Firewalls: Great Network Security Devices, but Not a "Silver Bullet" Solution
In construction, a firewall is a hardened divider between the hostile external environment outside and what needs to be protected inside. Similarly, firewalls are designed to protect computers from being accessed by unauthorized individuals, and for the most part, they perform this task well. Unfortunately, firewalls are also akin to the castles of old when siege weapons were built to defeat the highest walls. As the siege weapons became more powerful, the defenders were forced to build the walls yet higher and install moats and other protective measures. Similarly, today, hackers and so-called crackers are always trying to overcome security devices for profit, pleasure or for more nefarious purposes such as denial of service attacks by terrorist organizations. To gain some fresh insights in this area, this paper presents a review of the relevant scholarly and peer-reviewed literature concerning firewalls…...

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References

Andress, A. (2003). Surviving security: How to integrate people, process, and technology.

Boca Raton, FL: Auerbach.

Blair, R. (2009, May 21). Types of firewalls. Network World. Retrieved from http://www.

networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/060109-ch1-cisco-secure-firewalls.html.

Which Products are Best Suited to a Small LAN With One Publicly Accessible Web Site:

Cisco PIX Firewall Software is an excellent solution for small LANs with one publicly accessible web site. "Integrated Cisco PIX firewall hardware and software delivers full stateful firewall protection and IP Security (IPSec) VPN capabilities, allowing (...) rigorous (protection of...) internal network from outside intrusions" ("Cisco PIX," 2005). Cisco PIX firewall differs from typical CPU-intensive full-time proxy servers in that it uses a non-UNIX secure, real-time, embedded system, which is not only flexible but scalable as well. Cisco PIX offers protection for networks of all sizes. It "delivers robust user and application policy enforcement, multi-vector attack protection, and secure connectivity services in cost-effective, easy-to-deploy solutions" ("Cisco PIX 500," 2005).

Which Products are Best Suited to a Large Organization with E-Commerce Web Site and Internal esources Accessed by Strategic Partners:

large organization with an e-commerce web site and internal…...

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References

About Zone Labs. (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2005, at  http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/aboutUs/aboutUs.jsp .

Cisco PIX 500 Series firewall. (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2005, at  http://www.cisco.com/en/U.S./products/hw/vpndevc/ps2030/index.html .

Cisco PIX firewall software. (2005). Retrieved March 13, 2005, at  http://www.cisco.com/en/U.S./products/sw/secursw/ps2120/index.html .

Firewall (networking). (13 Mar. 2005). Retrieved March 13, 2005, at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewall_%28networking%29 .

Firewall to Protect Companies
A firewall is used to protect a person or business' network from exterior harms. Firewall may use packet filtering, user or client application authentication in order to protect the network. The actual process of protecting a network requires a firewall to filter incoming packet sizes, source IP address, protocol, and destination port. Administrators of a network are able to enact firewall protection on a router and this is often the first level of protection the network has against harm.

Along with being a primary protection, firewalls in routers are also beneficial to those not skilled or knowledgeable in firewall protection. Customers are able to install the firewall between their network and external internet connection on their own without assistance. Router-based firewall offers ease to those who use it and is used as a primary source of protection. Overall, it is far more practical to implement a router…...

Cyber security tendencies have evolved into systems that are used for data security, mostly for big corporations which can afford the service. System vulnerability is one of the major concerns of organizations getting web servers, firewalls and security measures for their data. Technology companies burn the midnight oil trying to provide the highest level of security to databases, and a breach of security can be deemed a lapse by the technology company or that their security measures being ineffective. Hackers might send unauthorized packets of data including network inhibitors that might stall the ABC servers which contain online payment processing and customer data. The best firewall recommended for this system is the next-generation system equipped with sophisticated security protocols for the deployment in the ABC system. It combines traditional firewall with other network devices that filter unauthorized network protocols. In a distributed system where traffic is passed through different nodes, denial-of-service…...

Firewalls
Once upon a time a firewall was a physical barrier that kept a literal fire from spreading from one building to another. Now the term is more often used to refer to a variety of devices - both hardware and software - meant to keep information from being stolen from a computer. This paper examines the variety of commercial firewalls that are available today.

Initially firewalls were separate pieces of hardware; this is becoming less and less the case in part because firewalls are now more frequently installed on home computers as well as on business ones, and many users of computers at home either do not have the space for or the expertise for a hardware firewall, which has given rise to the two varieties:

firewall is a piece of hardware or software that places a barrier between your network and the Internet. It prevents outsiders from accessing your network and…...

