“
NETWORK
SECURITY”
ABSTRACT
Presented by:
PATHAN KHALIL AHMED
(khalilpathan@rediffmail.com)
ABSTRACT
Network security is a
complicated subject, historically only tackled by well-
trained and experienced experts. However, as more and
more
people become ''wired'', an increasing number of people
need to understand the basics of security in a
networked
world. This document was written with the basic
computer
user and information systems manager in mind,
explaining
the concepts needed to read through the hype in the
marketplace and understand risks and how to deal with
them.
Network Security is not a new discipline; every
year we
see research,
technologies ,products ,laws ,protocol ,standards etc
emerging .Traditionally, Network Security has been
perceived as a hindrance for the adoption of
technologies
in the enterprise, and this mindset is a complex issue
to
overcome. To achieve a truly
secure environment, many
layers of protection are required. As
networks have
grown
exponentially, so have the security threats to the
enterprise both internally and externally. Besides the
technological challenges, there is also the daunting
task
of ensuring that all employees understand the threats
posed
by non-adherence to set guidelines. Enterprises today,
in
spite of understanding the implications of security,
fail
to undertake fundamental exercises like identifying
their
assets and connections or assessment of basic
vulnerability. Besides these issues, many organizations
lack an IT security
policy and even in the more
structured
organizations, which have policies, consistent
enforcement
across the organization often remains an issue.
Some
history of
networking is included, as well as an
introduction to TCP/IP and internetworking . We go on
to
consider
risk management, network threats, firewalls,
and
more special-purpose secure networking devices.
It
is
hoped that you will have a wider perspective on
security in
general, and better understand how to reduce and manage
risk personally, at home, and in the workplace after
this
presentation.
Introduction to Networking
A
basic
understanding of computer networks is requisite in
order to
understand the principles of network security. We'll
cover
some of the foundations of computer networking, then
move
on to an overview of some popular networks. Following
that,
we'll take a more in-depth look at TCP/IP, the network
protocol suite that is used to run the Internet and
many
intranets.
Once we've covered this, we'll go back
and
discuss some of the threats that managers and
administrators of computer networks need to confront,
and
then some tools that can be used to reduce the exposure
to
the risks of network computing.
Security Solutions
Although no technology in the world can eliminate
all security concerns, there have been improvements in
several key areas. Few solutions available for network
security:
Firewalls,
Virtual Private Network
(VPN),
Secure Network Compartments,
Web Server
Security,
Digital Certificates &
Intrusion
detection.
Conclusions
Security is a very
difficult topic. Everyone has a different idea of what
``security'' is, and what levels of risk are
acceptable.
The key for building a secure network is to define what
security means to your organization . Once that has
been
defined, everything that goes on with the network can
be
evaluated with respect to that policy. Projects and
systems
can then be broken down into their components, and it
becomes much simpler to decide whether what is proposed
will conflict with your security policies and
practices.
Security is everybody's business, and only with
everyone's cooperation, an intelligent policy, and
consistent practices,achievable.