If you’re looking for ways to protect your network, you might be wondering about network security protocols. This article provides information on MAC filtering, IPS, WEP, and Remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS). To keep your network safe and phone calls by using VoIP providers services, learn more about these technologies and how you can protect it.
MAC filtering
MAC address filtering is an access control methodology that uses a 48-bit MAC address to determine who can access your network. This security measure is useful for wireless networks and LANs, and open source firewalls can be configured to block specific MAC addresses. While MAC filtering can be effective in preventing unintended connections, it can also be a weak point in network security.
MAC filtering can be implemented in Windows 10 and is useful for local or wide networks. MAC addresses are unique identifiers assigned to each network card. When MAC filtering is enabled, it can prevent unauthorized network traffic and help prevent network attacks. However, it’s important to note that MAC filtering cannot overcome a firewall rule that directs incoming traffic to a host.
Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
Intrusion prevention systems (IPS) are designed to protect networks from malicious attacks. These systems employ hundreds or thousands of rules that allow the system to filter out packets. Most of these rules are “deny” rules, meaning that a certain piece of traffic is not permitted. As packets arrive at the IPS, they pass through the list of rules, starting with the topmost rule. An implied “pass” rule also exists, meaning that traffic is allowed unless it causes the IPS to block it.
A good IPS should also be able to detect a range of threats. It should be able to identify the source of a threat, even when it’s not yet known. The system should also have the ability to respond to these threats and prevent them.
Remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS)
Remote authentication dial-in user service (RADiUS) is a common networking security protocol that is used to authenticate users for access to corporate networks. It is a process of validating a user’s identity over a network by using their username and password. This allows the network to distinguish between legitimate users and malicious hackers. RADIUS uses two authentication protocols: Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) and Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) to protect user identities and passwords. Both PAP and CHAP are defined by the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). The RADIUS protocol encrypts user passwords during transmission.
A RADIUS server validates authentication requests. Once the user has provided the correct user name and password, the server sends the authentication information to the appropriate security system. This system may be Kerberos, UNIX password files, a commercial security system, or a custom-developed security protocol. Afterward, the server authenticates the user and sends back the user’s IP address and other requested services. In addition to authentication, RADIUS also sends accounting transactions.
WEP
While wireless networks are now becoming commonplace, security standards like WEP are far from foolproof. These outdated protocols have several vulnerabilities and are not as secure as they were in the past. Nevertheless, these protocols continue to be used on inexpensive devices and will remain in use until the hardware becomes obsolete. This is why it’s so important to upgrade or replace systems that still use these outdated protocols.
One of the main security flaws with WEP is that it uses a static encryption key that does not change with each packet. This makes it easy for a hacker to gather enough packets and decipher the encryption key. The encryption key is either 64 or 128 bits long and is made up of hexadecimal characters (0-9, A-F). While this may seem like an effective security measure, it’s still not very robust.
WPA2
WPA2 network security protocols replace the previous TKIP system with stronger encryption and authentication methods. These protocols utilize the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. The difference between TKIP and WPA2 is that CCMP is based on AES instead of RC4. This makes it more difficult to hack a WPA2-enabled device and more secure.
While organizations can detect rogue access points and avoid Man-in-the-Middle attacks, users are still vulnerable to these attacks. In these cases, the best practice is to install a public key on the user’s device and verify the server certificate. While WPA2 network security protocols offer some protection against such attacks, there are still some issues with it. One of the problems is that a WPA2-enabled network will lose connectivity if the password expires or changes unexpectedly.
IPSec
The IPSec network security protocol has several issues that can make it insecure. One of the most significant issues is that IPv4 is a vulnerable protocol. It is not recommended for transmitting sensitive data over IPv4 because attackers can see it. To address this problem, IPsec introduced an ESP mode, which encrypts data to prevent hackers from interpreting it. In addition, ESP mode allows users to authenticate data to prove its legitimacy. Using the ESP mode, the data can be verified as legitimate and secure. For instance, if a mail is sent over IPv4 using a postcard, the courier can see the address on the postcard but not the private key.
Another issue with IPsec is that the original IP header of the packet is not encrypted. This information can be accessed by hackers. One way to address this problem is to use tunneling protocols such as GRE. These protocols use network ports, which are virtual locations on a computer. IPsec typically uses port 500.