Network security, what is it? In today?s society not many people understand what network security is or how it works. As a person or as a network administrator you must understand the steps and processes of setting up a network security system. One of the first items that you have to come up with is an idea of why you want a network. Once you have figured this out you then have to secure many areas of the computer some of the areas include the securing of desktop workstations, securing network servers, and securing public web servers. If you really want to be safe you can install a firewall for your network system. After all this had been set up you then have to figure out a way to respond to the intrusions. After all this had been accomplished you are then on your way to a network that is secure.
In order to create a network you must first realize what you are going to use the network for. Deciding how you want your network and the functions you want it to do is very complicated. When creating one you must really think about what you are going to use it for now and what you see yourself doing in the future with the network. When creating a network you want to leave options for upgrade.
Once you have decided on how you want your network, then you must look at the security options. Security is a key option in networking. When you think of security you have to look at the option of someone in your own company tampering with files as well as the outside world being able to access your network. One step in protecting yourself or a company is by securing desktop workstations. What I mean by a Desktop Workstation is that it is a combination of the hardware, operating system, application software, and network connections of a computer. If I were to get more specific I would have mentioned just one of the following items above. Securing a desktop workstation is a very important part of your network. The reason I say this is because of the personal information of the company or your own personal information that is stored on the workstation. You have to remember that with networks you are connected to the rest of the world as well. So by not securing your workstation you then are more likely to have a hacker tap into your system. If this happens the hacker is capable of doing what ever he/she wants. They could delete files or just copy them in order for them to get your personal information that they then can use.
The Term Paper on Peer To Peer Network Server Security Client
... sent from client workstations, stores shared files and applications, and manages network security and administration, it ... harness the dormant processing power in desktop PCs. The potential benefits are so ... businesses because it will allow spontaneous, secure communication between small groups that can ... the resources that the network depends on. Resource Sharing and Options Available for each ...
Many people don?t realize that there are many security problems that can be avoided if the workstations are configured appropriately. Most of the hardware found in a computer is set by the manufacture. Since it is set by the manufacture they don?t consider the security. They look more at other functions and features. The reason why the manufactures do this is because they have no idea what your security?s needs are or the company?s. In order to have the best security; you must configure the workstation to your needs. Besides configuring the workstation you must reconfigure the workstation as long as your requirements change. By doing this you will then be guaranteeing yourself the security you need. I feel that there are three main issues that you need to know about securing a workstation. One of the three issues is confidentiality. Confidentiality is information that is stored on the workstation that is reveled inappropriately. There are many reasons why this may happen. Some of the reasons are that a person without authority is able to access the workstation without permission. Another reason would be that a person has access but then views the information that he/she wasn?t suppose to have access to.
The final reason is where a person sends information over the network without permission to do so. The second issue would be Integrity. Integrity is where information may be changed on the workstation by mistake or they planed on changing the information. The third issue would be Availability. Availability is where a person might not be able to use the workstation or the network to perform their job. Some reasons why this may happen is because some of the information has been damaged or destroyed. What I mean by destroy is deleted from the workstation. Some other reasons may include that the information is encrypted or there is a password that has been changed without letting anybody know. One other reason could be that the service is overloaded to where the personal cannot work. If you have any of these problems you do have a way to correct them. The way you can fix these problems is by doing a security improvement approach. Some of the plans that you can follow are the planning of the development and execution of a workstation. Another way to go about this problem is to configure your workstation to prevent any security problems or incidents. The last approach you can go about is by constantly reading and improving your mind on security issues. Besides making sure you secure your workstation you also have to worry about securing your network servers (www.cert.org).
The Essay on Network Security
... information system and allow for scalability. The network infrastructure will support organizational operations; therefore, a pictorial view of workstations, servers, ... used benchmark for evaluation of information systems security, focusing on the three ( ... issues and challenges associated with information systems integration. * Use technology and information resources to research issues in information ...
Since the development of computer networks there has been a key class. The key class is a network server. A server is the combination of hardware, operating system, network service, and network connection. The purpose of a network server is to provide service. The services may include computational and data services to other computers on the network. Servers play an important role. Most servers store many of an organization?s most valuable and confidential information. Servers are also created for communication like electronic e-mail or for user authentication. With a network server you have to watch out for security breaches. Another words you have to watch out for hackers that are trying to get into your system to find out information. A security breach is not a very good thing. With a security breach it can result in the disclosure of critical information or you can have the loss of capability that can effect an entire organization or business. Most of the security breaches can be avoided if the servers and the network are configured correctly. If you look at what the manufacture?s set, they set up the hardware and software to show of the features of the product instead of the security issue.
