Network Security Solutions

Network Security 101

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:01:49 PDT

Network security is an important thing for a business, or a home....

As more people are logging onto the Internet everyday, Network Security becomes a larger issue. In the United States, identity theft and computer fraud are among the fastest rising crimes. It is important to protect your network and ensure the safety of all computers and users in that network.

What is a Network?

In order to fully understand network security, one must first understand what exactly a network is. A network is a group of computers that are connected. Computers can be connected in a variety of ways. Some of these ways include a USB port, phone line connection, Ethernet connection, or a wireless connection. The Internet is basically a network of networks. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is also a network. When a computer connects to the internet, it joins the ISP’s network which is joined with a variety of other networks, which are joined with even more networks, and so on. These networks all encompass the Internet. The vast amount of computers on the Internet, and the number of ISPs and large networks makes network security a must.

Common Network Security Breeches

Hackers often try to hack into vulnerable networks. Hackers use a variety of different attacks to cripple a network. Whether you have a home network or a LAN, it is important to know how hackers will attack a network.

One common way for a hacker to wreak havoc is to achieve access to things that ordinary users shouldn’t have access to. In any network, administrators have the ability to make certain parts of the network “unauthorized access.” If a hacker is able to gain access to a protected area of the network, he or she can possibly affect all of the computers on the network. Some hackers attempt to break into certain networks and release viruses that affect all of the computers in the network. Some hackers can also view information that they are not supposed to see.

Destructive Attacks

There are two major categories for destructive attacks to a network. Data Diddling is the first attack. It usually is not immediately apparent that something is wrong with your computer when it has been subjected to a data diddler. Data diddlers will generally change numbers or files slightly, and the damage becomes apparent much later. Once a problem is discovered, it can be very difficult to trust any of your previous data because the culprit could have potentially fooled with many different documents.

The second type of data destruction is outright deletion. Some hackers will simply hack into a computer and delete essential files. This inevitably causes major problems for any business and can even lead to a computer being deemed useless. Hackers can rip operating systems apart and cause terrible problems to a network or a computer.

The Importance of Network Security

Knowing how destructive hackers can be shows you the importance of Network Security. Most networks have firewalls enabled that block hackers and viruses. Having anti-virus software on all computers in a network is a must. In a network, all of the computers are connected, so that if one computer gets a virus, all of the other computers can be adversely affected by this same virus. Any network administrator should have all of the essential files on back up disks. If a file is deleted by a hacker, but you have it on back up, then there is no issue. When files are lost forever, major problems ensue. Network security is an important thing for a business, or a home. Hackers try to make people’s lives difficult, but if you are ready for them, your network will be safe.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Flanglin

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Threats Network Security Protects Against

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:03:12 PDT

Network security is an important function that ultimately will protect your computer and data from multiple threats

Top Reasons You Need Network Security

Whether you engage in global commerce or have a network established simply to communicate with others on the Web, there are a number of threats that exist when operating in the realm of the World Wide Web. Network security is an important function that ultimately will protect your computer and data from multiple threats. Here are some examples of common threats networks are exposed to every day:

Session Hijackers – Hijackers can access your computer in a number of ways. One way they can do this is through SMTP hijacking. This means a hijacker can gain access to your list of e-mail addresses through an SMTP server of an unprotected host. By doing so a hijacker is able to send spam to any users listed in the e-mail address book. This is actually a frequent problem networked computers have to deal with. It is usually very difficult to track the origin of a spammer in this case as email is usually redirected through various hosts.

Backdoors – Certain programs allow remote access through application backdoors. Still others have glitches or bugs in the system that allow someone to gain access to the network via a backdoor. This is very dangerous as the interloper can then take control of multiple programs.

Remote login – In some situations a person can connect to your computer network from a remote location and take control of certain computer functions. They may for example view or change files and run programs unbeknownst to you on your computer network.

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Home Network Security

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:05:07 PDT

The general rule for network security is that you should keep as many ports as you can closed and only use those that you really need to use.

Some home computer users have become experts without knowing it. Just a short time ago terms such as "wireless" and "router" were only known by computer professionals and experts. Not so any more. These days switches, hubs, Ethernet cards, firewalls, routers, and other buzzwords related to networking have become common in many homes.

Vendors have created new sources of income for themselves by making the installation of network devices cost efficient and easy. This is great value to home PC users by allowing more than one home computer to share resources with others without having to move the files physically or having to move the connections on printers. The entire family can now use one network to connect to the Internet, many times without having to drag wires all around the house.

The one thing that home users are lacking is education is how to secure themselves from hackers.

