networks security

• networks are at risk of attack when people access data and network with no permission to do so
• there are four kinds of attacks: active, eavesdropping, external or internal
• external and internal: someone outside or inside the organisation hacks the network
• active: attempts to modify or delete data or stop network operating correctly
• threats to networks: malware, phishing, brute force, denial of service, data interception, SQL injection, poor policy or people
• malware: bad software designed to target system (includes: viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware or spyware)
• virus: program hidden within files and delete data
• worms: viruses but not hidden, spread by emails
• trojans: pretend to be legitimate but aren't, cannot replicate and require user installation
• spyware: monitor users activity and send info back to hacker
• ransomware: blackmail user into paying hackers by threats or withholding documents
• phishing: emails to trick users to give away personal details
• brute force: a program tries all possible passwords until correct one found
• DOS: server overloaded with requests so cannot respond to actual requests
• data interception: data packets taken during transmission by packet sniffers and sent to hacker
• SQL injection: insert code into SQL query which causes errors
• poor network policy: no rules for users to follow
• people: human error
• network policies have: levels of access, rules, maintenance, password requirements
• ways to keep networks safe: penetration testing, network forensics, network policies, user access levels, secure passwords, encryption, anti-malware and firewalls
• penetration testing: tests how resilient a network is to attack and checks for weaknesses
• network forensics: monitors network traffic, copies data packets and are analysed to identify malicious activity
• network policies: ensures users don't accidentally or intentionally cause threats
• user access levels: only allowed to access what's needed on a server in terms of abilities and software
• secure passwords: harder to guess or crack
• encryption: disguises data so even if intercepted it is useless to hacker
• anti-malware: detects, prevents and removes malware by scanning through files and checking against list. Only detects known malware
• firewall: monitors traffic and either blocks data or allows it to pass through dependent on rules set