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Security Fundamentals
Network Security is the process by which digital information assets are protected. The goals of
network security are to maintain integrity, protect confidentiality, and assure availability.
The rapid growth of Internet has generated enormous advances n the way people live and work.
To achieve the potential usefulness of the Internet, it is important that all network are protected
from threats and vulnerabilities.
A threat is defined as any activity that poses a danger to your information.
A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, such as improper configuration of hardware or
software, poor design, or end-user carelessness.
Note: Threats exploit vulnerabilities in order to gain unauthorized access to a network.
Security risk cannot be completely eliminated or prevented, but with effective risk
management and assessment, the risk can be minimized to an acceptable level.
What is acceptable depends on how much risk individual or organization is willing to assume.
The goal of implementing network security is to maintain an acceptable level of integrity,
confidentiality, and availability concerning your data.
Integrity refers to the assurance that data is not altered or destroyed in an un unauthorized manner.
Even for data that is not confidential, data integrity must be maintained.
Confidentiality is the protection of data from unauthorized access by or disclosure to a third party.
Only authorized parties should be granted access to information that has been identified as
confidential.
Availability is defined as the assurance that computer services can be accessed when needed.
Applications require differing availability levels, depending on the business impact of downtime.
Data threats are pervasive in today’s society, however, and continue to challenge even the most
secure systems. Among these threats are:
· Corporate espionage