Computer Network Security System - Essay Example

Network Security Network security is essential component as now-a-days information is computers are connected worldwide. Information is wealth for organisations. The computer systems are linked both internally and externally. The computers receive and send unlimited information2. Information lost is regarded as financial loss. As organisations are implementing paperless media and computerizing data the need for securing data at various stages become essential. Data is stored in various modes both online and offline1. The data stored online and offline opens up a threat by falling trap to potential hackers who intrude into our systems or network The issue of computer security first arose in the 1970s as individuals began to break into telephone systems. As technology advanced in computing, computer systems became targets as well. The need for computer network security system raised when a couple of incidents occurred in the USA. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made one of its first arrests related to computer hacking in the early 1980s3. A group of hackers known as the 414s, named after their area code in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were indicted for attacking 60 different computer systems including the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Computer security breaches like these became increasingly commonplace throughout the 1980s, prompting the passage of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act3. The advent of world wide web has complicated the computer network security as the computer network are linked worldwide and it would a daunting task to predict the assault made on your computer system. In the decade, a 25-year-old hacker named Kevin Mitnick began tapping into the e-mail system used by computer security managers at both Digital Equipment Corp. and MCI Communications Corp. As a result, Mitnick was arrested and sentenced to one year in jail. Although a multitude of other hackers were brought to justice, many continued to operate, including one who successfully pilfered $70 million from the First National Bank of Chicago. The Computer Emergency Response Team was established by the U.S. government to research the increasing number of computer security breaches. Along with growth in hacking activity came the spread of computer viruses. Three of the most well known viruses-Cascade, Friday the 13th, and Stoned-all originated in 1987. When computer companies like IBM Corp. and Symantec Corp. began research on the ways to detect and remove viruses from computers, as well as ways to prevent infection in the first place, virus writers began developing more elusive viruses. By 1991, more than 1,000 viruses had been discovered by computer security experts3. Computer security gaps were exposed at many major corporations and governmental bodies including AT&T Corp., Griffith Air Force Base, NASA, and the Korean Atomic Research Institute-during the early 1990s. A study conducted by the Computer Security Institute that year determined that one in every five Web sites had been hacked. Later in the 1990s, the Web sites of several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and the CIA, were defaced by hackers. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics received a deluge of bogus requests for information. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice created the National Infrastructure Protection Center, charging it with task of safeguarding domestic technology, telecommunications, and transportation systems from hackers3. According to a report released by the FBI's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) hacking in 2000 increased 79 percent over 1999 figures. Even leading Web sites such as Yahoo!, America Online, eBay, and Amazon.com were exposed as vulnerable, costing the firms millions of dollars and undermining the already tenuous confidence online shoppers had in the security levels of these sites3. Secure networking involves securing the application traffic as it channelizes the network4. Perimeter security protects the network applications from outside attack, through technologies such as firewall and intrusion detection. Firewalls actively monitor the unregistered site or data that can harm the computer and warns the user to check the authenticity. Communication security: provides data confidentiality, integrity and non-repudiation, typically through the use of Secure Sockets Layer or IPsec virtual private networks (VPN). These means can also be supported with regaular locking of your PC, not opening attachment mails if you are not expecting any mail. Platform security systems ensure that each device is available to perform its intended function and doesn't become the network's single point of failure. The isolation of different nodes will make sure than the ill effect of one particular node will not effect the other. The network security plan should include antivirus checking and host-based intrusion detection and alert system. To meet with endpoint compliance, ensure that security policies check user devices for required security software. Computer or Network access: Access login ensures that each user has access to only those network elements and applications required to perform his job. The access login enables to protect the system or network to authenticate and approve the right identity and provides data access. Along with this the individuals or professional need to ensure a physical safe network by maintaining the locks and restricting unauthorized persons to visits system rooms. Advantages and disadvantages of Network Security Network security enables an individual or an organisation to maintain confidentiality, integrity across the organisation. The network security when connected to world wide web monitor the inflow and outflow of data transfer and block all unwanted and harmful data elements intruding. The network security alerts the user to validate the incoming data or application thus enabling user to authorize the user. According to the user the systems network security tools will segregate the venerability of the data or application intruding and blocks or deletes or modifying to suit the user's system compatibility. Disadvantages: There can be cases where the user's system may fail to capture the keywords of the online data received and segregate it to spam. The user's system may underrate the accuracy or authenticity of the data or application and block it for viewing. Standard Computer Network Security system may not be efficient in securing the systems when connected to internet. As the more and more sophisticated viruses and hacking systems are developed it is difficult to stand on a standard security system. The computer security system has to be regularly updated5 with updated versions to make it more effective anti virus software. Securing WiFi Networks Regularly changing administrative passwords6 and usernames will make the computer or network more secured. Information sent back and forth over any Wifi network should be adequately encrypted, as a hacker can easily tap into the network and monitor your activity. When a user types his personal or financial information into a Web site, that hacker can then steal that information and use it to steal your identity. So it would be very helpful if the user can upgrade to the new version with more features to isolate the systems from hackers. By updating the "service set identifier" (SSID) and ESSID systems IDs it would be beneficial to the user to create his unique virtual identity where the hacker may not stand a chance to intrude your system6. WiFi systems can be autocnnected enabling them to connect to any WiFi environment. This auto connection will enable the user system to connect to dummy WiFi networks which in turn intrude you computer or network and hack your information. So, it is recommended that user need to check the necessary WiFi network environment and then connect. The WiFi encryption data needs to update immediately once the system is kept in use at various environments as this provision keeps the user systems out of intrusion by hackers7. Ideal network resource will be tracking the resources intruding and sending the identity of the hacker or intruder. An ideal security system may have artificial intelligence techniques to identify the user trying to access and may try to avert the same as alerts. The future may harden critical legacy applications to operate across hostile open networks 8 The future should secure wirelessnetworks seamlessly Our future may depend on how we define the most appropriate strategy for encrypting enterprise and third-party communications Encryption issues present a potential entry point for malware or inappropriate content for future security application development8. Conclusion: Information is wealth; the advent of new ways and means of communications has opened up new avenues for new threats for data privacy. The ever growing internet penetration through out has created a numerous challenges throughout. However it is the individual or organization responsibility to ensure that the prevention measures are adopted with strict discipline, adopt sophisticated technologies to protect the organization much required privacy needs. Reference: 1. Paul Innella, Tetrad Digital Integrity , Abrief history of network security and the need for Adherence to the process model. http://www.tdisecurity.com/resources/assets/NetSec.pdf 2. Basic network security (2002), KenjiRikitake, KDDI R&D Laboratories, http://www.tc.apii.net/HTML-APT2002/apt-slides-20020227.pdf 3. Computer security: History of Computer Security Problems, http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/249/Computer-Security-HISTORY-COMPUTER-SECURITY-PROBLEMS.html 4. Pamela Warren, Nortel (2005), Ten steps to secure networking, http://www.computerworlduk.com/technology/security-products/security/how-to/index.cfmarticleid=332 5. Ten steps to secure your personal computer (2006), National crime prevention Council, http://www.ncpc.org/publications/brochures/technology/10-tips-to-secure-brochure-pdf.pdf 6. How to secure a Wireless LAN (2007), Daily Wireless Editors, http://www.dailywireless.com/features/secure-wireless-lan-021507/ 7. Secure wireless networks (2008), Get safe online , http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfma_id=1151 8. David Lacey (2008), The future of network security, Will it become redundant in the face of encryption and protection on endpoints in an open network http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.docommand=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Networking+and+Internet&articleId=9061082&taxonomyId=16&pageNumber=1 Read More