Network Security and Access Control
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Network Security and Access Control
There has been an increase in network threats and risks targeted to the access terminal by cybercriminals with the intention of negatively affection organizations in their interests, and thus there is a need to adopt the relevant measures to counter cybersecurity risks and threats. Network security entails cover processes, technologies, and devices where rules and configurations are developed the uphold the accessibility, confidentiality, and integrity of computer networks using hardware and software technologies. On the other hand, access control takes the regulation of the users and viewers in a computing environment using the logical and physical access controls. It is vital to note that access control is a type of network access control. Additionally, other types of security control include application security email security and antivirus and antimalware software. The organizations, in this case, is exposed to different network security risks and threats that pose as a barrier to the safe working environment and thus there is need to adopt the best practices and recommendation to prevent the risks.
Current wireless network vulnerabilities and the impact of the threats
The company is exposed to internal and external network security threats from the existing employees and computer hardware and software. Weak Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) poses a vulnerability to the existing network since the weaknesses make it possible to crack an Airsnort password, thus making the cybercriminals to access the network access point and exploit them (Rahman, Ahmad, and Ramli, 2014). The weakness in the WEP makes the cybercriminals to intercept the communication, operations, and exchange of data. Consequently, malicious codes are vulnerabilities that introduce virus and Trojan threats into the system, and this is spread using multiple wireless protocols. The presence of Trojans and viruses compromise the operation in the system at the expense of the employees and the company. Furthermore, the cybercriminals use default SSIDs and passwords to log in and take full control of the change settings, router, changing of the DNS server, loading malicious scripts, or firmware. In this regard, the cybercriminals ship Wi-Fi access points with a default password and SSID, and they need to be changed, but the default passwords are let in place, thus enabling them to access the networks. Moreover, the WPA Krack (Key Reinstallation Attack) vulnerability poses a significant vulnerability to the system. The vulnerability is a serious flaw in the WPA security protocol. The flaw is exploited in the man in the middle attack that makes it possible for cybercriminals to steal confidential and sensitive data using the WPA encrypted Wi-Fi connection. The attacker, in this case, stages an interception on traffic such that they can obtain passwords and sensitive credentials. More so, the company network is posed with the NetSpectre (remote Spectre Exploit) vulnerability that negatively impacts the performance of the microprocessor on the branch prediction. The vulnerability is exploited by enabling the attacker to access virtual memory location, thus retrieving sensitive data at the expense of the organization. The spectre vulnerability is made possible when the cybercriminal convinces the user to download and run malicious codes or browse a website that runs JavaScript. Equally important, insecure network configuration is a network security vulnerability that introduces security loopholes for the exploitation of the network. Companies use firewalls or technology such as VPN thinking that they are fully secure; however, the same technologies have security loopholes in the form of misconfiguration on the firewalls or routers such that the network is easily compromised.
Recommendation to access control
The network system in the company is posed to significant security risks and threats that compromise the operation, as well as makes, make the system insecure since sensitive data can be exposed to cybercriminals, and thus there is a need to adopt effective access control measures. First, the wireless network can be effectively secured by the use of encryption that ensures the system is secured from the intruders (Zhao et al., 2019). The access points, wireless routers, and base stations need to have inbuilt encryption mechanisms to ensure that cybercriminals and attackers are effectively barred. Consequently, the wireless access points need to be secured to ensure that the attackers have no access to the network system and that they are detected before they access the system. In this regard, the company needs to eliminate rogue access points, configure the different access points, and authentication all the devices used. This approach ensures that only authorized parties have access to the network system. Furthermore, the company needs to turn off the identifier broadcasting or regularly change the identifier on the router. The identifier broadcasting sends signals to devices within the coverage of the network announcing their presence. This fact prompts the hackers to exploit networks with identifier broadcasting, and thus it should be turned off, thus preventing the chances of the attacker exploiting the system.
Conclusion
The network system is posed with significant risks and threats that compromise the companies operation, and thus there is a need to adopt the necessary countermeasures in the form of access control. The different network security vulnerabilities include Weak Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), malicious codes, default SSIDs and passwords, WPA Krack (Key Reinstallation Attack) vulnerability, NetSpectre (remote Spectre Exploit) vulnerability and network misconfiguration. On the other hand, the access control approaches include encryption, elimination of rogues access points, effective configurations, and turning off identifier broadcasting. The different access point countermeasures need to be combined to enhance the effective protection and security of the security network.
References
Zhao, B., Xiao, C., Zhang, Y., Zhai, P., & Wang, Z. (2019). Assessment of recommendation trust for access control in open networks. Cluster Computing, 22(1), 565-571.
Rahman, A. F. A., Ahmad, R., & Ramli, S. N. (2014, February). Forensics readiness for wireless body area network (WBAN) system. In 16th International Conference on Advanced Communication Technology (pp. 177-180). IEEE.
