Introduction to network security and its aspects

Network security

Network security safeguards the network and data against breaches, intrusions, and other attacks. This broad term refers to hardware and software solutions, processes, rules, and configurations related to network use, accessibility, and overall threat protection.

A well-designed network security solution lowers overhead costs and protects enterprises from severe damages caused by a data breach or other security incident. Access control, virus and antivirus software, application security, network analytics, network-related security types, firewalls, and VPN encryption are all part of network security.

Note: Read more about the types of network security protection.

Intuition

Ema and Jeremy want to communicate "securely." What exactly does this imply? Certainly, Ema wants only Jeremy to understand a message she has delivered, even though they are conversing across an insecure medium where an intruder could intercept whatever Ema sends to Jeremy. Jeremy likewise wants to be sure that the message they receive from Ema is sent by Ema and vice versa. Additionally, Ema and Jeremy want to be sure that nothing has been added or removed from their messages while in transit. Additionally, they need confirmation that they can even communicate in the first place.

An intruder can potentially perform the following functions:

• Eavesdropping is sniffing and recording control and data messages on the channel.

• Message or message content alteration, insertion, or deletion.

Ema and Jeremy could also be two routers trying to securely exchange routing tables, a client and server seeking to create a secure transport connection, or two e-mail applications that want to exchange secure e-mail.

Aspects

Due to the factors mentioned above, we may identify the following ideal secure communication aspects:

Confidentiality

The contents of the transmitted message should be comprehended only by the sender and intended receiver. Since eavesdroppers may understand the message, it must be encrypted in some way so that an interceptor cannot interpret it. This characteristic of confidentiality is certainly the most widely understood meaning of secure communication.

Note: Read more about public key encryption.

Message integrity

The term "data integrity" refers to the arrival of data at the recipient exactly as it was sent. It is becoming increasingly important as monetary transactions are increasing over the Internet. To ensure a secure connection, data integrity must be guaranteed and maintained.

Message integrity helps to prevent intentional or unintentional content alteration during transmission. We can utilize extensions to the checksumming techniques employed in reliable transport and data link protocols to ensure message integrity.

End-point authentication

End-point encryption means both the sender and the receiver must be able to validate the identification of the other party involved in the communication. Face-to-face human communication readily solves this difficulty through visual recognition. Authentication is more difficult when communicative entities exchange information across a medium where they cannot see the other side.

For example, when a user requests access to their inbox, how does the mail server verify that it is the legitimate user? All of this is managed by end-point encryption.

Operational security

Almost every organization now has a network linked to the public Internet. As a result, these networks are vulnerable. Attackers may try to download worms onto the hosts in the network, steal the company's private information, map internal network configurations, and conduct denial-of-service attacks. To counteract network threats, operational security devices such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems are used.

A firewall resides between the organization's and public networks, regulating packet access to and from the network. An intrusion detection system performs "deep packet inspection" and alerts network administrators regarding potentially malicious activities.

Conclusion

Network security is important to protect client data and information, secure shared data, guarantee reliable access and network performance, and protect against cyber threats. It ensures authorized access to systems, applications, and in-time delivery of services to customers.