27-06-2014, 04:22 PM
Network Security: History, Importance, and Future
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ABSTRACT
Network security has become more important to
personal computer users, organizations, and the
military. With the advent of the internet, security
became a major concern and the history of security
allows a better understanding of the emergence of
security technology. The internet structure itself
allowed for many security threats to occur. The
architecture of the internet, when modified can
reduce the possible attacks that can be sent across
the network. Knowing the attack methods, allows
for the appropriate security to emerge. Many
businesses secure themselves from the internet by
means of firewalls and encryption mechanisms.
The businesses create an “intranet” to remain
connected to the internet but secured from
possible threats
INTRODUCTION
The world is becoming more interconnected with
the advent of the Internet and new networking
technology. There is a large amount of personal,
commercial, military, and government information
on networking infrastructures worldwide. Network
security is becoming of great importance because
of intellectual property that can be easily acquired
through the internet.
There are currently two fundamentally different
networks, data networks and synchronous network
comprised of switches. The internet is considered a
data network. Since the current data network
consists of computer‐based routers, information
can be obtained by special programs, such as
“Trojan horses,” planted in the routers. The
synchronous network that consists of switches
does not buffer data and therefore are not
threatened by attackers. That is why security is
emphasized in data networks, such as th
Network Security
System and network technology is a key technology
for a wide variety of applications. Security is crucial 2
to networks and applications. Although, network
security is a critical requirement in emerging
networks, there is a significant lack of security
methods that can be easily implemented.
Differentiating Data Security and Network Security
Data security is the aspect of security that allows a
client’s data to be transformed into unintelligible
data for transmission. Even if this unintelligible
data is intercepted, a key is needed to decode the
message. This method of security is effective to a
certain degree. Strong cryptography in the past can
be easily broken today. Cryptographic methods
have to continue to advance due to the
advancement of the hackers as well.
When transferring ciphertext over a network, it is
helpful to have a secure network. This will allow for
the ciphertext to be protected, so that it is less
likely for many people to even attempt to break
the code. A secure network will also prevent
someone from inserting unauthorized messages
into the network. Therefore, hard ciphers are
needed as well as attack‐hard networks
. Brief History of Internet
The birth of the interne takes place in 1969 when
Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
(ARPANet) is commissioned by the department of
defense (DOD) for research in networking.
The ARPANET is a success from the very beginning.
Although originally designed to allow scientists to
share data and access remote computers, e‐mail
quickly becomes the most popular application. The
ARPANET becomes a high‐speed digital post office
as people use it to collaborate on research projects
and discuss topics of various interests. The
InterNetworking Working Group becomes the first
of several standards‐setting entities to govern the
growing network [10]. Vinton Cerf is elected the
first chairman of the INWG, and later becomes
known as a "Father of the Internet
Security Timeline
Several key events contributed to the birth and
evolution of computer and network security. The
timeline can be started as far back as the 1930s.
Polish cryptographers created an enigma machine
in 1918 that converted plain messages to
encrypted text. In 1930, Alan Turing, a brilliant
mathematician broke the code for the Enigma.
Securing communications was essential in World
War II.
In the 1960s, the term “hacker” is coined by a
couple of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) students. The Department of Defense began
the ARPANet, which gains popularity as a conduit
for the electronic exchange of data and
information [3]. This paves the way for the creation
of the carrier network known today as the Internet.
During the 1970s, the Telnet protocol was
developed. This opened the door for public use of
data networks that were originally restricted to
government contractors and
INTERNET ARCHITECTURE AND VULNERABLE SECURITY ASPECTS
Fear of security breaches on the Internet is causing
organizations to use protected private networks or
intranets [4]. The Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF) has introduced security mechanisms at
various layers of the Internet Protocol Suite [4].
These security mechanisms allow for the logical
protection of data units that are transferred across
the network.
Attacks through the Current Internet Protocol IPv4
There are four main computer security attributes.
They were mentioned before in a slightly different
form, but are restated for convenience and
emphasis. These security attributes are
confidentiality, integrity, privacy, and availability.
Confidentiality and integrity still hold to the same
definition. Availability means the computer assets
can be accessed by authorized people [8]. Privacy is
the right to protect personal secrets [8]. Various
attack methods relate to these four security
attributes. Table 1 shows the attack methods and
solution
Common Internet Attack Methods
Common internet attacks methods are broken
down into categories. Some attacks gain system
knowledge or personal information, such as
eavesdropping and phishing. Attacks can also
interfere with the system’s intended function, such
as viruses, worms and trojans. The other form of
attack is when the system’s resources are
consumes uselessly, these can be caused by denial
of service (DoS) attack. Other forms of network
intrusions also exist, such as land attacks, smurf
attacks, and teardrop attacks. These attacks are
not as well known as DoS attacks, but they are
used in some form or another even if they aren’t
mentioned by name.
Software Developments
The software aspect of network security is very
vast. It includes firewalls, antivirus, vpn, intrusion
detection, and much more. The research
development of all security software is not feasible
to study at this point. The goal is to obtain a view
CONCLUSION
Network security is an important field that is
increasingly gaining attention as the internet
expands. The security threats and internet protocol
were analyzed to determine the necessary security
technology. The security technology is mostly
software based, but many common hardware
devices are used. The current development in
network security is not very impressive.
Originally it was assumed that with the importance
of the network security field, new approaches to
security, both hardware and software, would be
actively researched. It was a surprise to see most of
the development taking place in the same
technologies being currently used. The embedded
security of the new internet protocol IPv6 may
provide many benefits to internet users. Although
some security issues were observed, the IPv6
internet protocol seems to evade many of the
current popular attacks. Combined use of IPv6 and
security tools such as firewalls, intrusion detection,
and authentication mechanisms will prove effective
in guarding intellectual property for the near
future. The network security field may have to