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Questions and Answers
What is a firewall?
What is the purpose of a personal firewall?
controls network traffic to and from a computer, permitting or denying communications based on a security policy
Which encryption protocol offers the strongest inherent security for wireless networks according to the content?
Anomaly-based detection is a type of detection method used in IDSes.
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What is one of the main goals of operating system hardening?
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When preparing a Web server, it is important to remove all unnecessary ____________.
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How do anti-malware applications generally detect malware?
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Race conditions occur when multiple processes share access to a resource, and the correct handling depends on the timing of transactions.
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Define buffer overflows in the context of software applications.
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What concept does the scenario illustrate?
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Why is using strong passwords important for authentication?
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What should be avoided when it comes to passwords in applications?
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Cryptography is easy to implement securely.
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Match the cryptographic algorithm with its name:
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Study Notes
Network Security Overview
- In the world of network security, we may face threats from attackers, misconfigurations, or outages.
- Loss of network connectivity and services can be annoying or devastating to businesses.
Protecting Networks
- Protecting networks involves adding security through network design and implementing devices like firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
Security in Network Design
- Proper network design provides a foundation for security, preventing some attacks and mitigating others.
- Network segmentation can reduce the impact of attacks by dividing the network into smaller subnets.
- Choke points, like routers, firewalls, and application proxies, can inspect, filter, and control traffic.
Firewalls
- A firewall is a mechanism for controlling traffic into and out of networks, allowing or disallowing traffic based on protocols.
Personal Firewalls
- Personal firewalls are software that controls network traffic to and from a computer, permitting or denying communications based on a security policy.
DMZs (Demilitarized Zones)
- A DMZ is a network design feature and protective device, such as a firewall, that provides a layer of protection between devices like mail servers and the Internet.
Network Intrusion Detection Systems
- IDSes monitor networks, hosts, or applications for unauthorized activity, detecting attacks through signature-based or anomaly-based detection methods.
Wireless Exposure
- Wireless networks are a major security risk, with free wireless Internet access often provided without passwords or encryption.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
- VPNs provide a solution for sending sensitive traffic over unsecure networks by establishing an encrypted connection between two points.
Wireless Network Security
- Unsecured wireless networks broadcast data, making it accessible to anyone with the appropriate technology.
- Rogue access points can present a serious security issue.
- Encryption methods for wireless devices include WEP, WPA, and WPA2, with WPA2 offering the strongest inherent security.
Secure Protocols
- Secure protocols, such as SSH and SFTP, should be used instead of insecure protocols like FTP, Telnet, and POP.
Network Security Tools
- Tools like Kismet, Nmap, and Tcpdump can be used to improve network security.
- Honeypots are a controversial tool that can detect, monitor, and tamper with the activities of an attacker.
OS and Application Security
- OS Security is critical as it hosts all data, processes, and applications, and weaknesses in OS can compromise security posture.
- Equally important is ensuring that applications are not misused.
Operating System Hardening
- OS Hardening reduces the attack surface by removing unnecessary software and services.
- Remove all unnecessary software and services, as each piece of software and service adds to the attack surface.
- Example: only install necessary software and services for a Web server, such as Web server software, libraries, and administration tools.
OS Hardening (continued)
- Remove all unessential services, including default services turned on for information sharing, network location, time synchronization, file access, and transfer.
- Identify and close unnecessary open ports, such as SSH, DNS, HTTP, and HTTPS.
- Alter default accounts, including guest and administrator accounts, by changing default passwords or removing them.
OS Hardening (continued)
- Apply the principle of least privilege, allowing only minimum permission needed for a party to perform its function.
- Limit user privileges to specific tasks, such as reading and writing files, executing scripts or programs, and accessing restricted portions of the file system.
OS Hardening (continued)
- Regularly update the OS and applications to maintain strong security, as new attacks are published, and security patches are released by vendors.
- Configure and turn on logging and auditing features to keep an accurate record of important processes and activities, including administrative privileges, user logins, and system changes.
Protecting Against Malware
- Malware is a significant concern, and various tools can be used to protect against it.
- Anti-malware tools detect threats by matching signatures or detecting anomalous activities, and can detect malware in real-time or through file and process scans.
Software Firewalls
- Properly configured software firewalls add an additional layer of security to hosts on networks.
- They can filter packets and perform stateful packet inspection, similar to large firewall appliances.
Application Security
- Applications can be misused, so it's essential to ensure their security.
Software Development Vulnerabilities
- Common software development vulnerabilities can lead to security issues, including:
- Buffer overflows
- Race conditions
- Input validation attacks
- Authentication attacks
- Authorization attacks
- Cryptographic attacks
Buffer Overflows
- Buffer overflows occur when input data exceeds allocated storage, causing data to be written to other areas in memory.
- Example: receiving 1000 characters of input where only 50 characters were allocated, leading to memory corruption.
Race Conditions
- Race conditions occur when multiple processes or threads control or share access to a resource, and correct handling depends on proper ordering or timing of transactions.
- Example: simultaneous withdrawals from a shared bank account, leading to incorrect balances.
Authentication Attacks
- Strong authentication mechanisms, such as strong passwords, can help prevent authentication attacks.
- Examples: using mixed-case passwords, numbers, and symbols, and avoiding hard-coded passwords.
Authorization Attacks
- Authorization attacks can be prevented by using the principle of least privilege, granting minimum permissions required for users and internal software activities.
Implementing Cryptography
- Cryptographic controls should be designed carefully to avoid false sense of security.
- Cryptographic algorithms, such as AES and RSA, are widely used and have withstood the test of time.
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Description
This quiz covers the basics of network security, including protecting networks, security in network design, firewalls, and more, based on the textbook by Jason Andress and referenced book by William Stallings.