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References

 http://internet-tips.net/Security/Firewalls_features.htm 

 http://www.computing.net/security/wwwboard/forum/3218.html  www.bombthebox.comhttp://www.bcentral.co.uk/technology/security/firewalls.asp

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This is problematic, as these kinds of issues could lead to wide spread disruptions with no one knowing or understanding where it came from. For example, if a terrorist group was able to master this tool, they could utilize it to attack Western power grids. (Magnuson, 2013)
This would create significant amounts of disruptions without having anyone being able to trace what is happening directly. When this occurs, there is a realistic possibility that they could shutdown the economy and disrupt trade for significant amounts of time. These kinds of scenarios are becoming more realistic with this tool being readily available over the Internet. (Magnuson, 2013)

In other cases, this application could be used to attack a cloud network and gain access to large amounts of data. This information will help criminal groups to obtain entire profiles on people and organizations. They have the option of going to various institutions and…...

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References

Cyber Attack Tool Kits. (2011). Symantec. Retrieved from:  http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20110117_04 

Cyber Security. (2012). NY State Government. Retrieved from:  http://www.dhses.ny.gov/ocs/local-government/documents/Beginners-Guide-to-Firewalls-2012.pdf 

Definition of Cloud Computing. (2013). Investopedia. Retrieved from:  http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cloud-computing.asp 

Ackerman, R. (2013). Cyber Attacks a Growing Threat to the U.S. Economy. Xconomy. Retrieved from:  http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2013/02/01/cyber-attacks-a-growing-threat-to-the-u-s-economy/

Exposing Your Data on the Internet
While I do not know someone who has personally been violated by the process of data mining, I recognize the potential danger in the process of collecting data for purposes like marketing. On the surface, data mining is harmless. Organizations or interested individuals simply collect and sort through data. Usually the purpose of data mining is "to identify patterns and establish relationships," such as the relationships between demographic features and consumer behavior or voting patterns (ouse, n.d.). Some of the potential uses of data mining include the identification of patterns of behavior in one individual or a group, classification of patterns, forecasting, and clustering (ouse, n.d.). The interesting thing about data mining is that the information does not have to be personalized, which is why data mining is legal and not even considered unethical in many cases. However, data mining can be personal. Data mining…...

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References

Grimes, R.A. (2012). Why you don't need a firewall. Retrieved online:  http://www.infoworld.com/article/2616931/firewall-software/why-you-don-t-need-a-firewall.html 

"Why You Don't Need to Install a Third-Party Firewall (And When You Do)," (n.d.). How-to Geek. Retrieved online:  http://www.howtogeek.com/165203/why-you-dont-need-to-install-a-third-party-firewall-and-when-you-do/

Apart from the Firewall and IDS for the network security, the company will also integrate encryption system to protect the company network devices.

Encryption

Encryption is very effective for enhancing security devices of our information systems. The encryption system will assist in enhancing confidentiality and integrity of our information systems. More importantly, encryption will be effective in enhancing our network security because it will protect our system from network-based attacks such as eavesdropping and replaying messages. Typically, the encryption solutions will be integrated at application layer because encryption will assist the integrity of data transmitted across our information system. The encryption will change the data transferred across the information system into unreadable texts so that an unauthorized individual will not have access to our data. With the public key system, we will be able to decrypt the text to have access to the data. (Data Center Fabric, 2013).

3. Identification of the Boundary…...

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References

Communication Security (2007).Baseline Security Requirements for Network Security Zones in the Government of Canada.

Data Center Fabric (2013).Data-at-Rest Encryption Solutions. Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

Microsoft (2012).Configuring Boundaries and Boundary Groups in Configuration Manager. Microsoft Corp.

Network Security for Vonnie's Distribution Services
Objective of this project is to design network solution and security system for the Vonnie's Distribution Services. The company is considering expanding from the first floor to the third floor within the next few years and the management asks the company Chief Information Officer (CIO) to design a stable, scalable and reliable network security and infrastructure. However, justification of the relationships between security and infrastructure is very critical for the design of the network system.

Justification and Support of the elationship between Security and Infrastructure

In the network environment, organizations are faced two security problems concerning network infrastructure:

Noisy threats and Quiet threats.

Noisy threats are the network threats that interfere with a company network infrastructure, which could disrupt organizational business operations. On the other hand, quiet threats are the threats that cause real damage to the network infrastructure. The noisy threats include network attack through worms, virus, and…...

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Reference

Verma, P. Sharma, P. & Mishra, S.K.(2012). Dropping of Call Due to Congestion in Mobile Network. Journal of Computer Applications (JCA), V,(1): 26-30.

Paquet, C. (2013). Network Security Concepts and Policies, Cisco Press.

NCHICA, (2013).Sample Information Security Policy, North Carolina Healthcare Information & Communications Alliance, Inc.

