Chapter 5. Overview of Security Technologies

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

—Ronald Reagan

This chapter discusses the use of technologies that have evolved to support and enhance network security. Many of these technologies are used today without the user understanding when or where they operate. After reading this chapter, you will understand the benefits of these technologies, where they operate, and some of the operational risks associated with them. By the end of this chapter, you should know and be able to explain the following:

• How you can employ packet filtering to reduce threats to a network

• Understand precisely what stateful packet inspection is, and why its important for firewalls to use this technique

• The role and placement of a proxy technology within a secure network