04-09-2014, 12:14 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 becauseof 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 the internet,
and other networks that link to 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.There exists a “communication gap” between the
developers of security technology and developers
of networks. Network design is a well‐developed
process that is based on the Open Systems
Interface (OSI) model. The OSI model has several
advantages when designing networks. It offers
modularity, flexibility, ease‐of‐use, and
standardization of protocols. The protocols of
different layers can be easily combined to create
stacks which allow modular development. The
implementation of individual layers can be changed
later without making other adjustments, allowing
flexibility in development
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
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."
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
Intrusion 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
SECURITY IN DIFFERENT NETWORKS
The businesses today use combinations of firewalls,
encryption, and authentication mechanisms to
create “intranets” that are connected to the
internet but protected from it at the same time. Intranet is a private computer network that uses
internet protocols. Intranets differ from
"Extranets" in that the former are generally
restricted to employees of the organization while
extranets can generally be accessed by customers,
suppliers, or other approved parties
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