However, there is no need to panic. Settings that come from the vendor are very good. Now, here's a bit of guidance...

A common acronym for computer experts is "RTFM". You can just ignore the middle letter for now. The first letter stands for "read", the T for "the" and the last letter stands for "Manual". Doing this will give you information about standard settings that are useful about configuration. Don't forget to reread it.

PORTS FOR ROUTERS

The first thing that you should do is change your password. You should also rename the account for the administrator. This is because the next person who bought the same computer model as you did has the same information and might not be as trustworthy as you would like to think.

A standard port of HTTP is Port 80. This port is needed if you plan on browsing the Internet. A port is number for the network that is used by software to keep track of Internet traffic. You'll need to have this port open for IP addresses and any ranges that are going out of your computer. By doing this only those computers you know can generate any Internet traffic on your home network.

If you get your IP address in an automatic fashion the above tip will won't be useful for you. For example, most use DHCP. However, there are other service providers who will let you buy one static IP address for the router. It's this address that should have access going out to the Internet.

But just why should you care about traffic that is going out? For the simple reason that you might infect other computers. This is why you need to practice networking that is safe so that you don't spread any viruses. If you have Internet access that is wireless you won't always know who is on your same network. And even if you're not at home anyone can sneak in through your network.

You'll need to have Port 80 open for all traffic coming in from the Internet. Or you might want to track only those websites that have an IP address. This might be impossible though.

You need to open up Port 25 for outgoing mail if you're going to be using an email client that is a desktop application rather then being browser based. As well, you'll have to open up port 110 for incoming mail.

And most of the time, that will be all....

If you're using a client that is a desktop FTP or manual (both of which should be avoided if you can due to poor security) you'll need other ports. Most of the time these port numbers are easy to find. Try to limit their use. The general rule for network security is that you should keep as many ports as you can closed and only use those that you really need to use.

The above may sound a bit like the settings in a firewall. This is because firewalls and routers have some of the same functions. A firewall will allow or prevent Internet traffic while a router will direct it.

WIRELESS NETWORKS

There's a bit more that you have to do if you have a wireless network. Default settings will sometimes let anyone in range of the network have access. This means that not only someone in your household will be on the Internet, the neighbour across the street will as well. And this includes the hacker.

What you need to do is lock down the wireless network. You can learn how to do this by reading the manual and then configuring your passwords as well as any other security features that are included.

You don't need to devote your life to becoming a security or network expert just so that you keep your resources safe. However, when you're connected to the Internet through a router there is more risk than if you were connected through dial-up or as a single user.

Take some time today to learn what you can about network security so that you don't spend that time after your network is broken into.

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Network Security - The Road Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:06:56 PDT

The network security software scanner is used to check your computer system for possible security vulnerabilities by scanning the entire network for missing security areas....

Networking is all about sharing programs and is highly important in a company's computer system. Before, networks were secure because they were closed-in systems. But nowadays, hackers can easily access these networks due to broader availability and inexpensive broadband connections, such as DSL and cable. That is why companies should have network security software.

Network security software is used to protect sensitive data and information on your company's system. It also works wonders in securing your system, and ensures that it functions effectively and at maximum capacity. Some types of network security software are network security software scanners, network monitoring software and network-wide software used for monitoring an event log.

The network security software scanner is used to check your computer system for possible security vulnerabilities by scanning the entire network for missing security areas, service packs, open shares, open ports and user accounts that are unused. When this software detects all this information, you can lock down your computer system against intruders and hackers.

Another type of network security software is network-monitoring software. This is used to monitor your server and the entire computer system for failures, and to allow administrators to fix and identify these failures before the computer users report them. If there is a failure, the user can be alerted via email, SMS or pager. After this, the software reboots the machine, restarts a service or automatically runs a script.

Lastly, the software used for monitoring an event log is used to detect intrusion on the event log and management. What this software does is analyzes and archives the event logs of all machines in the computer system, at the same time sending alerts of attacks, critical events and other issues on security.

All these are necessary to secure your company's computer system. But keep in mind that one of the most important features that your network security software should have is ease of use. So, you must take time and carefully select the software that you will use in managing your network and keeping it secured.

Security Software provides detailed information on Security Software, Internet Security Software, Computer Security Software, Network Security Software and more. Security Software is affiliated with Computer Spy Software.

Network Security - Methods For Controlling Threats

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:07:53 PDT

Network Security.Since firewalls are so commonly used it is worth exploring them in greater depth. Corporations often set up rules for managing their Web connections using firewalls. A firewall enables a company to designate how all end users can use their network and decide what information is passed through Web servers and other servers.

