Security

A tremendous amount of information was passed back and forth to the Internet everyday. Most of the time, the protocol used in this communication is HTTP or HyperText Transfer Protocol.

In HTTP, all data is transferred in clear text - data such as User Identification (userid) and password will be transmitted as clear text as well. This is a security issue as anyone can sniff these userid/password and gain access to private information.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) are two security protocols and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks. It is important to help secure wireless network by setting up a network security key, which turns on encryption. With encryption all information sent across your network is encrypted. Only computers with the key to decrypt the information can read it. This can help prevent attempts to access the network and files without permission.

After the TCP three-way handshake, all subsequent TCP segments that use the session will have at least the ACK bit set. The "established" keyword on an ACL prevents pre-existing TCP sessions that are built across the router to be torn down when the ACL is applied to an interface.

For example,

access-list 101 permit tcp any 202.224.119.0 0.0.0.255 established

The 802.1x standard is a security solution ratified by the IEEE which can authenticate (identify) a user who wants to access a network (whether wired or wireless). This is done through the use of an authentication server.

The EAP protocol is centred around the use of an access controller called an authenticator, which either grants or denies a user access to the network. EAP sits inside of PPP's authentication protocol and provides a generalized framework for several different authentication methods. It is supposed to head off proprietary authentication systems and let everything from passwords to challenge-response tokens and public-key infrastructure certificates all work smoothly.

Hardcopy Devices (HCD) may contain or process valuable or sensitive assets that need to be protected from unauthorized disclosure and alteration. The utility of the device itself may be considered a valuable asset which also needs to be protected. There is also a need to ensure that the HCD cannot be misused in such a way that it causes harm to devices with which it shares network connections. Businesses today are increasingly aware of the need to protect the data stored on their office equipment.