Network security is the process of taking preventative measures to protect
the underlying networking infrastructure from unauthorized access, misuse,
malfunction, modification, destruction or improper disclosure.
The Internet has undoubtedly become a huge part of our lives. Many people
in today’s generation rely on the Internet for many of their professional,
social and personal activities. But are you sure your network is secure?
There are many people who attempt to damage our Internet-connected
computers, violate our privacy and make it impossible to the Internet
services. Given the frequency and variety of existing attacks as well as the
threat of new and more destructive future attacks, network security has become
a central topic in the field of cybersecurity. Implementing network
security measures allows computers, users and programs to perform their
permitted critical functions within a secure environment.
Now that we know what
network security is, let’s take a look at two major categories of network
attacks.
What is network security attack?
A network attack can be defined as any method, process, or
means used to maliciously attempt to compromise network security. Network
security is the process of preventing network attacks across a given network
infrastructure, but the techniques and methods used by the attacker further
distinguish whether the attack is an active cyber attack, a passive type attack,
or some combination of the two.
Let’s consider a simple network attack example to understand the difference
between active and passive attack.
Active Attacks
An active attack is a network exploit in which attacker attempts to
make changes to data on the target or data en route to the target.
Meet Alice and Bob. Alice wants to communicate to Bob but distance is a
problem. So, Alice sends an electronic mail to Bob via a network which is not
secure against attacks. There is another person, Tom, who is on the same
network as Alice and Bob. Now, as the data flow is open to everyone on that
network, Tom alters some portion of an authorized message to produce an
unauthorized effect. For example, a message meaning “Allow BOB to read
confidential file X” is modified as “Allow Smith to read confidential file X”.
Active network attacks are often aggressive, blatant attacks that victims
immediately become aware of when they occur. Active attacks are highly
malicious in nature, often locking out users, destroying memory or files, or
forcefully gaining access to a targeted system or network.
Passive Attacks
A passive attack is a network attack in which a system is monitored and
sometimes scanned for open ports and vulnerabilities, but does not affect
system resources.
Let’s consider the example we saw earlier:
Alice sends an electronic mail to Bob via a network which is not secure
against attacks. Tom, who is on the same network as Alice and Bob, monitors the
data transfer that is taking place between Alice and Bob. Suppose, Alice sends
some sensitive information like bank account details to Bob as plain text. Tom
can easily access the data and use the data for malicious purposes.
So, the purpose of the passive attack is to gain access to the computer
system or network and to collect data without detection.
So, network security includes implementing different hardware and software
techniques necessary to guard underlying network architecture. With the proper
network security in place, you can detect emerging threats before they
infiltrate your network and compromise your data.
Types of network security
There are many components to a network security system that work together
to improve your security posture. The most common network security components
are discussed below.
Access Control
To keep out potential attackers, you should be able to block unauthorized
users and devices from accessing your network. Users that are permitted
network access should only be able to work with the set of resources for which
they’ve been authorized.
Application Security
Application security includes the hardware, software, and processes that
can be used to track and lock down application vulnerabilities that
attackers can use to infiltrate your network.
Firewalls
A firewall is a device or service that acts as a gatekeeper, deciding what
enters and exits the network. They use a set of defined rules to allow or block
traffic. A firewall can be hardware, software, or both.
Virtual Private Networks(VPN)
A virtual private network encrypts the connection from an endpoint to a
network, often over the Internet. This way it authenticates the communication
between a device and a secure network, creating a secure, encrypted “tunnel”
across the open internet.
Behavioral Analytics
You should know what normal network behavior looks like so that you can
spot anomalies or network breaches as they happen. Behavioral analytics
tools automatically identify activities that deviate from the norm.
Wireless Security
Wireless networks are not as secure as wired ones. Cybercriminals are
increasingly targeting mobile devices and apps. So, you need to control which
devices can access your network.
Intrusion Prevention System
These systems scan network traffic to identify and block attacks, often by
correlating network activity signatures with databases of known attack
techniques.
So, these are some ways of implementing network security. Apart from
these, you’ll need a variety of software and hardware tools in your
toolkit to ensure network security, those are:
- Firewalls
- Packet crafters
- Web scanners
- Packet sniffers
- Intrusion detection
system
- Penetration testing software
Network security is essential for
overall cybersecurity because network is a significant line of defense against
external attack. Given that, virtually all data and applications are connected
to the network, robust network security protects against data breaches.
Network Security Jobs
With the widely reported success of popular cyberattacks, like
WannaCry and Adylkuzz, companies are paying more than ever to land highly
qualified cybersecurity professionals to secure their most vulnerable
assets. Network security analyst and network security engineer are listed as
two of the highest paid cybersecurity jobs. While network security engineer is
more likely to be building out security systems, a network security analyst is
more likely to be tasked with scanning the network for plausible
vulnerabilities. Both the positions earn an average between $90,000 and
$150,000.
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