Course wrap-up

Wow, we have covered a lot in this course!

Let's review everything we've discussed.

You learned about networks, network architecture, and the best practices used by security professionals to secure a network against security breaches.

As we bring this course to a close, let's review what you've learned about security networks so far.

First, we explored the structure of a network.

A security analyst must understand how a network is designed to be able to identify parts of a network that present vulnerabilities and need to be secured.

Next, we learned about network operations and how they affect the communication of data.

Network protocols determine how the data is transmitted over the network.

As communication takes place over the network, malicious actors may use tactics such as denial of service attacks, packet sniffing, and IP spoofing.

Security analysts employ tools and measures such as firewall rules to protect against these attacks.

We also discussed security hardening.

Security hardening is used to reduce the attack area of a network.

This means the attack does not disable an entire network.

Security hardening can be done at the hardware level, the software level, or the network level.

Securing networks is an essential part of a security analyst's duties.

Knowledge of a network and its operations and security practices will ensure that you are successful in your career as a security analyst.

And that brings us to the topic of our next course, which will cover computing basics for security analysts.

In that course, you'll learn how to use the Linux command line to authenticate and authorize users on the network, and to use SQL, otherwise known as SQL, to communicate with databases.

Great work getting here!

All of the concepts you've learned in this section will be essential for success in your role as security analyst.

Now you can move on to the next course. Enjoy!

Glossary
Cybersecurity

Terms and definitions from Course 3

A

Active packet sniffing: A type of attack where data packets are manipulated in transit
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP): Used to determine the MAC address of the next
router or device to traverse

B

Bandwidth: The maximum data transmission capacity over a network, measured by
bits per second
Baseline configuration: A documented set of specifications within a system that is
used as a basis for future builds, releases, and updates
Bluetooth: Used for wireless communication with nearby physical devices
Botnet: A collection of computers infected by malware that are under the control of a
single threat actor, known as the “bot herder"

C

Cloud-based firewalls: Software firewalls that are hosted by the cloud service
provider
Cloud computing: The practice of using remote servers, application, and network
services that are hosted on the internet instead of on local physical devices

Cloud network: A collection of servers or computers that stores resources and data in
remote data centers that can be accessed via the internet
Controlled zone: A subnet that protects the internal network from the uncontrolled
zone

D

Data packet: A basic unit of information that travels from one device to another within
a network
Denial of service (DoS) attack: An attack that targets a network or server and floods
it with network traffic
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack: A type of denial or service attack that
uses multiple devices or servers located in different locations to flood the target
network with unwanted traffic
Domain Name System (DNS): A networking protocol that translates internet domain
names into IP addresses

E

Encapsulation: A process performed by a VPN service that protects your data by
wrapping sensitive data in other data packets

F

File Transfer Protocol (FTP): Used to transfer files from one device to another over a
network
Firewall: A network security device that monitors traffic to or from your network
Forward proxy server: A server that regulates and restricts a person’s access to the
internet

H

Hardware: The physical components of a computer

Hub: A network device that broadcasts information to every device on the network
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): An application layer protocol that provides a
method of communication between clients and website servers
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS): A network protocol that provides a
secure method of communication between clients and servers

I

Identity and access management (IAM): A collection of processes and technologies
that helps organizations manage digital identities in their environment
IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi): A set of standards that define communication for wireless LANs
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP): An internet protocol used by devices to
tell each other about data transmission errors across the network
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) flood: A type of DoS attack performed by
an attacker repeatedly sending ICMP request packets to a network server
Internet Protocol (IP): A set of standards used for routing and addressing data
packets as they travel between devices on a network
Internet Protocol (IP) address: A unique string of characters that identifies the
location of a device on the internet
IP spoofing: A network attack performed when an attacker changes the source IP of a
data packet to impersonate an authorized system and gain access to a network

L

Local area network (LAN): A network that spans small areas like an office building, a
school, or a home

M

Media Access Control (MAC) address: A unique alphanumeric identifier that is
assigned to each physical device on a network

Modem: A device that connects your router to the internet and brings internet access
to the LAN
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): A security measure that requires a user to verify
their identity in two or more ways to access a system or network

N

Network: A group of connected devices
Network log analysis: The process of examining network logs to identify events of
interest
Network protocols: A set of rules used by two or more devices on a network to
describe the order of delivery of data and the structure of data
Network segmentation: A security technique that divides the network into segments

O

Operating system (OS): The interface between computer hardware and the user
Open systems interconnection (OSI) model: A standardized concept that describes
the seven layers computers use to communicate and send data over the network
On-path attack: An attack where a malicious actor places themselves in the middle of
an authorized connection and intercepts or alters the data in transit

P

Packet sniffing: The practice of capturing and inspecting data packets across a
network
Passive packet sniffing: A type of attack where a malicious actor connects to a
network hub and looks at all traffic on the network
Patch update: A software and operating system update that addresses security
vulnerabilities within a program or product

Penetration testing: A simulated attack that helps identify vulnerabilities in systems,
networks, websites, applications, and processes
Ping of death: A type of DoS attack caused when a hacker pings a system by sending
it an oversized ICMP packet that is bigger than 64KB
Port: A software-based location that organizes the sending and receiving of data
between devices on a network
Port filtering: A firewall function that blocks or allows certain port numbers to limit
unwanted communication
Proxy server: A server that fulfills the requests of its clients by forwarding them to
other servers

R

Replay attack: A network attack performed when a malicious actor intercepts a data
packet in transit and delays it or repeats it at another time
Reverse proxy server: A server that regulates and restricts the Internet's access to an
internal server
Router: A network device that connects multiple networks together

S

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP): A secure protocol used to transfer files from
one device to another over a network
Secure shell (SSH): A security protocol used to create a shell with a remote system
Security hardening: The process of strengthening a system to reduce its
vulnerabilities and attack surface
Security information and event management (SIEM): An application that collects
and analyzes log data to monitors critical activities for an organization
Security zone: A segment of a company’s network that protects the internal network
from the internet

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): A network protocol used for
monitoring and managing devices on a network
Smurf attack: A network attack performed when an attacker sniffs an authorized
user’s IP address and floods it with ICMP packets
Speed: The rate at which a device sends and receives data, measured by bits per
second
Stateful: A class of firewall that keeps track of information passing through it and
proactively filters out threats
Stateless: A class of firewall that operates based on predefined rules and that does
not keep track of information from data packets
Subnetting: The subdivision of a network into logical groups called subnets
Switch: A device that makes connections between specific devices on a network by
sending and receiving data between them
Synchronize (SYN) flood attack: A type of DoS attack that simulates a TCP/IP
connection and floods a server with SYN packets

T

TCP/IP model: A framework used to visualize how data is organized and transmitted
across a network
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): An internet communication protocol that
allows two devices to form a connection and stream data
Transmission control protocol (TCP) 3-way handshake: A three-step process used
to establish an authenticated connection between two devices on a network

U

Uncontrolled zone: The portion of the network outside the organization
User Datagram Protocol (UDP): A connectionless protocol that does not establish a
connection between devices before transmissions

V

Virtual Private Network (VPN): A network security service that changes your public
IP address and masks your virtual location so that you can keep your data private when
you are using a public network like the internet

W

Wide Area Network (WAN): A network that spans a large geographic area like a city,
state, or country
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): A wireless security protocol for devices to connect to
the internet