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Application and operating system vulnerabilities pose obvious threats, but an often-overlooked problem is "pilot error"--mistakes made by technical staff during general day-to-day operations. Examples of pilot error include botched firewall entries, forgotten steps in router configurations and the inadvertent addition of a user to a privileged group. These mistakes are typically accidental, but the occasional intentional "internal bypass" is not all that uncommon.

Tripwire compares current config to previously generated databases click to enlarge

One way to combat these less-visible threats to your security is to implement robust change-control procedures and audit the process using intelligent change-control monitoring software. Products such as Tripwire for Network Devices or Tripwire for Servers let organizations automate the process of "snap-shotting" system and device configurations and identifying configuration changes--changes that may include accidental or unauthorized modifications, even those made by malicious intruders (see screenshot).