What is Network Security?

Have you ever wondered what the definition of network security is? Educational institutions in student and corporate recruitment ads refer to the term “network security” in corporate ads,

but how many of these ads have correctly described the term “network security” for you?
Network security is a generic term that covers many technologies, devices, and processes. In the simplest sense, network security is a set of rules and configurations designed to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and access to computer networks and data when using software and hardware.
 Every organization, no matter the size, scope or infrastructure on which it is based, needs to think first about implementing security solutions to protect the network from the growing threats of hackers.

What does network security mean?

Network security is an organizational strategy that protects network assets and network traffic. This protection includes both software and hardware components. An intelligent organization knows well that network access must be based on the best security strategy. A precise and strategic strategy must take into account a wide range of threats and make the necessary predictions for unforeseen events such as a hacker attack.

Networks that are becoming more and more complex

The architecture of today’s networks has become much more sophisticated than in previous years. Not surprisingly, such a complex environment is replete with various hardware and software that may each have serious vulnerabilities within them. Hackers are always looking for opportunities to detect undetected vulnerabilities and exploit them to penetrate the network.

These vulnerabilities are root in various parts of the network, including devices, data, applications, and user functions. Network administrators use a variety of tools to manage network security and applications offered to minimize cyber threats and potential employee abuse of the network and ensure that all employee policies are adhered to.

Note that just a few minutes of failure or disruption to a large organization’s network infrastructure can cause widespread disruptions that will not only cause serious financial losses but also damage the reputation and reputation of an organization.

Overall,

network security is an integrated, multi-layer defense that protects an organization’s communications infrastructure.

This solid defense is outline in the form of policies and controls implements within each security layer within the organization’s security landscape.

In such circumstances, access to the network and its resources is only possible for authenticated users, and cybercriminals will not be able to easily access the network resources because they will have different defense mechanisms in each security layer.

Three main pillars of network security

When we talk about maintaining the security of an enterprise network,

we have to pay particular attention to the different layers. Each of the layers of the OSI or TCP / IP reference model may be targeted by hackers, so it is imperative that the security aspects of the hardware and software are carefully considered and, more importantly, that the network security policies for each sector are properly formulated. Network security focuses on three approaches to physical, technical and managerial control.

Physical Network Security

Physical security controls prevent any unauthorized person from accessing network resources such as routers,

data rooms, data centers, and other sensitive areas of the network. Controlled access means the use of technologies such as locks, bio-authentication mechanisms and other similar technologies that attempt to allow controlled access to different parts of an organization. Controlled logging means that any employee entering and leaving the critical centers of an organization must be carefully recorded. Of course, this data recording should be done automatically through smart systems.

Network technical security

Technical security controls protect data stored on the network or transmitted in or out of the network. In the discussion of technical security, we should note two important principles that many organizations ignore: First, protecting data and systems against people who are not yet authenticated but who intend to access network resources (newcomers) To one organization) and the other to protecting network resources against employees intending to carry out malicious activities.

Managerial Policies

Administrative security controls include security policies and processes that control the behavior of users, including how to authenticate users, their level of access, and how changes are affecting by IT staff. In discussing managerial policies, it is necessary to define different levels of access for managers. Not all managers of an organization or even an organization should have the same access to resources and the entire network.

Different security approaches

Describe different types of network security controls. Now let’s take a look at some of the different ways you can secure your network.

Network access control

To ensure that attackers cannot access the network,

comprehensive access control policies need to be formulate properly for both network entities,

users and devices. Network Access Control (NAC) can be traced in fine detail. For example, a network administrator may grant executives full access to the network, but will block or prevent access to specific folders by allowing people to connect their personal devices to the network.

Types of Solutions Usable in Network Security

Protecting an enterprise network is quite different from a home network. A home network consists of a router and several client devices that are used to communicate with each other and connect to the network. However, some home users use a switch to better manage equipment. But on a large and organizational scale, you are dealing with different equipment, software, and people, each of which may or may not cause problems.

That’s why organizations use the following technologies

and technologies to protect their infrastructure and maintain their network security:

Antivirus and Antimalware Software; Application Security; Antivirus and Antivirus Software; Behavioral Analytics Security; 

DLP (Data Loss Prevention) ن Data Loss Prevention Email Email Security ایمیل Email Firewalls ؛ Firewalls Mobile Mobile Device Security ؛ Mobile Segmentation Security شبکه Network segmentation, an approach that divides the network into sub-networks that process Their management becomes easier.

