The case for securing networks
Let's start by answering the question, why do we need secure networks?
As you've learned, networks are constantly at risk of attack from malicious hackers.
Attackers can infiltrate networks via malware, spoofing, or packet sniffing.
Network operations can also be disrupted by attacks such as packet flooding.
As we go along, you're going to learn about these and
other common network intrusion attacks in more detail.
Protecting a network from these types of attacks is important.
If even one of them happens, it could have a catastrophic impact on an organization.
Attacks can harm an organization by leaking valuable or
confidential information.
They can also be damaging to an organization's reputation and
impact customer retention.
Mitigating attacks may also cost the organization money and time.
Over the last few years,
there have been a number of examples of damage that cyber attacks can cause.
One notorious example was an attack against the American home-improvement
chain, Home Depot, in 2014.
A group of hackers compromised and infected Home Depot servers with malware.
By the time network administrators shut down the attack, the hackers had already
taken the credit and debit card information for over 56 million customers.
Now, you know why it's so important to secure a network.
But to keep a network secure,
you need to know what kinds of attacks to protect it from.
Coming up, you'll learn about some common network attacks.