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Computer Science

Define network security. What is its need ? How can it be achieved ?

Computer Networks

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Answer

Network security refers to making sure that only legal or authorized users and programs gain access to information resources like databases. Also, certain control mechanisms are setup to ensure that properly authenticated users get access only to those resources that they are entitled to use.

Network security is very important because data travels through a network. Protection of data and its secure transmission is only possible if methods are employed to secure the network from various threats like physical/software security holes, inconsistent usage holes, hacking, cracking, etc.

Network security can be achieved through the following protective measures:

  1. Authorization — It determines if the service requestor is entitled to perform the desired operation. It is performed by asking the user a legal login-id. If the user is able to provide a legal login-id, he/she is considered an authorized user.
  2. Authentication — It involves accepting credentials from the entity and validating them against an authority. The authorized user is asked to provide a valid password, and if he/she is able to do this, he/she is considered to be an authentic user.
  3. Encrypted Smart Cards — It is a hand-held smart card that can generate a token that a computer system can recognise. Every time a new and different token is generated, which even-though cracked or hacked, can not be used later.
  4. Biometric Systems — It involves some unique aspect of a person's body such as finger-prints, retinal patterns etc. to establish his/her identity.
  5. Firewall — It is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. There are several types of firewall techniques such as packet filter, application filter, proxy server and circuit level gateway.

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