Network security is an important field that is increasingly gaining attention as the internet expands. With online security recently making headlines, this infographic outlines the basics of network security, examining the variety of threats online and shows how to keep your network safe and secure.

There are five basic aspects of Network Security; access, confidentiality, authentication, integrity and non-repudiation. Access is simply providing authorised users the means in which to communicate with the network. Confidentiality relates to the fact that information in the network should remain private. Authentication ensures that users on the network are who they say they are. Integrity makes sure that messages have not been modified in transit and non-repudiation ensures that the user does not refute that they have used the network.

There are several threats posed to a network. The most well-known internet threat is a virus, viruses are self‐replication programs that use files to infect and propagate. Eavesdropping is the interception of communications by an unauthorised party is called eavesdropping. Worms are similar to viruses and can be separated into two categories, mass mailing worms that use email as a means to infect other computers and network‐aware worms that select a target and infect it.

Trojans are common threats, they appear to be benign programs to the user, but will actually have some malicious purpose. Phishing an attempt to obtain confidential information by tricking users into disclosing personal data like credit card numbers or online banking credentials. IP Spoofing Attacks mirror the address of a trusted computer in order to gain access from an unauthorised computer. Denial of Service is an attack when the system cannot return communication to a high volume of requests, and subsequently shuts down.

There is a wide choice of technological solutions to tackle Network Security. Cryptographic systems are a useful and widely used solution in security engineering today. It involves the use of codes and ciphers to transform information into unintelligible data. Firewalls are perimeter defences designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are software and hardware devices used to detect an attack. Anti‐Malware tools are used to detect viruses, worms and Trojan horses and cure an infected system. The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a suite of protocols designed to create a secure channel between a web browser and the web server.

Source: http://www.exigentnetworks.co.uk/products/licensed-radio/