Essay Example on Network Security: A Vital Link for Our Digital Interactions

Introduction

Network refers to the interconnection of computers and other cyber components to share data and information. Cybersecurity, on the other hand, refers to the collective defensive technologies for both hardware and software, processes as well as practices applied in the network systems, programs, and computers to prevent attacks, both internal and external, damages and external access. Networks and cybersecurity play an important role in our daily communication and interaction using electronic devices. The increasing reliance on technology in daily operations makes it more essential for individuals and entities to secure their data as well as information from unauthorized access. The growth of the internet and computers has also become bigger over time due to the generation of big data making data integrity an important aspect of every organization.

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Importance of Networks and Cybersecurity

Networks and cybersecurity play an important role in the daily operations of individuals as well as organizations. Networks act as the entry points for the cyberattacks and threats. Despite not having an immune network, it is possible to achieve a stable and immune network system to protect the organization's data by implementing the essential cybersecurity protocols. Ideal network security ought to help organizations reduce the risk of falling victim to data sabotage as well as theft (Randall & Kroll, 2016). The security of networks is fundamental for the protection of workstations from harmful programs such as malware, adware, and spyware. The security of a given network also helps in enforcing the CIA triad, which is the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. Good security of networks should provide several levels of protection aimed at preventing attacks by implementing breakpoints. The breakpoints are essential as they help in breaking down the information into various parts, which are encrypted and transmitted as independent parts and prevents eavesdropping as a result. Internet connection also means the reception of a lot of traffic, which might lead to a lack of stability in the networks (Randall & Kroll, 2016). Unstable networks are vulnerable to attacks from both external and internal sources. Implementing the appropriate cybersecurity measures is key to promoting lagging and downtime within the networks.

The Network Architecture

Every network consists of the global Internet Service Providers (ISP) as well as other regional Internet Service Providers that are interconnected to provide a path for sending and receiving packets (Wu & Irwin, 2016). The communication path on a network comprises of several switches and routers that facilitate as well as direct the flow of information. The internet connects billions of hosts across the globe, which runs on a wide range of applications leading to enormous traffic at any given time within the ubiquitous network. The hosts in the network such as clients and servers are connected through communication links and pass information through switches, routers and access points on the pathway. The communication links within these networks are often defined by their communication rates as well as their bandwidth. The access points within the network architecture are used to connect the Local Area Networks (LAN) or hosts to the internet.

In a network architecture, routers play the important role of connecting the local area network, generating the routing tables, and forwarding of the data packets from a given source to their destination (Wu & Irwin, 2016). Routers and servers form the backbone of the internet.

Access Networks

The internet makes use of the gateway to gain access into the hierarchical network as shown in the figure below.

The internet can be accessed in various ways. Some of these ways include point-to-point access between the user and the ISP using the dialup modem, digital subscriber line, cable modem, broadband, the fiber in the loop, and many others (Wu & Irwin, 2016). The digital subscriber line provides a dedicated line between a residential telephone and the telephone of the central office. The line is supplied by the telephone company and it is not shared. It is controlled by the distance between the telephone company and the multiplexer of the digital subscriber line known as the Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLM). The DSL operates under the ANSI TI.413-1998 standard, which defines the upstream rate to be a maximum of 1 Mbps and a downstream rate of 8 Mbps. The model incorporates the Frequency Division Multiplexing technology that enables one to use the same line to surf the internet and use the phone at the same time. The telecommunication companies also make use of the hybrid fiber coax (HFC). The technology enables the telecommunication companies to extend fiber into their customers' neighborhoods and make use of coax to connect the individual homes. The Hybrid Fiber Coax Technology makes use of the Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) standard to provide internet access. Other companies also make use of the Fiber in the Loops (FITL) technology to provide internet access. Other companies, however, opt for Broadband over Power Lines (BPL), which provides broadband internet access using the ordinary power line connections. The BPL technology makes use of the IEEE P1901 standard. Nonetheless, the most common type of network connection is the Local Area Network (LAN). The LAN connections connect to the internet through the gateway. Several interconnected LANs make up the Wide Area Networks.

