A large mobile telephony and data network operator has a data that houses network elements. These are essentially large computers running on Linux. The perimeter of the data center is secured with fir

Hardening network elements with strong credentials and conducting regular security testing implements a defense-in-depth approach that does not rely solely on perimeter defenses. Linux-based network elements have their own attack surface including local privilege escalation, default credentials, and unpatched vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments ensure controls remain effective as the threat landscape evolves.

Physical access restrictions only prevent physical tampering and do not protect against network-based or insider attacks targeting the elements directly.

Firewalls and IPS protect the network perimeter but cannot defend against threats that originate internally or that successfully bypass the perimeter, leaving unhardened elements fully exposed.

Accepting attacks and downtime as inevitable without implementing preventive hardening controls is not a valid security policy and represents a failure to apply due diligence.