Networking

Essential Network Security Software

Network-SecurityWhen it comes to network and web server security, you don’t just need one network security product, you need numerous network security products. Used in conjunction, these network security products provide for multi-layered security. Below are the essentials:

  • Firewalls - Firewalls are software or hardware-based security systems that examine incoming and outgoing network traffic for signs of legitimacy. They block malicious requests while letting legitimate requests through. Three different types of firewalls exist depending on where the communication takes place, the state that’s being traced, and where the communication is being intercepted. The first type of firewall is a network layer/packet filter, which functions at a low level of the TCP/IP protocol stack, these do not permit packets to pass through the firewall without being able match the established rule set. The next type of firewall is the application layer, which works on the application level of the TCP/IP stack, and may capture all packets traveling to or from an application. The next type of firewall are proxies which may act as a firewall by responding to input packets in the manner of an application, while blocking other packets. These proxy servers are an entryway from one system to another for a specific network application, in the sense that it functions as a proxy on behalf of the user.
  • Intrusion Detection Systems-Intrusion detection systems look for malicious behaviors commonly used by hackers and actively block any attempts they find. For example, if a hacker scans every port looking for a way in, the intrusion detection system will detect the scan, recognize it as a malicious intrusion attempt, and block it.
  • Antivirus and Anti-spyware Software-You’re likely familiar with antivirus and anti-spyware software. These forms of computer and web server security software are used to detect malicious programs that infect computers or gather confidential data. Many antivirus and anti-spyware programs feature real-time blocking while others require regular scans.
  • Anti-spam Software-Because many threats arrive in email messages that appear legitimate, it’s also essential to use anti-spam software. Not only can anti-spam messages eliminate phishing messages and messages carrying viruses and spyware, it can also improve the user experience by eliminating annoying unsolicited advertisements. There is some great anti-spam software that can be found online and anyone receiving email messages should make sure they’re secured.
  • Hard Disk Encryption-Hard disk encryption is often overlooked as a web server security tool. However, it’s essential in ensuring that unauthorized users cannot access the data on a stolen or missing laptop or computer’s hard drive. Hard disk encryption encodes the data on a hard drive, making it unreadable unless it is decoded. Encrypted hard disk data can only be decoded by an authorized user using the appropriate method (such as biometrics or entering a password) to unlock the disk. Although this is overlooked by many users, it’s important to have especially if you have valuable data on your computer.

Together these essential network security products protect data from all kinds of threats.

Mr. Daniel M, the author of the article is a Network Administrator at Intel, and enjoys sharing his passion of network security products from WinMagic with his readers. For more updates follow him on Google+.

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