Essential Elements Of Network Security

In the following article we’ll mention an important topic that’s “Essential Elements of Network Security” let’s discuss within the article given below:

Cybercriminals, former employees, and a few careless users can bring down any computer network security and compromise sensitive data within seconds. In fact, on October 11, 2018, the net provider Pocket iNet left an AWS S3 server exposed. Upguard, a cyber-risk team, later reported that this incident left nearly about 73 GB of downloadable data, which includes sensitive files, pictures, diagrams as well as passwords vulnerable. This exposed data was called pinapp2.

What Is Network Security

Network security is protecting the integrity as well as usability of network data, including both software and hardware technologies. Effective network security actually provides access to the network, targets as well as neutralizes a variety of threats, and even prevents them from spreading. This may involve applying various network security tools and techniques to actually reduce the security concern.

Networking fundamentals

The fundamentals of network security are:

  • Physical security
  • Access controls
  • Authentication
  • Accountability

Common types of network security attacks:

Some of the most common threats to our network as well as computer systems are:

  • Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS)
  • Malware threats
  • spyware
  • adware
  • computer worms
  • botnets
  • Trojan horses

These common threats actually often target weak password-protected accounts, unsecured wireless networks as well as unsecured websites.

Network security actually comprises software, hardware as well as procedures that are further designed to actually enhance network defense against external as well as internal threats to an organization’s computer systems. Furthermore, there are multiple layers of software as well as hardware that prevent several threats from damaging, penetrating as well as spreading through the network.

Moreover, Network security has actually become very crucial to the organizations today as the exponential increase of criminal hackers could actually increase global losses to cybercrime to about $2.1 trillion by the coming year.

Essential Elements of Network Security

To avoid financial and reputational loss, it’s important that organizations are focused on network security. Here are the four basic elements of network security to really keep in mind:

1. Network Access Control (NAC)

NAC basically allows the admin to further understand and control who can and can’t access the network. NAC actually identifies what users as well as devices are allowed on the network. This helps the admin to actually remain aware of which devices are blocked. Behavioral analytic tools in order to identify abnormal behavior on a network are a modern tool which will help network administrators monitor their networks for anomalous traffic. Once the behavioral analytic tool is actually applied, it then sends a notifications to the user as soon any sort of abnormal activity is found.

According to Quadrant Knowledge Solutions, the global NAC Market is actually expected to develop significantly in the next five to 6 years. Further rising from a market size of about $997.3 million in  the year 2017 to $5.37 billion by the year 2023.

2. Firewall Security

A firewall is actually a network security device that monitors outgoing and incoming network traffic, forming a kind of barrier between an untrusted and trusted network. Firewall security actually decides whether to block or to allow particular traffic in the network or not. It is one among the first lines of defense. There are different types of firewall security such as stateful firewall, application-aware firewall, packet filtering firewall, deep packet inspection firewall, and proxy firewall.

According to Stratistics MRC, the global Network Security Firewall market value was $3.15 billion in the year 2017. Whereas, it is expected to rise to $9.41 billion by the year 2026 at a growing CAGR of 12.9%. The increasing demand for firewall security the vulnerability growth in SS7 as well as the rapid developments in a digital transformation within the sector of telecommunication actually also contribute further to the overall market growth.

3. Intrusion Prevention System or IPS

IPS or Intrusion Prevention System is actually a threat prevention technology that examines, identifies, and prevents unusual network traffic from exploiting vulnerabilities, like malicious inputs, target supplication or service to gain control or interrupt a machine or application. The Intrusion Prevention System is actually positioned right behind the firewall security that actually provides a complementary layer of analysis. This actually further acts as a direct communication path between the destination and the source. IPS actively analyzes as well as takes automated actions on all the traffic flows that actually enter the network. Such actions include:

Resetting the overall connection

Blocking unscrupulous traffic from the source address

4. SIEM or Security Information and Event Management

SIEM is an approach towards security management which mixes Security Event Management and Security Information Management into one composite security management system. SIEM gathers the relevant and required data from multiple sources to assist identify deviations and take appropriate actions.

For instance, when a potential issue or threat is actually detected, SIEM directly logs all additional information as well as generates an alert so that the security actually controls stop the activity’s progress on an immediate basis.