The Essay on Information Technology logical security
... scanners and printers on the network assigned for confidential information should at all time be ... and password protection for their user accounts. Web security attack is common in the cyber cafes ... for example illegal copying of their software. Organizations should ensure that they install software ... workstations and desktop applications, access to computer servers and data, access to business bespoke ...
Most of the company?s that produce the hardware or software don?t know the amount of security you need or how you want to configure everything. When securing a network server there are a few items you should remember to help you make sure you have the best security possible for your organization. One key part is to make sure that you have a system set up where you can authorize certain people to access certain parts of the network. You should also make sure the information is capable of being accessed by the user whenever they need it. You do not want any delays. When securing a network there are four major security issues that are related to a network server. One is called Confidentiality. Confidentiality is the maintaining of confidentiality of information stored on the server. This could include that only authorized users can access certain information from the server. You also have to make sure that not everyone can access every server that you have. Another of the four issues is called Mutual Authentication. Mutual Authentication is the ensuring that the user knows who he/she claims to be and that the network server host is who it is as well. User identities such as id, passwords are stored on the server. If a person figures out a user and the password they then can break into the server and access information that they are not suppose to see. Network identities can be redirected through IP and DNS. IP stands for Internet Protocol and DNS stands for Domain Name Server. If you go over all these options for securing your network server you then lower your vulnerability to intrusions by outsiders that are trying to get information that could hurt your organization. As you are setting up your network you know have to look at the securing of public web servers (www.cert.org).
Securing public web servers is a very important part. The World Wide Web is one of the most important ways for an organization to publish information, interact with other Internet users and establish e-commerce with other organizations. Without the proper security you leave your organization and web page open to intruders. This could lead to sever problems. One sever problem is that an intruder can change the contents of your web page which could be an embarrassing moment for you company. Some web sites have helped intruders into an organization?s internal network for the purpose of accessing information that is private. If this happens your business can face losses or even legal action because of the intrusion. The first thing you should do is ensure that you first configure a secure general-purpose server before you start to configure your web server. When you are securing your public web server there are a few issues that you have to remember. One of the issues is the improper configuration of the web server. This can result in the disclosure or alteration of important information. This can include information about the configuration of the server or network, which could be exploited for many more attacks in the future.
The Business plan on Information System Organizations That Implement Intranet
... server application developed using Web tools that runs in an internal network" - Intranet journal. com -Initially the intranet was used fundamentally for sharing information ... of documents or tools, should dictate the organization of the intranet. Designed effectively around dynamic ... but with no department ownership.- Security holes due to inconsistent security policies and architectures. This problem ...
You also have to watch out for the possibility of sensitive customer or user information being given to people that are hacking into your system. One example is if you are operating a clothing department and you have your catalog online so people can sit at home an order. If you don?t have a secure web site you then can get you information stolen. If your information is stolen you then gave the hacker?s personal information as well as credit card information. This could lead to many problems. If the host used for your web server might be compromised. This then can allow the intruder to change the information stored on the web server host machines, particularly the information you intend to publish. If an intruder is able to access your host he then can install a program to execute when the user uses the server without the user knowing what he/she did. The intruders can also launch attacks on external sites from your server host machine. By the intruder doing this, the information of the intruder is concealed thus leaving your organization liable for any damages that may happen. This would end up being deadly for you company. You can lose business, which then leads to the loss of money. When you are going to have a web page you have to make sure that you secure your web server. As you can see this is a very important part of running a successful business. One key part that you can have in order to make sure your network is secure is by deploying a firewall (www.cert.org).
The Term Paper on Information System Security Principles
... access to the information in the system and to the network. Other important terms Also important to network security are the following ... —Assume that any users and hosts outside of an organization’s control are insecure. ? Internet perimeter—The Internet contains ... antivirus software. Microsoft recommends either a hardware or software firewall to “prevent hackers, and many types of viruses and ...
Deploying a firewall is a key part of securing a network. A firewall is the combination of hardware and software used to implement a security policy that governs the traffic between two or more networks. Some of these networks can be under your control. An example would be your organization?s network. Some also may be out of your control, like the Internet. A network firewall serves as a primary line of defense against external threats to your organization?s computer system, networks, and information. You can also you a firewall to partition your organizations internal network. By doing this you then lower your risk from insider attacks. Firewalls are widely known in organizations. The ?1999 Computer Security institute/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey indicates that 91 percent of the organizations surveyed already deploy firewalls (Power 99).
