25-09-2014, 09:38 AM
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 becauseof intellectual property that can be easily acquired
through the internet
Network Security
System and network technology is a key technology
for a wide variety of applications. Security is crucialto 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
HISTORY OF NETWORK SECURITY
Recent interest in security was fueled by the crime
committed by Kevin Mitnick. Kevin Mitnick
committed the largest computer‐related crime in
U.S. history [3]. The losses were eighty million
dollars in U.S. intellectual property and source code
from a variety of companies [3]. Since then,
information security came into the spotlight.
Public networks are being relied upon to deliver
financial and personal information. Due to the
evolution of information that is made available
through the internet, information security is also
required to evolve. Due to Kevin Mitnick’s offense,
companies are emphasizing security for the
intellectual property. Internet has been a driving
force for data security improvement
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.
Denial of Service
Denial of Service is an attack when the system
receiving too many requests cannot return
communication with the requestors [9]. The
system then consumes resources waiting for the
handshake to complete. Eventually, the system
cannot respond to any more requests rendering it
without service.
ntrusion Detection Systems
An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is an additional
protection measure that helps ward off computer
intrusions. IDS systems can be software and
hardware devices used to detect an attack. IDS
products are used to monitor connection in
determining whether attacks are been launched.
Some IDS systems just monitor and alert of an
attack, whereas others try to block the attack.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NETWORK SECURITY
The network security field is continuing down the
same route. The same methodologies are being
used with the addition of biometric identification.
Biometrics provides a better method of
authentication than passwords. This might greatly
reduce the unauthorized access of secure systems.
New technology such as the smart card is surfacing
in research on network security. The software
aspect of network security is very dynamic.
Constantly new firewalls and encryption schemes
are being implemented.
The research being performed assists in
understanding current development and projecting
the future developments of the field.
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
evolve more rapidly to deal with the threats further
in the future.