Introduction

Nowadays, almost every business has shifted online to offer its services. Companies now have more valuable information than ever before and securing that information is critical to their success. Effective network security acts as a gatekeeper that prevents unauthorized access, misuse, alterations, and exploitation of a computer network and its resources.

The primary goals of network security are to ensure confidentiality to protect sensitive data, integrity to eliminate unauthorized changes, availability to the authorized users, and accountability by means of proper authentication of people and access control. These goals are the keystones to the overall security measures, ensuring the protection of digital assets and business continuity.

In this blog, we will explain what network security is, network security objectives, different types of network threats and attacks, and types of network security measures. In the end, we will also discuss some courses that you can choose to make a career in network security.

Let’s first understand what Network security really is.

What is Network Security?

Network security is the practice of protecting a network and its devices, data, and users from unauthorized access, misuse, or malicious attacks. Network security is vital for any organization that relies on the internet or other networks to communicate, share, or store information. Network security is usually overseen by a network administrator who makes use of network security policies in practice, as well as setting up network gear and software to:

• Defend the network, its hardware, and all of its traffic from outside cyberattacks.
• Prevent unauthorized access to any IT resources and assets accessible across the network.
• Track network traffic patterns to identify abnormal activities that can indicate breach or attack attempts.
• Install firewalls and intrusion detection devices to block malicious data packets before they penetrate the network.  
• Encryption of sensitive information at the time of transmission helps ensure that the information is not intercepted and viewed by attackers.

Let’s now understand network security objectives or goals in detail.

Network Security Objectives

The primary network security objectives include confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Let’s understand the CIA triangle in detail.

Confidentiality

It simply means that data and resources on a network can only be accessible by authorized users. In return, it assists in protecting sensitive information from unauthorized users. Various strategies can be employed to maintain data confidentiality, including encryption, passwords, and access control lists. Encryption is used when files move over networks to ensure that only individuals who have the right keys can read the files.

Without the necessary confidentiality measures, a business may face a risk of data theft, breach of privacy, and legal penalties that can damage their reputation.

Integrity

Integrity simply ensures that the data, as well as resources on a network, are not altered or corrupted by unauthorized parties. With the help of integrity, one can maintain the accuracy as well as consistency of information and processes. In order to maintain integrity, network administrators make use of checksums and hash functions. With the help of these tools, one can easily verify that the files that are being transmitted remain unchanged during transmission.

But how do these tools work? These tools create unique digital fingerprints for every single file that is transmitted. If any changes occur to the file, these tools can immediately detect them.

Availability

This assists in ensuring that the resources and data on a network are accessible and usable by authorized parties. Further, availability helps to support the continuity and performance of business operations and services. Network teams achieve high availability by using redundancy in hardware systems, load balancers, and backup power supplies that ensure that the services continue even in the event of failure. They also defend against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, where servers are flooded with fake traffic to crash them.

Apart from all the goals discussed above, there are some other goals of network security, such as:

• Accountability: It simply means ensuring that network users’ actions and activities are traceable and auditable. With this, it’s easy to prevent network abuse or misuse of authorized parties.
• Non-Repudiation: It simply means ensuring the origin and authenticity of network data, i.e., it must be verifiable and undeniable. This is to prevent network fraud or deception by authorized parties.

We now have a basic understanding of different network security objectives. Let’s now move on to the network security threats and attacks. Do check out – Security of Wireless Networks

Different types of Network security threats and Attacks

Network Security threats and attacks are defined as the sources of damage that are carried out by hackers in order to either steal information or sometimes alter the information. Network security threats and attacks are classified into two categories. These are:

1. Passive Attacks: These types of attacks usually don’t affect the normal functioning of the network. Instead, it is used only to monitor or intercept data over the network. Some of the common examples of passive attacks are eavesdropping, sniffing, traffic analysis, etc.
2. Active Attacks: These types of attacks are carried out either intentionally or unintentionally, and they affect the functioning of the network data. Some of the common examples of active attacks are denial-of-service (DoS), spoofing, man-in-the-middle (MITM), malware, etc.

You can also learn the difference between Active and Passive Attacks. Below, we have discussed some of the network security threats and attacks for better understanding.

• Malware: Malicious software that infects computers or devices connected to the network, such as viruses, worms, trojans, or spyware.
• Phishing: These types of attacks are carried out either through fraudulent emails or websites in which the attacker tends to trick users into revealing their personal or financial information.
• Botnets: In such types of attacks, a network of computers or devices is compromised by hackers in order to launch coordinated cyberattacks, such as DDoS or spamming.
• SQL injection: A technique in which the attacker exploits a vulnerability in a web application’s database to execute malicious SQL commands in order to access or manipulate data.
• Brute-force attack: It is a method of guessing passwords or encryption keys until finding the correct ones.

To understand the Network Security Objectives, one needs to understand the types of network security. So, let’s understand some of the measures one can take against network security threats and attacks to protect businesses and personal data.

Types of Network Security

In order to protect businesses as well as personal data, there are various types of networking technologies that can be used to protect networks from cyber threats. Below, we have discussed some of the most common ones.

Firewall

A software or hardware device that filters network traffic coming in and going out based on predefined rules. Firewalls can be placed at the edges of a network. Used internally to divide a network into smaller subnetworks.

Antivirus and anti-malware software

Programs that scan computers or devices for malware infections and remove them. These software tools can also block downloads or attachments, thereby preventing malware from entering the network.

Network Access Control (NAC)

A system that verifies and permits users to access the network and its resources. NAC can also enforce policies based on job functions, granting privileges to users accordingly.

Encryption

The process of converting data into a form using a secret key. Encryption is utilized to safeguard data while it is being transmitted or stored, rendering it incomprehensible to individuals or hackers.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A private network that establishes a secure tunnel between multiple devices over a public network like the Internet. This ensures privacy and security for data transmission between these devices.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be used to secure and safeguard data while transmitted to conceal the identity and whereabouts of users.

SIEM

SIEM, which stands for Security Information and Event Management, is a system that gathers, collects, assesses, and alerts about security-related information from sources like firewalls, antivirus software, NAC systems, or intrusion detection systems (IDS). SIEM aids in identifying and reacting promptly to cyberattacks and security breaches.

Now, many readers must be curious about how one can make a career in the network security domain. Below, we have added some of the courses for better understanding.

Network Security Courses

In order to achieve excellence in network security, You can choose any of the below-mentioned courses.

• CCNP Security Training
• CCNP Security (SCOR 350-701)
• Cisco Firepower Training
• Palo Alto Training
• Fortinet
• Check Point

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the objective of network security?

The main objective of network security is to prevent any unauthorized access to the network data as well as resources.

Q2. What are the main three 3 objectives of security?

The three main objectives of security are: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Q3. What are the objectives of networking?

The three main objectives of networking are:

• Connect devices and users across different locations
• Share and access resources and information securely
• Communicate and collaborate efficiently and effectively

Q4. What is the objective of Internet security?

The objective of Internet security is to protect data and systems from unauthorized access, use, modification, or destruction.

Conclusion

Network security is an essential aspect of cybersecurity that protects network data and resources from attackers. Network security has three main objectives: to prevent unauthorized access, to detect and stop cyberattacks, and to ensure secure access for authorized users. In this blog, we have explained network security objectives, different types of network security attacks or threats, and different types of network security measures. Apart from that, we have also discussed some network security courses that you can choose to make a career in the Network security domain.