Appendices

Network Security for a Medium Sized Company:
Network security is an important component for all companies including small and medium sized firms because very few businesses can operate without a network of computers. The network of computers facilitates improved communication in order for the company to improve its profitability or productivity. However, the improved communication between computers is also associated with some inherent risks such as malware and unauthorized access. The risk and impact of these threats can be lessened through a good network security policy that is properly implemented and well managed. A good network security policy is essential for a medium sized company since the size of the firm does not prevent it from being targeted by cyber-criminals. The development of a good security policy is the first step towards establishing and managing network security. Some of the important considerations to make for the security policy include network security…...

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References:

Canavan, J.E. (2001). Fundamentals of Network Security. Retrieved June 28, 2014, from http://f3.tiera.ru/other/DVD-005/Canavan_J.E._Fundamentals_of_network_security_(2001)(en)(218s).pdf

Cheesley, R. (2010, July 29). White Paper: Network Security for Small and Medium Sized

Businesses. Retrieved June 28, 2014, from  http://www.viryatechnologies.com/what-we-are-up-to/white-papers/white-paper-network-security-for-small-and-medium-sized-businesses.html 

Stewart, J.M. (2013). Network security, firewalls, and VPNs (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Network Security
History and Evolution of Network Security:

The term 'Network Security' refers to the concept of the creation of a 'secure platform' based upon which the user of the computer or of a program within the computer are allowed to perform only those specific tasks that are allowed within the parameters dictated by the security network of the computer, and banned from performing those that are not allowed. The tasks include the various operations of the access to a program, the deletion of any particular program and the modification to any program. (Network Security: The Concise Tech encyclopedia)

It was during the 1960's that the vacuum-based computers that were being manufactured in the U.S.A. began to become popular, and it was in the year 1967 that the idea of developing 'encrypted passwords' in order to maintain security for the user of the computer was mooted, and, accordingly, the first encrypted password that…...

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References

"Advanced Encryption Standard" Retrieved From

  Accessed on 2 November, 2004http://www.nwfusion.com/details/597.html 

"Authentication and Authorization" Retrieved From

Accessed on 31 October, 2004http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/workshops/security/auth.html

Consultancy Inc. is a small business organization specializing in the management consultancy for various businesses in the United States. ecent growth experienced by the Best Consultancy has made the company to integrate network technology to facilitate the business agility. Thus, my neighbor, who is the owner of the business, has contacted me to assist him in designing a network system that could serve his business purpose. Meanwhile, Best Consultancy requires the following network devices in the company network technology:
laptops, 2 workstations, and 1 server supporting 3 users

Wireless networking

quality networked printer

File and folder sharing

Internet access

Multiple email addresses

Basic security environment which similar to home environment

Initial investment of $5,000 or less

ecurring costs to be less than $200 per month

To design the network system for Best Consultancy, it is essential to integrate the following network devices for the company network technology:

Project Objective

Objective of this project is to recommend a network design that meets…...

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References

Cisco (2010). Cisco 3900 Series, 2900 Series, and 1900 Series Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 Software Configuration Guide. Cisco Systems, Inc.

Clark, D.D. Pogran, K.T. & Reed, P.R. (2008). An Introduction to Local Area Networks. Proceddings of the IEEE Xplore 66(11): 1497-1517.

Jenkins, S. (2003). Secure Network Architecture: Best Practices for Small Business and Government Entities. SANS Institute.

Text

emote access controls.

Network security management.

Password policies.

Compliance with the policies and procedures of the company is very vital to the organization, and the policies and procedures should be clearly communicated to the appropriate business teams.

Intruder: The suggested treatment for the attack by the external intruder such as hacker is to ensure that all communication within the organization is encrypted to deter the unauthorized access to the company data. Moreover, the organization should use antivirus to protect the company data from the attack such as Trojan horse, worm, virus etc. Compliance to policies and procedure is so vital to assure an organizational IT security.

Disgruntled Employee: Company needs to evaluate each personnel before being allowed to handle sensitive information. There is a need to conduct background check on each employee. The background check could verify potential employee criminal background, and social background. Employee should be asked to sign a confidential agreement, which states…...

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References

Graham, I. (1996). Graham Information Security and Management Services. Information Security Summit on 29-31.

Harn, L. Lin, H. & Xu.Y. (1994). Cryptography for PC/workstation security. ACM SIGICE Bulletin Homepage archive. 20 (1).

Hilcorp Energy, (2011). Vision, Mission, Values. Hilcorp Energy Company.USA.

Kumar, R. Jindal, R. Gupta, A. et al. (2011). A Secure Authentication System- Using Enhanced One Time Pad Technique, IJCSNS International Journal of Computer Science and Network Security, 11(.2): 11-17.

