What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Network Security

1. DRAWBACKS OF TRADITIONAL NETWORK DEFENSES

We have seen the most widely used methods of attack and defenses the current network security employs. This begets the question: Why a new method of security? The answer is that the above mentioned methods have disadvantages that cannot be ignored:

1.1 . ACCESS CONTROL LISTS

i. Access lists are great for doing simple filtering and security for basic networks. However, there are some things to keep in mind when building and implementing them. First, the longer an access list, the more processor time it uses. Really long access lists can slow your router down significantly and even put an appreciable wait time for users trying to access machines on your network. ii. Second, access lists are not dynamic, so they cannot adapt to changing network or security situations. Therefore, as things get more complex, you might want to reconsider using Access lists.

1.2. FIREWALLS

i. Firewalls are a central point for attack, and if an intruder breaks through the firewall, they may have unlimited access to the corporate network. ii. They may restrict legitimate users from accessing valuable services. For example, corporate users may not be let out onto the Web, or when working away from home, a corporate user may not have full access to the organization's network. iii. They do not protect against back door attacks, and may encourage users to enter and leave via the back door, like modems and importing/exporting floppy discs. This usually happens when service restrictions are severe enough. iv. Firewall systems on their own cannot protect the network against smuggling, like in the importation or exportation of banned material through the firewall, like game programs coming in as attachments to e-mail ...

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...work includes components that can protect the network connections in the data center, at the remote or branch location, and at the desktop. Self-defending networks can either recommend a configuration or automatically apply a configuration to prevent certain network attacks.

A “self defending network” is a concept that some vendors are looking to accomplish, but right now Cisco is truly at the head of this game because of its dominate position in the LAN and WAN equipment market. Thus, all products discussed below are first and foremost, made by Cisco.

Self-defending network components include the following:

• DDoS mitigation, including DDoS Guard and DDoS Traffic Anomaly Detector

• Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA)

• Incident Control Service (ICS)

• Network Access Control (NAC)

• 802.1x

• Host intrusion prevention: Security Agent

• Security Centralized management