes you to viruses, attacks, spying, debilitating failures, and other cyber-threats such as Network Time Protocol (NTP) DDoS attacks.
In IT security, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Another point about the Internet: it’s (almost) free. You actually retrieve the time with a simple Internet connection to public time services, but this doesn’t take into account the potential costs of a security breach. Once you add up the costs of shutting down your business and solving the problem, the amount is often significant. Most importantly, the budget is much larger than what is needed to guard against these breaches.
The consequences can go well beyond financial risks: in some cases, the company’s survival is at stake during major attacks. From a communication perspective, your company’s image may also suffer. An internal time server could save you a lot of time by avoiding theses attacks.
What equipment is needed to enhance the security of an IT network? NTP server is the answer
To enhance the security of your IT network and therefore limit the risk of cyber-attacks, the most suitable equipment is an internal time server based on NTP or PTP time protocols. It’s a reliable, secure time source, easily installed within your company. It gives you a safe way to distribute an accurate, identical time to all information system equipment (clocks, computers, printers, etc.).
In addition to minimising your exposure to attacks and continuously distributing an exact time, the time server also allows you to synchronize your equipment, time-stamp, and trace events on your network. For more information, visit our dedicated Bodet time servers page and learn about the applications based on your industry as well as the possible options.