The Importance of Networking in Cyber Security

Are you aware of the importance of networking in cyber security? Have you wondered how networking functions to become the backbone of the interconnected world? Don’t you think we are maintaining our identity without oozing it out through the source that secures it,  irrespective of the scale of our data? As a growing student, one of the inevitable factors is knowing the purpose of your implementation. So without knowing why a cyber security network works, you may fail to realise its possible channels of usage 

Imagine being able to detect potential threats, and resolve them easily, confidently navigating networking protocols while understanding security devices. That is where the value of networking in cyber security comes from. Depending on the range of your computer networking system there are various methods to protect your data.

Before knowing its importance and functioning, let’s first see what networking is. 

What is networking?

Cybersecurity networking is a set of practices for maintaining and protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access and hostile attacks. These are done by connecting one or more devices bridged using either data communication or data terminal equipment. The key components of networking form, devices ( Computers, servers, smartphones, routers, switches), protocols (Rules governing data transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP)), and media (Physical or wireless channels for data transfer). At the root, it forms several components such as:

• Technology Infrastructure – The hardware and Software systems that function the security
• Human Resources – This includes a well-established team of security analysts, an incident response team, and administrators. 
• Policies – Set of guidelines and protocols for managing risks and responding to it 
• Information Sharing – Exchange of threat practices among organizations 

Types  of Networks in CyberSecurity 

• LAN ( Local Area Network) – used on office or home networks
• WAN (Wide Area Network) –  helps for large area communication. It connects your data with cloud applications and cloud storage together
• VPN (Virtual Private Network) – helps in encrypting data and to hide IP address
• WLAN ( Wireless Local Area Network) – a network based on wireless transmission 

Importance of Understanding Network Type 

As a student or professional you should be able to identify the the network type as it will help to, identify the weakness in network architecture, adapt strong security measures, and design a secure network.

Importance of Networking in Cybersecurity 

Now let’s see some of the values of networking in cybersecurity. 

Threat Detection and Response (TDR)

It helps to identify potential threats and initiate needful responses immediately. Also, make sure to detect possible security breaches. Some of the important tools used for this are 

• SIEM(Security Information and Event Management) which accesses log data to identify threats. It ensures time-to-time monitoring and reporting . It also makes sure to alert when needed.

Examples of SIEM – IBM QRader 

                                Splunk Enterprise Security 

                                LogRhythm

                                ArcSight

                                Datadog Cloud SIEM 

• EDR(Endpoint Detection and Response) tool that monitors computers and servers to find unusual behaviors, and respond to threats such as malware, ransomware, and zero-day exploits.

Examples of EDR – CrowdStrik

                               Carbon Black

                               Cortex XDR  

                               SentinelOne

• NTA(Network Traffic Analysis) analyses the network traffic  and identifies anomalies that could be potential threats 

           Examples of NTA – Darktrace

                                          Vectra AI

                                          Corelight

• IDPS(Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems) monitor and block attacks directly 

Example of IDPS – Snort

                                         Suricata

                                         Palo Alto Networks 

•  SOAR(Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response)process with other tools to streamline threat detection and respond to it.

Examples of SOAR – Cortex XSOAR

                                  Splunk Phantom

                                  IBM Resilient

• TIP(Threat Intelligence Platforms) make sure to bring thoughtful ideas in response to the threats 

Examples of TIP – ThreatConnect

                              Anomali

                              Recorded Future

Incident Response(IR)

A system that functions for cyber attacks, security breaches, or cyber threats. It helps to identify the root cause of the attack, analyse logs for its evidence, and helps to implement an immediate response to the crisis. This is possible only by understanding the types of networks. The National Institution of Standards and Technology has set a plan to conduct this effectively:
1. Preparation,
2. Detection and analysis,
3. Containment, eradication, and recovery,
4. Post-incident activities. 

An effective incident response plan should include clear roles, and responsibilities, tools, resources, communication protocols, and documentation requirements. 

Incident Response Tools 

• SIEM for log collection and analysis
• Forensics for evidence gathering 
• Malware Analysis to identify malicious code
• Network Monitoring for real-time traffic analysis

With the honest establishment of incident response techniques, the company can maintain its infrastructure. 

Firm Architectural Design 

A structured architectural design adds to the value of networking in cybersecurity. The design will help to reduce surface attacks, back up sensitive data, evaluate threats, and also implementation the design into security

• Network segmentation – Architectural design helps to control the traffic flowing into their system by each segment working as a separate network. A designed network will have higher security, limited breach impact, improved performance, and more complex management
• Access control – With this, the company can protect its data by keeping it for authorised people. This includes Multi-factor authentication (MFA), Role-based access control (RBAC), Least privilege principle
• Encryption – This is for protecting data both in transit and at rest. Here the information is converted into ciphertext and only authorized people can access it. Some of the encryption protocols include SSL/TLS for web traffic, IPsec for VPNs, AES for data at rest
• Redundancy and Failover – This makes sure to create a duplicate component of the primary one to ensure security in need. To ensure this it’s advisable to use Backup systems and disaster recovery plans, Redundant firewalls, and Load balancers

Compliance and Regulations

This is the practice of maintaining the standards and regulations set by authorities, laws, or agencies. This is possible with the functioning of excellent security practices, and by protecting information through technical controls. This can be done by protecting data, initiating plans, monitoring employees, conducting regular security audits and penetration testing, establishing control, and evaluating risk. 

Different companies and justifications have specific compliance standards 

1. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
2. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
3. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
4. SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)

For Business Continuity 

An effective functioning network ensures continuity and helps to overflow the cyber attacks like  Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and make sure to maintain the functioning. 

Types of Security Network Protection

It’s not just about understanding the significance of cyber networking, it also includes effective implementation, and when it comes to protection there are different security networks available. Let’s see some of them, 

• Firewall – It’s a security network device that studies the incoming and outgoing network traffic and decides whether to allow or block it depending on constructed rules. They can be hardware-based, software-based, or a combination of both. Some firewall types are, Packet filtering firewalls, Stateful inspection firewalls, Application level gateways, and Next-generation firewalls (NGFW)
• Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) – These tools identify potential threats by monitoring network traffic. It will detect and alert the authorities to the threats and automatically block malicious threats 
• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) – VPNs help to code the data by hiding the IP address. It also works in authorization between the communicating parties. Some of the VPNs protocols are  Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP), WireGuard, OpenVPN, SoftEther, Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
• Network Access Control (NAC) – This too works on predefined policies ensuring authorisation verification. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) systems, Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC),  and Discretionary Access Control (DAC) are the three types of access control networks. The system believes in zero trust where no default is correct and each system needs to meet separate security requirements. 
• Antivirus and Anti-malware Software – Antivirus is to protect and remove viruses while anti-malware is to safeguard the system.