Summary

This chapter has presented a short overview of network security. The role of the network administrator is not only to design, assemble, and maintain a good network, but also to protect the network and its users from both external and internal threats. This chapter has introduced some of the concepts critical to network security. The reader should understand the following concepts:

• The various ways an attacker can gain control of a network

• How denial-of-service attacks are initiated and how they can be prevented

• How the security software like anti-virus and personal firewall work and why they are important for protecting a computer

• How the security appliances like firewall, IPS, and web filter work and why they are important for protecting a network the VPN technologies work and how to set up simple VPN clients