There are several methods a firewall uses to control traffic that comes into and goes out of the network. One way firewalls do this is through packet filtering. During this process a firewall analyzes small packets of information against pre-designated filters. All data is sent via small packets of information through filters. Safe information is passed through and unsafe information is generally removed.

Another way firewalls mitigate traffic is through proxy service. This means the firewall retrieved information from the Web and sends it to the requesting computer. Still another method of traffic control used by firewall is stateful inspection. This technique allows the firewall to compare certain parts of the data packet to information gathered from trusted sources. Information going to the firewall from the Internet is monitored to determine whether it contains key characteristics that suggest the information is safe rather than harmful. Information designated as safe passes through freely and other information is blocked.

The methods a company selects will depend on a number of factors including personal preferences. Regardless of the method a firewall uses however a company or network administrator can customize the firewall to filter information based on a pre-established set of criteria.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Owen

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Network Security - Protecting Broadband

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:09:11 PDT

Network Security - Protecting Broadband. Just as corporate and subordination users are bonding whiz to provide shared protection, however, a barn door emerging adorableness of users is expanding rapidly, and for the incomparably sampling they are unprotected. As broadband Internet coming becomes increasingly popular, supplementary users settle maturity central computers and quit them lengthened 24/7.

The decision is they be reformed targets for attackers. One subscribe to estimated that the scope between when a another computer is bad on and the elite workout is underway is usually less than 10 minutes. This is whereas attackers oftentimes gain automated scanning equipment that test constantly, looking for opportunity. An proceeding can repeatedly be placed in seconds, regularly before countermeasures can be installed to win an installation. Other studies rationalize the marvel is worse still, figuring the scope before bid is spitting image to 2 minutes. I've observed instances in which newly updated computers became infected by a virus within a few minutes, constant though the computers were defended by a cinch network. This happened because the infecting computers were inside the network, ultimate apt infested by pathogens carried in on media trio brought from home.

As the category of computer users has increased, ways are emerging to illicitly use extirpate of them. The computer of a thick user may be forced notice participating in a distributed dissension of reinforcement (DDoS) go aimed valuable a gala use and timed to oxidation croak with hundreds of thousands of others then as to crush the victim. Alternatively, users' broadband computers can be gamy sympathy contravening mesh sites for pornography or far cry products, or fabricated consequence relays for unsolicited email (spam).

Fortunately, aid is on the way: Microsoft, for instance, offers child splay software gain updates thanks to the Internet.

Help sites are available for every cordial of Linux and Unix. Many anti virus software publishers mention not idiosyncratic anti virus programs but further some friendly of information assist documenting viruses and what to realize to discourage or stock diagnostic attacks.

Most companies existent are adding their enjoy central confidence forces. Increasingly, corporate yen ads buzz a computer expectancy tab or two as a needed for hiring.

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Wifi - Wireless Network Security

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:10:21 PDT

"... wireless Network security measure you will need to take is turning on encryption"
It seems that more and more home users are going with wireless networks rather than the tradition wired networks with wires hanging everywhere and running wild around the house and in the crawlspace. What seems like a good idea quickly turns into a nightmare if you don’t vamp up the security of your wireless network.

Speed is of the essence. Typically, one thing matters to new users of wireless, getting connected and browsing that first website. While wireless connectivity can accomplish this, it’s best to set up your wireless connection securely before venturing out into cyberspace. Below are some tips to help secure your wireless network.

Change the default admin password. Admin passwords are easily figured out by attackers when they are left as the default. Not changing your wireless admin password opens your network to attack and can lead to many problems depending on the attacker’s agenda.

Another wireless security measure you will need to take is turning on encryption. Enabling WEP encryption on your wireless network will help you protect your privacy and all your info won’t be floating around outside your home waiting to be picked up by a passerby. It’s important to remember that all your devices on the wireless network will need to have the same encryption. So find the strongest encryption possible that will work on all devices of the wireless network.

Stop the auto-connect feature. Do not allow your devices to auto-connect. Allowing auto-connect may connect to a network that you don’t particularly want. Example, you don’t want your laptop connecting to your neighbor’s network and sending info.

It’s also a good idea that you install firewalls on all devices that connect to the wireless network. Even if the wireless router is firewalled, it’s important to also install firewalls on all computers that are connected to the wifi network. It’s important that these firewalls be set up correctly and block any intrusions that may compromise your wifi network.

Position your wireless router close to the center of your home. Although the reach of wifi networks can vary greatly, it’s important to not allow the signal to float around great distances from the main access point. It virtually impossible to stop all leakage from exiting your home. But minimizing the risk to your wifi network will help to protect it.