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management Certificate); VPN (Virtual Private Network Certificate) Event Management; Web Virtual Private Security; Wireless Web Security; Endpoint Security Wireless; NAC Endpoint Security; Network

Antivirus and antivirus software

Antivirus and antivirus software protects an organization from a wide range of malware such as viruses, ransomware, worms and trojans. A good security software not only scans files after logging in, but also continuously scans and monitors any changes to the files.

Application security

It is important to consider the security of serious applications as no applications are complete. Any program may contain vulnerabilities or vulnerabilities used by attackers to access the network. Therefore, in the application security context, it is recommended to run applications in an isolated environment before deploying them to identify suspicious issues before deploying.

Behavioral analysis

To identify unusual behaviors in the behavioral assessment network. A network or security manager must have an understanding of normal and abnormal behavior. Behavioral analysis tools automatically detect extracurricular activities. The analytics provided by these tools help the security team identify the factors that underlie a potential problem and quickly eliminate threats.

Note that analyzing behavioral patterns is not just about evaluating software and involves user behavior. F-Secure is one of the pioneers in providing intelligent tools that provide such a service.

Data Leakage Prevention (DLP)

Organizations,

especially those dealing with sensitive information,

should have clearly stated in their statute that their employees will not send sensitive information off-line. Such organizations should use DLP technology and security measures to prevent information being uploaded, sent, or even printed securely.

Email Security

In discussing security breaches and breaches, email is the number one threat to any organization. Attackers use social engineering tactics and personal information to implement accurate and accurate phishing campaigns to trick victims into persuading them to visit sites hosted by malicious software or malicious scripts. An email security program can detect these incoming attacks and apply precise management of the outgoing message so that sensitive information is not leaked outside the organization.

Protection by implementing a firewall

Firewalls, as the name implies, depict a wall between an unreliable external network and an organization’s internal network. Typically, network administrators configure a firewall based on a set of rules consistent with organizational strategies that prevent them from entering or exiting suspicious traffic into the network. For example, NGFW (Next Generation Firewall) firewalls exert a unified, centralized control over network traffic. Alongside the firewall, intrusion prevention systems (IPS) are also used to provide network security. These tools can scan network traffic to block an active attack.

Mobile Security

Mobile devices and applications are becoming increasingly of interest

to hackers as organizations increasingly recognize the BYOD approach or the use of employees’ mobile devices. 1
More than 90% of IT organizations are expected to formally support this approach in the near future. For this reason, a network administrator must control what devices can access the network. It is also necessary to properly configure the communications network traffic of these devices.

Network segmentation / segmentation

One of the most important yet complex phases of network design is network segmentation. Software-based segmentation determines that network traffic must be subdivided into various categories so that security policies can be easily enforced and followed.

This traffic classification is based on ID, endpoint identity, and IP addresses. In the meantime, licenses can be assigned based on roles, location, and qualifications, and any suspicious device access to the network is suspended or severely restricted until its status is clarified.

Information Security and Event Management (SIEM)

SIEM products collect and provide any information a security officer needs to identify and respond to threats. These products are available in a variety of formats, including virtual, physical, and server software.

Web security

A complete web security solution helps employees access the websites they visit. So you’d better have more control and prevent people from accessing malicious or blocked websites.

Wireless security

The mobile device movement has become widespread in the interaction with wireless networks and access points. However, wireless networks are not as secure as wired networks and have the potential to pave the way for hackers to access the organization’s network. For this reason, wireless networks must be deployed and deployed in high security. Regardless of the precise security requirements, deploying and deploying a wireless network can be like having your Ethernet ports installed anywhere in the building. Products specifically designed to protect a wireless network can significantly prevent common attacks.

Endpoint security

Endpoint security,

also knows as endpoint protection or network security,

is a well-know way of protecting corporate networks

when remote devices such as laptops

or other wireless devices are connecting to the network. For example, a product
Comodo Advanced Endpoint Protection Software is a seven-layer defense mechanism that includes Viruscope, File Reputation, automatic sandbox, host intrusion prevention, web address filtering, firewall and antivirus. All of these components are used as a single product to deal with known and unknown threats to protect a network.

Network access control

The network security process helps you control who can access the network. Before giving any device or user access to the network, it is essential to identify it first to minimize the risk of a hacker accessing the network. This strategy helps to enforce security policies properly. It is best to limit access to devices that are incompatible with the network or completely disconnected.

Virtual Private Network

Virtual private networks can provide a secure connection between two endpoints within a network. For example, users can connect to the organization’s private network from within their home and do their work. Based on this approach, the process of data transfer between two points is encrypted and the user is authenticated to communicate with the organization’s network and to communicate with different devices.

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