Network Security Bible free download
By admin | April 23, 2009
Introduction
Network security spans a large number of disciplines, ranging from management
and policy topics to operating system kernel fundamentals.
Historically, the coverage of these and the other network security areas was presented
in multiple, specialized publications or given a high-level treatment that was
not suited to the practitioner. Network Security Bible approaches network security
from the view of the individual who wants to learn and apply the associated network
security best practices without having to sort through a myriad of extraneous
material from multiple sources. The information provided in this text includes
“secrets” learned by practicing professionals in the field of network security
through many years of real-world experience.
The Goal of This Book
Network Security Bible provides comprehensive coverage of the fundamental concepts
of network security and the processes and means required to implement a
secure network. The goal of this text is to provide the reader with an understanding
of security engineering processes and network security best practices, including
in-depth specifics on the following topics:
✦ Windows
✦ UNIX
✦ Linux
✦ The World Wide Web
✦ E-mail
✦ Risk management
✦ Server applications
✦ Domain Name Systems (DNS)
✦ Communications security
Other topics are aimed at providing the reader with insight into information assurance
through clear and thorough tutorials on the latest information, including security
assessment, evaluation, and testing techniques. This up-to-date and applicable knowledge
will benefit practitioners in the commercial, government, and industrial sectors.
xxviii Introduction
Network Security Bible meets the needs of information security professionals and
other individuals who have to deal with network security in their everyday activities.
It is truly an all-inclusive reference that tells you why and how to achieve a
secure network in clear and concise terms.
The Five Parts of This Book
Network Security Bible is organized into the following five parts:
✦ Part I: Security Principles and Practices
✦ Part II: Operating Systems and Applications
✦ Part III: Network Security Fundamentals
✦ Part IV: Communications
✦ Part V: The Security Threat and Response
The flow of the material is designed to provide a smooth transition from fundamental
principles and basic knowledge to the practical details of network security.
In this manner, the text can serve as a learning mechanism for people new to the
field as well as a valuable reference and guide for experienced professionals.
Part I: Security Principles and Practices
Part I provides a background in the fundamentals of information system security.
Specifically, it comprises chapters on information system security principles, information
system security management, and access control.
✦ Chapter 1: Information System Security Principles. It is important that the
network security practitioner be intimately familiar with the fundamental
tenets of information system security, particularly the concepts of confidentiality,
integrity, and availability (CIA). These topics are explained in detail in
this chapter and then related to threats, vulnerabilities, and possible impacts
of threats realized. After covering these basic topics, the formal processes of
systems engineering (SE), information systems security engineering (ISSE),
the systems development life cycle (SDLC), and the relationship of network
security to the SDLC are explained. These subject areas provide the reader
with an excellent understanding of applying standard rules to incorporate
information system security into system development activities. These skills
are particularly valuable to individuals working in large companies that need
the discipline provided by these methods and to government organizations
required to apply formal information security approaches in their everyday
operations.
Introduction xxix
✦ Chapter 2: Information System Security Management. To continue to provide
a basis for delving into network security issues, this chapter discusses
the important, but sometimes neglected, roles of management and administration
in implementing good network security. All personnel in an organization
should be aware of the information security policies, procedures, and guidelines
and practice them on an ongoing basis. The existence of these documents
and practices are of critical importance to an organization and should
be incorporated into the organization’s routine operations. For example, the
seemingly innocuous requirement of requiring critical personnel to take vacation
time in blocks of a week or more might reveal covert and illegal activities
on the part of those individuals when they are replaced by new personnel
during the vacation interval. Also, corporate officers will be exposed to legal
liability if they do not have policies in place addressing the protection of the
organization’s intellectual property and other critical information.
Chapter 2 also provides clear and concise guidelines on the best practices to
ensure the continuity of an organization’s critical operations during and after
a disaster. Business continuity planning (BCP) and disaster recover planning
(DRP) approaches are explained and illustrated, providing for continuity of
critical business functions and networked information systems, respectively.
✦ Chapter 3: Access Control Considerations. Controlling access to critical network
and computer resources is one of the most important requirements for
any organization. Chapter 4 defines and illustrates the concepts of identifying
a user or process to an information system, verifying the identity of that user
or process (authentication), and granting access privileges to specific
resources (authorization). In addition, this chapter covers the methods of
implementing secure access to information systems from remote sites.
Part II: Operating Systems and Applications
In the second part of this book, the security issues and solutions associated with
operating systems such as Windows, UNIX, and Linux are detailed. Following these
topics, Web browser security, Web security, e-mail security, domain name systems,
and server applications are addressed. The authors provide insights and directions
to implementing operating system and Web security based on their extensive experience
in these areas.
✦ Chapter 4: Windows Security. Because the many versions of the Windows
operating system that are in widespread use, their security vulnerabilities
pose serious threats to their host computers. Chapter 4 reviews these security
problems and offers steps to be taken to securely install Windows, harden
the operating system, operate securely, and maintain a safe system.
✦ Chapter 5: UNIX and Linux Security. UNIX and the open source Linux operating
systems are becoming increasingly popular as counters to the reliability
problems of the Windows operating systems. Thus, network security aspects
xxx Introduction
of UNIX and Linux are covered in Chapter 5, including kernel issues, extraneous
services, and specific services such as NFS, Sendmail, BIND, and RIP.
✦ Chapter 6: Web Browser and Client Security. Web browsers pose serious
threats to the security of their host machines and this chapter explores the
sources of those threats, focusing on the Netscape and Internet Explorer
browsers. The authors provide their solutions to securing a Web browser and
protecting corporate portals.