Another good idea for wifi network security is to not allow broadcast of the SSID. Your router may have SSID broadcasting set up by default; however you should be able to change this setting in the configuration. This feature is only useful for mobile environments, and is not needed in home wifi networks.

These are just a few tips to securing your wifi network. It’s always a good idea to check for firmware updates to your router as new exploits and vulnerabilities arise. Some routers will have an auto update feature and it’s important to use it. Using auto update will help keep your wifi network secure without the need of remembering to check for updates.
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Computer Network Security (The Basic)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:12:48 PDT

"computer network security is the line of defense that stops intruders from accessing your computer or network."

When you first think about computer network security you might picture two security guards watching your computer. Actually computer network security is the line of defense that stops intruders from accessing your computer or network. Detection provides information when somebody tries to access your systems, whether or not they were successful and understanding what they could have done. Information stored on your computers include banking details, credit card credentials and communication logs either chat or email. You can live with someone reading you personal conversations but not when they steal your bank or credit card information.

Intruders often use other computers as a way to launch attacks and disguise themselves as the intruded computer. Custom Malware is one of the biggest network security problems facing the internet. Targeted attacks, designed to be used against a single target, can avoid signature detection. Since the Malware is custom designed to avoid any known signatures and has never been widely released, a signature for it will not exist and no signature detection mechanism will find it, whether in anti-virus software, intrusion detection software, or any other form. Malware can also be disguised from signature detection by using polymorphic tools that change the code constantly, creating a unique version with a unique signature each time the program is created. Polymorphic toolkits such as:ADMutate, PHATBOT, Jujuskins, TAPioN and CLET put this kind of functionality within the reach of the average skilled malware creator, if not the novice In another separate, but real-life example of stealthy malware, the Gozi trojan existed in the wild for over fifty days in the beginning of 2007, and it has been estimated that the first variant of it infected more than 5,000 hosts and stole account information for over 10,000 users. Gozi's primary function was to steal credentials being sent over SSL connections before they were encrypted and add them to a database server that would dispense them on demand in exchange for payment. Had the malware author made a better choice of the packing utility used, the trojan may have gone much longer before being detected.

Intruders are discovering new vulnerabilities or loop holes every day. Developers or computer vendors often provide patches that cover up previous loop holes. A "zero-day" attack is an attack that targets a vulnerability for which there is no solution easily available. Once the vendor releases a patch, the zero-day exposure has ended. A recent example of a critical zero-day vulnerability was the Windows Animated Cursor Remote Execution Vulnerability that was patched by MS07-01719 (Microsoft Security Bulletin 925902). This was considered a critical hole because it could allow remote code of the attackers' choosing to be executed. A security research company called Determina notified Microsoft of the problem on December 20, 2006. The vulnerability was publicly announced on March 28 2007. On April 2nd, Determina released a video demonstration of Metasploit using exploit code against Vista. Microsoft then released the patch on April 3, 2007 ending at least six days of zero-day exposure. Exploit code that targeted this vulnerability was active in the wild for at least several days, if not several weeks before the patch was released Even after a patch is released, many organizations take several days to get around to updating systems with the patch. Most of the time it is your job to download and install these patches. It is a good idea to check for updates at least once a day or use an enterprise tool to manage updates on your network.

How can an intruder infiltrate my system? Well intruders have numerous tools available that provide them access to your system. Tools such as:

Paros Proxy
Metasploit Framework
Aircrack
Sysinternals
Scapy
BackTrack
P0f
Google
WebScarab
WebInspect
Core Impact
IDA Pro
Rainbow Crack

If your organization has an Internet connection or one or two disgruntled employees (and whose doesn't!), your computer systems will get attacked. From the five, ten, or even one hundred daily probes against your Internet infrastructure to the malicious insider slowly creeping through your most vital information assets, attackers are targeting your systems with increasing viciousness and stealth. You need to understand attackers' tactics and strategies in detail so you can find vulnerabilities and discovering intrusions.Equipping yourself with a comprehensive incident handling plan is vital in protecting your organization against attackers.

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Network Security of Windows

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:17:13 PDT

"IS Internet Network security of Windows is really important to you? Everyday in security bulletins in websites oriented in safeness and security will come up news about security holes in Microsoft products and especially in Windows."

This operation system is most popular and her absence of security make very appetite for hackers. The new users, currently buying a PC with preinstalled Windows and which hardly start "walking" in Internet space can become a easy prey for ill-wishers.

