Network Attached Storage Security

1. Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Amity School of Information Technology
Amity University Haryana
Mr. Ganesh Gupta
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Amity School of Information Technology
Amity University Haryana
Seminar Paper
On
Network Attached Storage Security
Under guidance of
Ms. Shivali Dhaka
Presented By:
Said Masihullah Hashimi
MSc. NTM II Sem
Enrollment No: A50500818003

2. Contents
• Introduction
– Network Attached Storage
– NAS Types
– Work Procedure
– Functions
– Advantage and Disadvantage
• Network Attached Storage Security
– Security Principles
• Future of Network Attached Storage Security
– NAS vs SAN
– Cloud Based File Storage
• Conclusion

3. Introduction
• Data is critical asset of any company or organization.
• Any big or small businesses data storage needs:
– Lower Cost Options
– Ease of Operations (many small business don’t have IT staff)
– Ease of data backup (always accessible)
– Growth Capability
• Network Attached Storage provides the solution for such problems.
– NAS is device connected to a network that allows storage and retrieval of
data from a central location to authorized network users and clients

4. Network Attached Storage
• NAS Devices has the following characteristics.
– Simple to operate (A dedicated IT is not often required)
– Lower cost from dedicated File Servers
– Easy data backup (always accessible)
– Good at centralizing data storage in a safe and reliable way.
– Easier remote access like cloud from anywhere in the network.
– Small in size and easy for relocation.
– Flexible and expandable when ever we need more space.

5. Network Attached Storage Types
NAS Types
Types Usage Benefits Consolidation Advanced Features/Benefits
Low-end NAS Fast, Simple file
storage
Low cost: No special
training
Consolidates
desktop storage
Simplified backup
Midmarket NAS Shared access to large
volumes of files
Low cost: Easily scaled to
multiple terabyte: no
special skills required
Consolidates
multiple file servers
Clustering: Point-in-time snapshot
High-end NAS Shared access to large
volumes of files:
Integrates with SAN
Low cost: scalable:
migration path
Consolidates many
file servers:
potential for NAS-
SAN consolidation
Clustering replication: Gateway to SAN: multiprotocol support
management

6. Work Procedure

7. Network Attached Storage Functions
• File Sharing
• Data backup / Disaster Recovery (with some software or windows backup)
• Network Printing
• Multimedia File Sharing
• Media Server

8. NAS Advantages and Disadvantages
NAS Pros and Cons
Approach Pros Cons Best Fits
NAS gateways  Available SAN Storage can be used
 Easy, Single-vendor migration tool
 Upgrade back end or front end separately
 Capacity and performance are
limited to what is available behind
the gateway.
 Large, enterprise-class user that have a SAN
 Single-vendor consolidation
Integrated NAS  No SAN requirements: Simpler
configuration
 Easy, Single-vendor migration tool
 Compare to gateway, the file system
performance and capacity maybe
limited
 All-or-nothing performance
upgrades
 Small-sized to enterprise-class users without a
SAN
 Single vendor consolidation
Clustered File System  Able to scale out
 Performance of servers can be dilated to
whatever is required
 Some vendors have limited or no
CIFS support
 Large compute cluster users requiring high
performance access to file data
Parallel File System  Able to scale out
 Parallel file system improves throughput
and performance
 Some vendors don’t support CIFS or
have limited NFS support
 Parallel file access only available on
limited clients and requires special
client software
 Large compute cluster users requiring high
performance access to file data
 Anybody needing parallel access to file data
NAS Aggregators  Heterogeneous box consolidation
 Single namespace over multiple NAS boxes
 Added overhead
 Additional hardware to install,
configure and maintain
 Multibox, multivendor environment single
namespace configurability / usability

9. Network Attached Storage Security
• From the NAS perspective, we need to look at the:
- Access to shared data
- Access to administrative functions.
-Access to the NAS device over a network.
• The access to shared data is setting up permissions and access control lists to designate
who has access to what data and the rules for simultaneous access.
• The administrative function on the NAS device also needs to be secure. This means that
only an authorized person can access the system.
• The access to a NAS device over an Ethernet network using IP is also one of the areas that
in the past has been exploited for security breaches.
• Data being altered or monitored in the individual IP packets being transmitted is also a
security concern.

10. Network Attached Storage Security Principles
• Always change default passwords
• Do not click suspicious links in emails or elsewhere, especially if they
redirect to your local network (http://192.168.x.x for example)
• Use random, alphanumeric passwords for both your router and NAS logins
• Regularly update the firmware on your router or NAS. Turn on automatic
updates if supported.

11. Network Attached Storage Security Principles
– Securing Router
• Changing Default Passwords
• Enabling HTTPS
• Enable WPA2
– Securing NAS
• Changing Admin accounts and passwords
• Enabling SSL
• Blocking extra ports
• Using VPN

12. Future of Network Attached Storage
– NAS with Gigabit Ethernet Capability, more scale-out support
– Object Storage (Unstructured Data) replacing NAS.
– Cloud based file storage.
– Direct Attached Storage

13. Conclusion
• Configuring NAS security is not something hard.
• Built-in features to modern devices available.
• Locking and securing NAS is just a matter of properly keeping the
security principles in mind.
• A NAS has been a great addition to the home or office business
environments.
• Cloud backup solutions for the NAS are available to prevent data
loss.

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