Network Security Cheat Sheet
Network Security
Network security involves protecting computer networks from unauthorized access, attacks, or damage. It
ensures data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Need for Network Security
- Prevent data breaches
- Protect against malware
- Ensure secure communication
- Maintain user privacy
- Comply with regulations
Principles of Network Security
- Confidentiality: Only authorized users can access data
- Integrity: Data is accurate and unaltered
- Availability: Services are accessible when needed
- Authentication: Verifying identity of users
- Non-repudiation: Ensures actions can't be denied
Attacks and Types
- Active Attack: Alters or destroys data (e.g., DoS, spoofing)
- Passive Attack: Eavesdropping without altering data (e.g., sniffing)
- Malware: Virus, worm, trojan
- Phishing, MITM, Ransomware
Cybercrime
Illegal activities using computers/networks. Examples: identity theft, hacking, data breaches.
IT Act 2000 and 2008
- IT Act 2000: Legal recognition to electronic transactions
- Amendment 2008: Added cyber terrorism, identity theft, child porn laws
Cyber Ethics
- Follow laws
- Respect privacy
- Avoid cyberbullying, piracy, or hacking
Ethical Hacking
Authorized testing of systems to find and fix vulnerabilities. Done by ethical hackers.
Hacking and Its Types
- Hacking: Unauthorized access
- Types: Black Hat (illegal), White Hat (ethical), Grey Hat (mix)
Skimming and Spoofing
- Skimming: Stealing card info using hidden devices
- Spoofing: Impersonating systems (e.g., email spoofing)
Hacktivism
Use of hacking to promote political/social messages
Attacker vs Hacker
- Attacker: General term for anyone trying to breach systems
- Hacker: Could be ethical or unethical
Bluejacking
Sending unsolicited messages over Bluetooth to nearby devices.
Encryption & Decryption
Encryption converts data into unreadable form; Decryption restores it back using a key.
Cryptography
The study and practice of secure communication using encryption techniques.
Symmetric vs Asymmetric Cryptography
- Symmetric: One key for encryption & decryption
- Asymmetric: Public/private key pair
DES, PGP, RSA
- DES: Old symmetric encryption algorithm
- PGP: Used for email encryption
- RSA: Asymmetric encryption using large prime numbers
Digital Signature vs Digital Certificate
- Digital Signature: Proves authenticity of a message
- Digital Certificate: Verifies ownership of a public key
SSL Certificate & HTTPS
SSL Certificate ensures secure data transfer over HTTPS (secure HTTP).
Difference: Virus, Worm, Trojan
- Virus: Attaches to files, needs host
- Worm: Self-replicates, spreads automatically
- Trojan: Disguised as useful software
MD5
Cryptographic hash function that outputs 128-bit value. Used for checksums. Not secure now due to
collisions.
Ransomware
Malware that encrypts data and demands ransom to unlock it.
Zombie
Compromised computer used in botnets to perform attacks without user knowledge.
Antivirus and Its Types
- Signature-based
- Heuristic-based
- Behavior-based
- Cloud-based
- Real-time
- Boot-time
Firewall and Its Types
- Packet-filtering
- Stateful Inspection
- Proxy
- NGFW
- Software
- Hardware
- Cloud
IDS and Types
- Intrusion Detection System detects suspicious activity
- Types: NIDS, HIDS, Signature-based, Anomaly-based, Hybrid
Teardrop Attack
DoS attack using fragmented packets that crash target systems. Mostly patched in modern OS.
VPN, Types, Diagram, Pros & Cons
- Virtual Private Network: Secure tunnel over internet
- Types: Remote Access, Site-to-Site, SSL, MPLS
- Advantages: Privacy, encryption, remote access
- Disadvantages: Slower speed, provider trust
VPN Key Exchange
- Uses Diffie-Hellman, RSA, or IKE for secure session key setup
- Establishes encrypted communication without exposing keys
