Network Safeguarding

Network devices transport communications required for data and services. These devices include routers, firewalls, switches, servers, and so on. Network devices are perfect targets for cyber criminals.

Several methods to protect various network devices are as follows:

• Routers:
  Routers communicate with each other to recognize the most ideal way to convey traffic to various networks. Routers use routing protocols to make routing choices. Routers can also integrate other services. These operations make routers prime targets. The primary threat to network routers are hacking and remote access, attacks against routing protocols. A few strategies to ensure routers are advanced configuration settings, use of secure routing protocols with authentication, and so forth.
• Switches:
  The main threat to network switches are theft, hacking, attacks against network protocols. Implementation of port security is required to protect network switches. Port security restricts the number of valid MAC addresses permitted on a port. The switch enables access to devices with authorized MAC (Media Access Control) addresses while it declines other MAC addresses. MAC address is an extraordinary identifier given to a network interface controller.
• Firewalls:
  A firewall filters unapproved or potentially risky traffic from entering the network. Firewall provides basic traffic filtering abilities using access control lists (ACL). Administrators use ACLs to stop traffic or grant just determined traffic on their systems. ACL is a consecutive list of permit or deny statements. Firewalls are a common target of hackers to defeat the firewall protections. The main threat to firewalls is attacks against access control lists. Secure remote access, authentication, and appropriate system updates as needed to protect firewalls.