Second, the specific connection points thoughout the netwok also need to be evaluated fo thei levels of existing secuity as well, with the WiFi netwok audited and tested (Loo, 2008). Thid, the Vitual Pivate Netwoks (VPNS) and the selection of secuity potocols needs to be audited (Westcott, 2007) to evaluate the pefomance of IPSec vs. SSL potocols on oveall netwok pefomance (Rowan, 2007). Many smalle copoations vacillate between IPSec and SSL as the copoate standad fo wieless connections, defining the advantages and disadvantages as the table below has captued.
Table 1: Technical Analysis of Diffeences between IPSec and SSL

IPSec

SSL

Topology

Site-to-site VPN; mainly configued in a hub-and-spoke design

Remote-access VPN

Secuity

Session authentication

Authenticates though digital cetificate o peshaed key

Dops packets that do not confom to the secuity policy

Authenticate though the use of digital cetificates; dops packets if a fatal alet is eceived

Confidentiality

Uses a flexible suite of encyption and tunneling mechanisms at the IP netwok laye

Encypts…...

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references/ssl.html>.

Lin, Y., Chen, S., Lin, P., & Lai, Y.. (2008). Designing and evaluating interleaving decompressing and virus scanning in a stream-based mail proxy. The Journal of Systems and Software, 81(9), 1517.

Robert Loew, Ingo Stengel, Udo Bleimann, & Aidan McDonald. (1999). Security aspects of an enterprise-wide network architecture. Internet Research, 9(1), 8-15.

Loo, a. (2008). The Myths and Truths of Wireless Security. Association for Computing Machinery. Communications of the ACM, 51(2), 66.

OpenReach (2002) IPSec vs. SSL: Why Choose?. Jan. 2002. Open Reach. Security Tech Net. 20 Mar. 2007. Accessed from the Internet on October 6, 2009 from location:

6: Existing Cable and Wireless Design
The company will establish wireless access using the LWAP (lightweight access point). The LWAP will be distributed to all the facilities through the WLS. Typically, WLS will be installed to assist in providing the traffic tunnel and failover authentication. To enhance the security of the WLAN, the company will install the encryption system at the wireless access point, the encryption protocols will contain WPA/WPA2, and there will be an AES encryption at all the wireless access point using the 802.1 X authentication.

The company will redesign the local backbone infrastructure in order to increase the network bandwidth. There would be 100 BASE-T4 cabling to the 7 Cisco 2613 routers. The cabling system will assist the company to achieve efficient network connectivity for future growth. The 100 BASE-FX (fiber) cabling will be attached to the Cisco 7507 routers, which will assist in achieving more expansion capabilities and…...

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References

Cisco (2011). Product Overview. Cisco Inc. USA.

Cisco (2012). Cisco Network Availability and Operations Optimization Service. Cisco System Inc.

Chen, T. Horng, G. & Yang, C.(2008).Public Key Authentication Schemes for Local Area. Informaticia.19(1):3-16.

Guillen, P. E. & Chacon, D. A (2009). VoIP Networks Performance Analysis with Encryption Systems. World Academy of Science, Engineering & Technology. 58: 688-695.

Refined Thesis Statement:

The multi-layered security protocols employed by modern online banking platforms, combined with robust user awareness and vigilance, effectively safeguard financial transactions, mitigating cyber threats and ensuring the integrity of online financial services.

Supporting Arguments:

Multi-Layered Security Protocols:

Strong Authentication: Two-factor authentication (2FA) and biometrics provide an additional layer of protection by requiring multiple forms of authentication.
Encryption: Advanced encryption algorithms ensure that data is securely transmitted and stored, protecting against eavesdropping and data breaches.
Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs): These systems monitor network traffic for suspicious activity and block unauthorized access.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS): Encrypts....

1. Granular control: An ACL allows administrators to define specific rules and permissions for different users, devices, and applications within a network. This granular control ensures that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive data and resources, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

2. Restricting access: ACLs can be used to restrict access to certain resources based on criteria such as IP address, port number, or protocol. This helps in preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to critical systems and applications within the corporate network.

3. Monitoring and auditing: ACLs enable administrators to monitor and track user activity within the network by....

Enhanced Network Security with Access Control Lists (ACLs)

In the corporate landscape, network security is paramount to protect sensitive data, maintain business continuity, and comply with industry regulations. Access Control Lists (ACLs) serve as a crucial defense mechanism by implementing fine-grained access controls, enhancing overall network security.

Concept of ACLs

An ACL is a set of rules that define who can access specific resources within a network. These rules are applied to network devices such as routers, switches, and firewalls to regulate network traffic based on criteria like source IP address, destination IP address, port number, and protocol.

Types of ACLs

There are two main....

1. Cloud service providers: Companies that offer cloud computing services, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS).

2. Virtualization: Software that enables the creation of virtual instances of hardware, allowing multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server.

3. Networking: Infrastructure that enables communication between virtual servers, physical servers, storage systems, and users. This includes routers, switches, firewalls, and other network devices.

4. Storage: Cloud computing infrastructure includes storage systems that enable the storage and retrieval of data. This can include block storage, object storage, and file storage.

5. Compute: Cloud computing....