Securing Protocol Layers   «Prev  Next»

Lesson 1

Securing Protocol Layers

Experienced hackers understand how to exploit network operations through the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)[1] stack.
They are also knowledgeable as to how a packet is constructed and routed. The goal of network and security administrators is to protect against hacker intrusions. This requires extensive knowledge of the TCP/IP suite to properly program firewall filters. In this module, you will learn the critical aspects of each of the TCP/IP layers.

Open Source Community

Because of the growing popularity of Linux and Internet technologies, many fresh college graduates or even software professionals want to contribute to Linux networking capabilities. Their goal is to make Linux more powerful, stable, secure, and full of network capabilities in order to meet corporate requirements in every possible way. Many professionals want to contribute to Linux networking capabilities but do not find enough time to get acquainted with its networking stack and the kernel framework.

Defense Organizations.

There is a growing popularity of Linux as network OS in defense organizations with increasing military adoption of Linux IP security with some modifi cations for secured military network transactions.

When you have completed this module, you should be able to
  1. Describe how network security is affected at the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) levels
  2. Describe the physical and data link layers of a network
  3. Identify the Internet layer and its weaknesses
  4. Identify the transport layer (TCP/UDP)and its weaknesses
  5. Identify the application layer and its weaknesses
  6. Discuss the security implications of commonly used applications
  7. Describe theOpen Systems Interconnect (OSI)[2] model and how packets are sent across the Internet

[1]Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP): A suite of protocols that turns information into blocks of information called packets. These are then sent across networks such as the Internet.
[2]Open Systems Interconnect (OSI): A model for for network communications standardized by ISO, containing seven primary layers; the physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation and applications.