Networking: Layering, Limiting, Diversity, Obscurity, Simplicity

This article discusses the concepts of layering, limiting, diversity, obscurity, and simplicity in computer networking and their importance in ensuring network security. It also explores their relevance to the Yahoo data breach case.

Running head: NETWORKING
NETWORKING
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Table of Contents
1) Layering...............................................................................................................2
2) Limiting................................................................................................................2
3) Diversity...............................................................................................................3
4) Obscurity..............................................................................................................4
5) Simplicity.............................................................................................................4

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1) Layering
Suppose the situation of Yahoo data breach that led to the loss of significant
information of the customers from the database of the organisation. It was later observed that
the organisation had not implemented the required security measures in the computer network
pf the organisation. The security concepts of layering, diversity, obscurity, simplicity and
limiting was missing from the computer network of the organisational network.
The layering in the computer networks is the implementation of the layers for
ensuring the maximum security for the complete network of the organisation. When
communication is executed among two remote computers, the multiple tasks such as
digitisation, transmission, packetisation, as well as routing are required. The layering is the
concept of segmenting the various types of tasks that are required into the various dissimilar
logical functions or the layers. It is required to implement significant security within all the
layers of the network for ensuring complete security. By the separation of the network
communication into the segmented sections, OSI model helps in the simplification of the
designing of the network protocols. The layering in the network of the organisation helps in
making the network designs increasingly extensible as the new protocols and any other
network services are easily added to any layered architecture. With the help of layering in the
computer network, the security within the network of the organisation could be significantly
improved and data loss could be easily prevented.
2) Limiting
The network rate limiting could be extensively used for limiting the quantity of the
movement on any network. The two major approaches for rate limiting are the traffic shaping
along with traffic policing. The traffic policing extensively calculates the amount of the
received traffic and then drops the packets, which are exceeding the maximum permissible

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rate. The traffic shaping could be described as the function that queues packets and also
monitors the degree at which the output is gained. The traffic shaping would significantly
upsurge the packet latency by the introduction of interruptions but would solely drop the
packets if there is any overflow in the queue. The rate limiting could be used for controlling
this congestion on the network or provide the specific kinds of traffic lower importance and
then backup the bandwidth for the advanced priority traffic. The limiting within any
computer network is considered as the security mechanism that helps in regulating what or
who could be viewed or utilise the resource within any computing environment. This is the
basic concept within the security that helps in minimising the risk to any business or any
organisation. With the implementation of the limiting the access within the network of the
organisation, the individuals who could access the network of the organisation could be
significantly restricted and monitored. This security measure could prevent the Yahoo
organisation to prevent any future security breaches from the network of the organisation.
The individual who could access the database of the organisation could be monitored and
excessive users could be restricted.
3) Diversity
The diversity has been considered as the major security mechanism for significantly
enhancing the resilience of networks and the security against several attacks. In the present
times, the diversity is being significantly discovered in the new applications within the cloud
computing security and it is used for improving the major robustness of the network routing.
With the extensive use of diversity, the security attacks that are exploiting the unidentified
vulnerabilities might be easily noticed and then endured as the Byzantine faults by the
comparison of either the behaviours or the outputs of the several software replicas or any
variants. If in any situation when the network has been breached, then, with the help of

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diversity in the computer network of the organisation, the breach in one layer of the network
would not affect any other layer of the network.
4) Obscurity
The security using obscurity is commonly referred to the process of implementation
of security within the system by complete enforcing of secrecy as well as confidentiality of
the internal design architecture of the system. The security implemented using obscurity
intends to secure any system by the deliberate hiding or even concealing the security flaws.
The security through obscurity is mainly based on idea that an information is extensively
secured until the security vulnerabilities are hidden, that makes it significantly less to be
exploited by any malicious attacker. The use of obscurity in computer networks is done for
keeping the prevailing security loopholes of the system as confidential but it would be
provided to the major stakeholders, like the designers, project owners or managers, key
developers. Particularly, the approach of any hacker is significantly exploiting the system
initiates with the identification of the known vulnerabilities. It was discovered that the Yahoo
organisation was not practising the security measure of security using obscurity. Appropriate
use of passwords and strict security mechanisms were missing from the network of the
organisation. The security using obscurity could be used by the organisation by implementing
the strict authentication protocols and pas
5) Simplicity
Simplicity is extensively used in the present business scenario for ensuring that the
network of the organisation is not too complex that any security vulnerability is not easily
discovered. With the implementation of the simplicity in the network of the organisation, the
risk of misconfiguration could be significantly reduced. It was observed that the computer
network implemented within the organisation is not simple enough for understanding any

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vulnerabilities present within the network. With the implementation of the simple network,
that could provide the required security measures from within but is significantly easier to
use, could help in understanding the functioning of the network and execute the
troubleshooting of the network in any situation. The Yahoo organisation could implement
this security mechanism for ensuring that the detection of the data breaches in the initial
stages could be done by the system administrators of the organisation.