This Article is oriented to home users with internet access through local area network (LAN). We will make Windows more secure, will forbid danger services and protocols, will set up and tweak security options. Also we will filter every opened ports and will stop unneeded features offered by Windows and not so safe about network security. When we finish with this your PC will become a fortress. But here someone will say that every firewall program can protect the system, even we don't have to making any set ups, any modification of the system. This is true. The firewall will protect you from outside attacks and will stealth the opened ports, but we will secure your Windows on higher level and even without firewall, the ports will be closed and most of features for remote access (most of this are implemented like services and protocols) will be stopped.

Windows Update
If you still have Windows without any updates ia better to do this immediately. Download the latest service pack for your Windows and install it.

Close all opened ports
The communication between remote computers connected in your LAN or within Internet realized by this ports. Think for this ports like small doors. Each port have a number and most important ports have names.

Stop the Guest Account
This is a special, system account, which cant be deleted or changed. You can only disable this account.

Change the port of Remote Desktop.
If your Windows wasn't updated soon someone can easy exploit this service and take remote control of your computer without any limitation.

Stop NetBIOS
In most networks NetBIOS is not used and you can stop it. If after this your internet connection was droped, just turn it on back.

Stop sharing
Like all we know, Windows offer features for sharing folders and drivers. But this is to risky, especially the administrative shared in professional, corporate and server versions of Widnows. This shares provide access for administration of the system, but can be used for unauthorized access or from viruses and trojan horses.

Protect from Buffer overflow attacks
If you have Windows XP with SP2, you can stop this kind of attacks by software method. I say "software", because also have a hardware method.

Install Anti-virus and firewall programs
If you already don't have it - the moment was come. After all of this lets finally close the potential danger hacker doors. Choose some popular and proved anti-virus and firewall software and install both. Also you have to know that most often updating of this software programs will give you better protection.

Conclusion
Now, if someone want to hack your system, first he have to discredit the firewall (i suppose you don't have firewall and now you will install) and next he have to find some security hole in the system. This will be more hard for the hacker if you do all described in this article about improving security of your system.

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Computer Network Security

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:13:07 PDT

The Basics of Computer Network Security.When you first think about computer network security you might picture two security guards watching your computer. Actually computer network security is the line of defense that stops intruders from accessing your computer or network.

Detection provides information when somebody tries to access your systems, whether or not they were successful and understanding what they could have done. Information stored on your computers include banking details, credit card credentials and communication logs either chat or email. You can live with someone reading you personal conversations but not when they steal your bank or credit card information.

Polymorphic toolkits such as:ADMutate, PHATBOT, Jujuskins, TAPioN and CLET put this kind of functionality within the reach of the average skilled malware creator, if not the novice In another separate, but real-life example of stealthy malware, the Gozi trojan existed in the wild for over fifty days in the beginning of 2007, and it has been estimated that the first variant of it infected more than 5,000 hosts and stole account information for over 10,000 users. Gozi's primary function was to steal credentials being sent over SSL connections before they were encrypted and add them to a database server that would dispense them on demand in exchange for payment. Had the malware author made a better choice of the packing utility used, the trojan may have gone much longer before being detected.

The vulnerability was publicly announced on March 28 2007. On April 2nd, Determina released a video demonstration of Metasploit using exploit code against Vista. Microsoft then released the patch on April 3, 2007 ending at least six days of zero-day exposure.

Exploit code that targeted this vulnerability was active in the wild for at least several days, if not several weeks before the patch was released Even after a patch is released, many organizations take several days to get around to updating systems with the patch. Most of the time it is your job to download and install these patches. It is a good idea to check for updates at least once a day or use an enterprise tool to manage updates on your network.

How can an intruder infiltrate my system? Well intruders have numerous tools available that provide them access to your system. Tools such as:

Paros Proxy
Metasploit Framework
Aircrack
Sysinternals
Scapy
BackTrack
P0f
Google
WebScarab
WebInspect
Core Impact
IDA Pro
Rainbow Crack

You need to understand attackers' tactics and strategies in detail so you can find vulnerabilities and discovering intrusions.Equipping yourself with a comprehensive incident handling plan is vital in protecting your organization against attackers.

source : http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Basics-of-Computer-Network-Security&id=1148236
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Network Security Solutions (NSS)

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:56:48 PDT

This blog is about network security solutions, network security consultant, computer network security, computer network security software, computer and network security.

And i want give you any information about corporate computer and network security, corporate computer network security, network security software, network security audit, business network security, managed network security, small business network security, network security product, network security appliance, computer data security, hardware network security, and computer network certification.