✦ Chapter 7: Web Security. Building on the information and solutions presented
for Web browsers, Chapter 7 continues by examining the Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP); Common Gateway Interface (CGI) security issues; privacy
concerns associated with cookies, hidden fields and URL tracking; auditing;
and the secure implementation of e-commerce applications.
✦ Chapter 8: E-mail Security. Because we all use e-mail, the information security
knowledge covered in this chapter is directly applicable to users, IT professionals,
and security personnel. Chapter 8 explains the different types of
e-mail, including SMTP, POP3, and IMAP. The authors describe how to properly
configure e-mail systems, and how to handle security problems associated
with those types.
✦ Chapter 9: Domain Name System. This chapter describes the concepts
behind the Domain Name System (DNS), Master and Slave Name servers, and
the design of Domain Name Systems, including split DNS and split-split DNS.
The authors then describe how to set up different types of DNS servers and
discuss recursion and zone transfers.
✦ Chapter 10: Server Security. Another key knowledge component of network
security is understanding the different types of servers and their associated
applications. Chapter 10 describes the general principles to be observed
when putting a server on line and then specifically presents valuable commentary
on FTP servers, instant messaging, NetBIOS file sharing, secure shell,
Kazaa, and remote access of computer-based information.
Part III: Network Security Fundamentals
This part describes the various network protocols, particularly the specifics of the
OSI and TCP models. The fundamental concepts of wireless communication and
wireless security are explained, including coding schemes, the different wireless
technology generations, and wireless vulnerabilities. The authors then provide
detailed recommendations and guidance for securing networks along with descriptions
of the components of network architectures.
✦ Chapter 11: Network Protocols. This chapter explains in detail the OSI and
TCP models and the IP, ICMP, TCP, and UDP protocols. It also reviews address
resolution concepts and methods and relates them to the general goals of network
security.
Introduction xxxi
✦ Chapter 12: Wireless Security. Wireless connections to the Internet are
becoming extremely popular and this chapter covers topics including the
wireless frequency spectrum, fundamentals of wireless transmission, the different
coding schemes and generations of wireless technology, and security
issues associated with wireless applications.
✦ Chapter 13: Network Architecture Fundamentals. The components of a network
and their corresponding configurations for implementing security are
critical factors in the protection information systems. Chapter 14 provides
clear descriptions and explanations of network bridges, routers, switches,
firewalls, gateways, guards, and other important network elements. Their
functions and relationship to the overall security of a network are reviewed
and guidelines for their application are provided.
Part IV: Communications
Part IV of this book reveals the best practices and approaches related to communications
security.
✦ Chapter 14: Secret Communication. Secret communication involves the
means to encrypt and decrypt messages as well as to authenticate the sender.
Chapter 14 provides a history of cryptography, reviews the fundamentals of
symmetric and asymmetric encryption, explains digital signatures, and concludes
with an overview of generally accepted cryptographic axioms.
✦ Chapter 15: Covert Communication. Covert communication refers to communication
that conceals the fact that hidden information is being transmitted.
In secret communication, described in Chapter 14, an attacker is aware that
sensitive information is being transmitted in scrambled form. The problem
for the attacker is to retrieve the information by unscrambling or decrypting
it. In covert communication, sensitive information might be hidden somewhere
in an image or in a microdot that appears as a period at the end of a
sentence. Thus, an attacker does not know that information is hidden unless
he or she checks everything that is being transmitted for concealed messages.
This type of covert communication is known as steganography. Chapter 15
describes the goals of steganography, its advantages and disadvantages,
methods of embedding sensitive information in other components such as
images, and tools for detecting hidden information.
✦ Chapter 16: Applications of Secure/Covert Communication. Chapter 16
details the methods of achieving secure and covert communication. The topics
addressed include e-mail security, implementing virtual private networks
(VPNs), and applying different protocols to protect information transmitted
over the Internet. The chapter also addresses digital certificates to “certify”
individuals’ public keys and methods of managing cryptographic keys in an
organizational setting.
xxxii Introduction
Part V: The Security Threat and Response
The chapters in this part primarily address the issues of detecting and responding
to network intrusions and assuring the security controls that have been put in place
actually do provide the expected results. This section and the text conclude with
“putting everything together” through detailed descriptions of the most common
problems in network security, their solutions, and planning for future situations.
✦ Chapter 17: Intrusion Detection and Response. The network security practitioner
has to be familiar with and understand the various types and effects
of malicious code. Chapter 17 explains these different kinds of malware, discusses
common types and sources of attacks, and shows how to detect and
handle intrusions into a network and its resources.
✦ Chapter 18: Security Assessments, Testing, and Evaluation. Private and governmental
organizations, by necessity, have to ensure that their networks and
information systems are secure from attacks. Both entities have critical and
sensitive information that have to be protected from violations of confidentiality,
integrity, and availability. Therefore, these organizations have developed
assessment and evaluation approaches that can be applied to determine
whether a network is really secure, even after appropriate controls have been
implemented. Chapter 18 discusses these methodologies, including the
Systems Security Engineering Capability Maturity Model (SSE-CMM), the different
types of certification and accreditation approaches, the National
Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) information security publications,
and the various types of testing and auditing practices.
✦ Chapter 19: Putting Everything Together. At this point in Network Security
Bible, the elements that comprise a network, security architectures, security
threats, countermeasures, incident handling, and assessment approaches
have been covered in detail. Chapter 19 ties all these entities together by
describing the top 10 problems of network security, the top 10 solutions to
these problems, the top 10 mistakes information security and IT practitioners
make, and how to develop a framework for future activities and challenges.
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