Network Protection Methods

• Penetration testing


  Paying someone to try to break into or otherwise damage a network, in order to identify where the potential weak points are.
• Regular backups


  Making a backup means taking a copy of all files from a system and storing the copy somewhere else. If this is done, the files can still be accessed if the main system is compromised.
• Anti-Malware Software


  Software that scans all forms of storage devices for malware and, if found, attempts to remove them.
• Anti-Virus Software


  Software that scans all forms of storage devices for viruses and, if found, attempts to remove them.
• Two-factor authentication


  Requiring a user to use two methods to verify who they are when signing in to an account (e.g. A password and a text sent to their phone).
• Force users to have a secure password


  The more secure a password is, the harder it is for a hacker to guess it, so it is less likely that they will be able to gain access to the account.
• Software Updates


  Keeping all software up-to-date means that any security fixes for bugs in the software will have been applied.
• Pay Internet Service Provider to regulate the amount of Internet traffic allowed through to the server at any one time


  This ensures that the server can always cope with the amount of traffic it is receiving and it won't crash.
• CAPTCHA


  Completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart.

  This is a way of working out if a user is a human or robot by asking them to identify image features.
• Firewall


  An application that prevents unauthorised connections to and from the Internet.
• Staff Training


  People are often the weakest point in a network because they don't understand how to keep it safe. Training staff means they will be more likely to make good decisions about network security, and less likely to get caught out by social engineering techniques.