In the world today there has been very little publishing about designing, installing, deploying, operating, and maintaining firewalls. The term firewall is taken from the structural analog whose purpose is to slow the spread of fire in a building. In computer terms it is used in many ways. Some of the ways it is used are to identify a specific hardware component or software package. Others consider the entire collection of systems and software deployed between two networks to be part of firewalls. You can also look at a firewall as packet filtering. If you use a firewall as a noun, you then are referring to the general concept of a technological mechanism for the enforcement of a network traffic security policy. When deploying a firewall you should include an interconnection between internal networks and networks not under administrative control. Some examples would be the Internet and business networks. You also have to consider that there are different security requirements between internal networks and interconnections. When you are deploying a firewall you have to watch out for some security issues. Most of the organizations are connecting to the Internet to establish a business and electronic commerce as well as to access information rapidly.
The Essay on All-in-One Computer Security Systems
All-in-one Computer Security Systems CIS/105 Some of the different programs that I choose to use as all-in-one security that has total protection are Norton Internet Security and McAfee has an exclusive active protection technology that analyzes and blocks threats in milliseconds. McAfee can immediately detect and remove viruses, even root kits, adware, spyware, and blocks. McAfee has a two-way ...
If your organization is connected to the Internet without the proper security you then become vulnerable to attacks from external adversaries. Without a firewall you would be unable to prevent many forms of access to your network, systems, and information assents. Some of the risks include the loss of confidentiality of business information. An example would be financial records, planning data, marketing plans, and medical records. You may also have the loss of availability of mission-critical services such as EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), inventory controls and electronic mail. If the information is exposed, your adversaries then can plan an attack on you. If your information does lick out you then have the right for others to sue you. The last important part would be the vandalism of public information services such as public web sites. Security is a huge issue. You have to make sure you are prepared for anything. If you do happen to have a security breach or an intrusion you then have to respond to it in an orderly fashion (www.cert.org).
Responding to intrusions is very important to operate a network system. If you fail to respond to an intrusion, your security is then no good if you fail to act. Most organizations are not prepared to deal with intrusions. An intrusion is any intentional event where an intruder gains access that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of computers, networks, or the data residing on them. A breach is the same as an intrusion. Most organizations are likely to address the need to prepare and respond only after an intrusion has taken place. Once an organization has realized that an intrusion has taken place, many of the decisions are rushed. If you rush a decision you then make yourself unable to understand the extent and the source of the intrusion. You can also reduce the protection of the systems, the networks and the ability to continue operating. If you rush you might not be able to collect information to better understand what happened. Without such information, you then may not be able to take actions that can further damage your systems. Even if you have prevention measures in place, intrusions can still happen. In your organization you need a strategy for handling intrusions effectively that includes preparation, detection, and response.
When responding to intrusions there are many security issues that come into play. An intruder can seek and take advantage of vulnerabilities in an operating system, network servers, and protocols. A good intruder can develop a program to rapidly penetrate a system. It only takes an intruder a matter of seconds to cause damage to your system. If you fail to set up the necessary procedures and responsibilities it then could lead to many problems. Some of the problems that could occur would be extensive damage to data, systems, and networks if you fail to act immediately on an intrusion. The results of this can result in the increase of cost and loss of business. You can also have negative exposure in the news and media. This may damage your organization and its reputation with your customers and shareholders. The worst that could happen would be legal action and the prosecution for failure to have a standard of care when your system is used to attack other systems. These are just a few of the security issues you have to deal with. To show you the number of incidents reported, vulnerabilities reported, and security alerts published I have included a chart of statistics from 1988-2000. I thought these numbers were interesting (www.cert.org).
Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999* Incidents 252 406 773 1,334 2,340 2,412 2,573 2,134 3,734 9,859 Total incidents reported (1988-2000): 41,162 Vulnerabilities 171 345 311 262 417 Total vulnerabilities reported (1995-2000): 2,280 Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Advisories 12 23 21 19 15 18 27 28 13 17 Vendor Bulletins 2 10 20 16 13 Totals 12 23 21 19 17 31 53 50 34 22 Total security alerts published (1988-2000): 311 Total security notes published (1998-2000): 39 Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999* Mail 4,448 9,629 14,463 21,267 29,580 32,084 31,268 39,626 41,871 34,612 Total mail messages handled (1988-2000): 303,046 The chart above shows you some of the incidents that have been reported. I feel that the chart shows you that there are quite a few people out in our society today that intrude on our network systems. If you also look at how the numbers increase as the years go by. These only shows you that more and more people are out there trying to find important and personal information about a certain organization (http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2000/oct/allen.asp).
These are only some of the ways you can make sure that your network is secure. Some of the ways you can secure your network is by the Securing of Desktop Workstations, Securing Network Servers, and Securing Public Web Servers. If you really want to be safe you can install a Firewall for your network system. After all this had been set up you then have to figure out a way to respond to the intrusions. All these are ways to protect yourself and your organization from any problems that can effect you in the long term or short term.
