Network Security Concepts

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Network Security Concepts File security falls into two categories, encryption and access. Access to files can mean physical access to a computer with unsecured files or access via user permissions or privileges in the form of access control lists (ACLs) (Strengthen Your Users' File Security, 2003). The files kept on a server with NTFS storage can be locked to prevent anyone who does not have the correct permissions from opening them. This is secure but can be bypassed with physical access to an open computer and should not be used for sensitive information. The other method of securing files is by encrypting the information in the files using an Encrypting File System (EFS), which employs public key encryption privileges (Strengthen Your Users' File Security, 2003). A firewall prevents access to an internal system from the outside the company via the internet on any open ports. A firewall will also prevent internal network users from accessing certain internet sites which could be dangerous or offensive (Shay, 2004). The firewall acts at the OSI model's layers three and four by searching packets for certain types of headers (Shay, 2004). So, firewalls differ from file security because anyone inside the company can theoretically access files behind the firewall, while file security provides internal security against a company's own workers. Symmetric and asymmetric encryption differ from each other in that with symmetric encryption, the same key is used for both the encryption and decryption process. With asymmetric encryption, the keys are in pairs but are not the same, and one is used for encryption and another for decryption (Matuszek, 1999). Symmetric encryption is simple and faster than asymmetric encryption, with the ... ... middle of paper ... ...etrieved on November 2, 2005 from http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,89545,00.html PKI. (2002). Retrieved on November 1, 2005 from http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com Shay, William. (2004). Understanding data communications. [Online Version]. Brooks-Cole: Benton, Ca. Song, K. (2004, February). The ABC's of network security. Retrieved on November 1, 2005 from http://www.certmag.com/ Strengthen Your Users' File Security with Windows XP Professional. (2003, December). Retrieved on October 29, 2005 from http://www.microsoft.com TLS. (2005). Retrieved on November 1, 2005 from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/T/TLS.html Tomsho, G., Tittel, E. & Johnson, D. (2004). Guide to networking essentials. Thomson Course Technology: Boston. Vulnerabilities in TCP. (2004, April 20). Retrieved on November 2, 2005 from http://www.net-security.org/advisory.php?id=3243

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