Effects of Network Breach

Network forms the backbone of the Information and Communication Technology operations of any organization. Having a breach on the network often puts the organizations at risk. Breaches may lead to data loss and leaks, which in turn affects the confidentiality of the information. The breaches may occur through vandalism or infiltration of the network.

Network Security

Network security refers to the practices as well as technologies employed by businesses to protect their IT infrastructure. The IT infrastructure is the combination of data, programs, applications, web network, software, as well as hardware that are used to support the operations of a given organization. The effective management of the IT infrastructure in any organization is important as it ensures the protection of digital assets of the company that is client-facing as well as public-facing, such as the website, the client accounts portals, and many others to ensure they are reliable, safe, and compliant (Olmstead & Smith, 2017). The management of these infrastructures also helps to ensure the reputation of the company is guarded by protecting the data and information that are utilized in the daily business operations.

Protection of the networks against the external and internal breaches by hackers, viruses, malware, and spyware is important for business continuity and protection of the organization's data. In order to protect the network against attack, organizations implement a wide range of strategies such as employing a cybersecurity professional and using cybersecurity equipment and software. For a cybersecurity professional, one must be able to administer, troubleshoot and manage the various existing software, or services for the configuration environments such as single, multi, and mixed user environments. The individual must also be able to evaluate problems as well as monitor the existing network and other networks to ensure its availability for the users. In such cases, the network admin and cybersecurity professional should not only ensure the network is available for the users but must also be able to identify the underlying issues that affect the individual users and make use of the given information by interpreting and designing the appropriate network access (King et al., 2018). The cybersecurity team also needs to plan and implement as well as coordinate the network security measures, which include the installation of the required software to help in the monitoring of the network for security incidents. Training the cybersecurity professionals on the existing cybersecurity procedures will help the individuals to be able to use the cybersecurity measures in managing the conduct of the personnel as well as in the protection of the data in relation to the protection of the organization's information. The professional must also learn how to perform the various tests such as the vulnerability analysis as well as penetration testing. Performing penetration testing in the network will help the professionals to monitor as well as defend networks by creating the basic procedures as well as policies that can be used to safeguard the network against external breaches.

Network Security Measures

With the increase in the cybercrime-related cases, organizations can implement various processes, procedures, and policies to ensure they are safe from these attacks. Organizations ought to define access control to the devices and files within the organizations by ensuring that all the devices within the organization are password protected. The cybersecurity professional in these organizations must also ensure that firewalls, as well as other internal network control measures, are in place to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic (Choi, Cho & Lee, 2019). The organization must also use anti-virus software such as Bitdefender, anti-spyware software, and anti-malware software such as Malwarebytes to block the intrusion of the network by this unwanted software. The organization also needs to have a backup in place to ensure the continuity of the business in case the onsite data is corrupted. Having cloud storage will also ensure that the employees are able to work from anywhere using the work applications, which are hosted over the internet. The organization also needs to have local storage to act as a server where all the files and application software used by the organization is accessed and managed. Having local storage will enable the IT professionals of the organizations to implement security measures from the single device that will affect every individual within the organization.

How the Breaches Happen

Data breaches on a network occur when an outside entity gains unauthorized access to the organization's digital channels and access the sensitive information leading to theft or deletion of the information (Pawar & Anuradha, 2015). As a result, the entity may demand rewards in the form of a ransom in exchange for not making the data available for the public. Data breaches can take place in two ways. These include social attacks and network attacks. In social attacks, the hackers or bots used in the attack spam the weak links such as the employees. These hackers attack the weak links within the organization using email or disguised website traffics in an attempt to convince them to give away their passwords or other login credentials, click links, open folders or download infected materials (Choi, Cho & Lee, 2019). When these attempts succeed, the hackers establish a direct entry point to the systems and the network. On the other hand, professional hackers are the only ones who can carry out network attacks. They do so by researching the existing weaknesses in the network defense such as outdated software or ineffective anti-virus and exploit the network by planting viruses or stealing user's information.

Types of Network Security Attacks

There are various types of security attacks such as malware, phishing, Denial of Service (DoS) attack, Session Hijacking, and brute force attack. Malware, which refers to malicious software planted by hackers to wreck the network, is often planted using both social and network attacks (Olmstead & S...