Subject: Advanced Network Technologies

Topic: Network Security

Difficulty: Medium

Network security is any activity designed to protect the usability and integrity of your network and data. It includes both hardware and software technologies. Effective network security manages access to the network. It targets a variety of threats and stops them from entering or spreading on your network.

1) Secure Network Equipment Network equipment needs to be secured behind a door access limited to authorised personnel.

2) Passwords Procedures

A password is a string of characters used to verify the identity of a user during the authentication process. Passwords are typically used in conjuncture with a username; they are designed to be known only to the user and allow that user to gain access to a device, application or website. Passwords can vary in length and can contain letters, numbers and special characters.

DOS A minimum length of eight characters with a limit of anywhere from 16 to 64 characters or possibly even higher; The inclusion of both uppercase and lowercase letters with case sensitivity; The use of at least one number; and The use of at least one special character.

Don’ts

Use your logic name in any form Use your first, middle or last name in any form Use other information easily available about you. Use passwords of all digits and password should not be less than six to eight characters

3) Antivirus Software’s

Antivirus or anti-virus software (often abbreviated as AV), sometimes known as anti-malware software, is computer software used to prevent, detect and remove malicious software.Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name. However, with the proliferation of other kinds of malware, antivirus software started to provide protection from other computer threats. In particular, modern antivirus software can protect from: malicious browser helper objects (BHOs), browser hijackers, ransomware, keyloggers, backdoors, rootkits, trojan horses, worms, malicious LSPs, dialers, fraudtools, adware and spyware.

4) Implement a firewall

Firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. They can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both.

There are three types of firewalls i) Packet filtering ii) Dynamic Packet filtering iii) Application Proxies

5) Implement a Virtual Private Network

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is defined loosely as a network in which customer connectivity amongst multiple sites is deployed on a shared infrastructure with the same access or security policies as a private network. With the recent advent of marketing activities surrounding the term VPNs, from new technologies supporting VPNs to a flurry of VPN-enabled products and services, you might think that the VPN concept is a major technology throughput. There are three types of VPN i) Secure remote access ii) Intranet access (site to site) iii) Extranet access (site to site or site to internet)