Section 9.1: Introduction to Network Security

Learning Objectives

After completing this section, you should be able to

• identify security risks in computer networks;
•  implement certain techniques to secure a computer network.

Tasks

• Study Chapter 11 of the TD textbook to find answers to the study questions.
• If possible, do the hands-on Project 11-1.
• Complete Case Project 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3.

Study Questions

You may want to use the Personal Study Space wiki to answer these questions, which may require some Internet research. You can also post comments and queries in the Unit 9 Forum.

1. What are hackers and crackers? What are the differences between the two?
2. What is root?
3. What is a firewall?
4. What should be done in a security audit?
5. What network security risks are associated with people?
6. What network security risks are associated with hardware and network design?
7. What network security risks are associated with protocols and software?
8. What network security risks are associated with Internet access?
9. What is an IP spoofing attack?
10. What is a flashing attack?
11. What is a denial-of-service attack?
12. How are risks associated with people addressed?
13. How is an effective security policy developed?
14. What are the typical goals for security policies?
15. What should be included in a security policy?
16. What policy should be made for response to security breaches?
17. How are secure passwords created?
18. How are passwords kept secure?
19. How should administrators physically secure an enterprise computer network?
20. How are risks associated with hardware and network design addressed?
21. What does a packet-filtering firewall do?
22. What does a screening firewall do?
23. How are firewalls used to secure an enterprise computer network?
24. What roles does a proxy server play?
25. What security feature should be sought in a remote control program?
26. What security features should be provided by a secure remote access server package for dial-up networking?
27. How are risks associated with protocols and software addressed?
28. What restrictions may be imposed on users’ access to network resources in order to secure an enterprise network?
29. What is encryption?
30. What roles can encryption play in network security?
31. What should be ensured by encryption?
32. What is a key in the context of encryption?
33. What is cipher text?
34. What is private key encryption or symmetric encryption?
35. What is public key encryption or asymmetric encryption?
36. What is a digital certificate?
37. What roles do digital certificates play in network security?
38. What is the essence of the Kerberos authentication protocol?
39. What is the essence of the PGP system? For what purpose might you choose to use PGP?
40. What is secure socket layer (SSL)?
41. How does SSL work to secure a network?
42. What is TLS? How is it used for network security?
43. What is the essence of the IPSec protocol?
44. What is key management and key exchange?
45. What are VPNs?
46. How methods may be taken to secure VPNs?
47. What is the essence of the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)?
48. What is tunneling?
49. What is the essence of Layer 2 forwarding (L2F) and Layer 2 tunneling protocol (L2TP), respectively?