About the modules

Modules are common to all agents. The modules are the most important part of an agent configuration.

Modules contain the executables and the security checks that do the actual checking at the server or the workstation level.

Symantec provides frequent updates to the modules to protect network environments from unauthorized access, data corruption, and denial-of-service attacks.

Agents support a mix of security, query, and dynamic assessment modules. The following table describes these modules:

Security

Networked computers are vulnerable to unauthorized access, tampering, and denial-of -service attacks in the following critical areas:

  • User accounts and authorization

  • Network and server settings

  • File systems and directories

Security modules evaluate each area of critical vulnerability. These modules include the checks that assess the control settings of the operating system in a systematic way.

Symantec ESM divides the security modules for NetWare/NDS servers into two types: the NDS modules and the server modules. NDS security modules run on the part of the NDS directory tree that is assigned to the agent context. Server modules run only on their own server.

Query

These modules report general information. You can use this information to aid in computer administration. For example, a query module may list all of the users in a particular group or all of the users with administrator privileges.

Dynamic assessment

These modules provide an easy way to extend dynamic security assessment and reporting capabilities for Symantec ESM. You can add new functions to perform queries, security checks, or other tasks not currently available within Symantec ESM. You can also use these capabilities to protect network resources from new forms of unauthorized access, data corruption, or denial-of-service attacks.