Design and Implementation of a Secure Campus Network Proposal

This research proposal explores the design and implementation of a secure campus network, addressing critical security considerations and proposing mitigation practices. The study delves into the vulnerabilities inherent in campus networks, particularly those arising from open access points like wireless networks, and emphasizes the importance of safeguarding data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It examines various security threats, including denial-of-service attacks and ARP spoofing, and proposes a reference model for robust and flexible network design. The proposal incorporates a literature review analyzing network security weaknesses, configuration issues, and policy vulnerabilities. The research methodology involves collecting data from secondary sources to analyze security scenarios and develop practical solutions. The ultimate goal is to provide a comprehensive framework for campus network security, offering recommendations for best practices and reducing data confidentiality issues. The proposal highlights the significance of routers, firewalls, and proper network management in preventing hacking attacks and ensuring network security, with the aim of providing a flexible and robust network design.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Design and Implementation of a Secure Campus Network: Research Proposal
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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Table of Contents
Proposal...........................................................................................................................................2
Topic Description............................................................................................................................2
Outline.............................................................................................................................................3
Abstract............................................................................................................................................4
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
Literature Review............................................................................................................................5
Research Methodology..................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................15

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Proposal
The proposal in this agenda is prepared to consider secure campus network concept along
with suggesting security model. The paper provides proposal for showing security considerations
and the factors that should be addressed for implementing network. The proposal further
addresses checklist for showing certain aspects in the discussion in order to evaluate the campus
network as to provide recommendations of best practice of reducing data confidentiality issue.
The primary aim of the study is to address designing and providing security mitigation practices.
Topic Description
This particular proposal aims to state the process of designing and implementing a secure
campus network. Primary consideration of the proposal is to convey security over a campus
network as enterprise. Innovation and new technology utilization such as universal computing,
enterprise mobility, cloud computing, and e-commerce (Scott-Hayward, Natarajan and Sezer
2016). However, network security is considered as essential part for campus network
implementing and increasing challenge for securing network. Generally, campus network faces
several vulnerabilities in addressing major issues such as network architecture vulnerabilities.
The problem occurs during open area network access such as wireless access for several
students, the secured network access should cover security attacks associated with network
(Dacier et al. 2017). Any secured network should be able to mitigate certain attacks during
teaching, learning, and research activities. Furthermore, theoretical contribution from this
proposal is to provide a reference model so that campus network can be adopted or followed with
robust and flexible network design.

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Outline
Outline of the study is to collect data from secondary sources for studying the topic. The
application of practical data is to be considered in designing secure network and implement
security in terms of campus network. The outline of the research should incorporate theoretical
framework for designing the security in LAN and WAN connection configuration. Moreover, the
proposal should adhere to security issues and threats for mitigation. Some attack scenarios such
as Denial of Services, ARP spoofing attack, and mitigation of them should be depicted in this
study. In short, the study should be conducted with presenting collected information about
security issues and analyzed data over security scenarios.

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Abstract
Network security is considered as major part of data confidentiality and security aspect for
campus network. The proposal previously stated about the topic and proposal aims. The outline
in previous section determined about the proposal agenda and the proposal will depict the
outcomes and implications in the project. The proposal in this agenda is prepared to consider
secure campus network concept along with suggesting security model. This particular proposal
aims to state the process of designing and implementing a secure campus network. The paper
provides proposal for showing security considerations and the factors that should be addressed
for implementing network. Any secured network should be able to mitigate certain attacks during
teaching, learning, and research activities. Furthermore, theoretical contribution from this
proposal is to provide a reference model so that campus network can be adopted or followed with
robust and flexible network design. The problem occurs during open area network access such as
wireless access for several students, the secured network access should cover security attacks
associated with network.
Generally, campus network faces several vulnerabilities in addressing major issues such as
network architecture vulnerabilities. The primary aim of the study is to address designing and
providing security mitigation practices. Primary consideration of the proposal is to convey
security over a campus network as enterprise. Innovation and new technology utilization such as
universal computing, enterprise mobility, cloud computing, and e-commerce. The proposal
further addresses checklist for showing certain aspects in the discussion in order to evaluate the
campus network as to provide recommendations of best practice of reducing data confidentiality
issue. However, network security is considered as essential part for campus network
implementing and increasing challenge for securing network.

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Introduction
The security in Local Area Network and Internet is identified as primary consideration
for network related issues. Evolution of networking and new technology usage in internet
increased security threats in network grids. Several other threats are exercised as causing damage
and committing theft. As use of internet grows in exponentially, the LAN and Ethernet network
became more insecure (Kreutz, Ramos and Verissimo 2013). Network security is considered as
procedure for choosing particular way to protect and keep network secure along with information
considering as asset. Security and data protection objectives for any network is to maintain data
integrity, assure data availability, and protect data confidentiality (Sezer et al. 2013).
Considering the security objectives, the imperative way is to consider the networks for protecting
the networks from threats and resolving vulnerabilities over business to achieve security.
This proposal paper considers all aspects of security in terms of attacks on router, some
vulnerabilities in network configuration that should be mitigated to ensure data confidentiality,
and data integrity. Routers and firewalls are considered as critical part of network so that
operations and network security can be ensured. Proper management of network security along
with digital auditing of network devices can prevent hacking attacks on network devices such as
router, and reducing internet downtime. The network threats can be decreased and aided to
suspected security breach analysis.
Literature Review
In typical way, the threats in network are considered to be persistent for network
vulnerabilities for arising into wrongly configured hardware and software (Pathan 2016). Poor
network design, coherent internet technology and network weaknesses can be part of network

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threats. For security in networks, the network devices are considered as part of ensuring major
security considerations. The routers are chosen as particular device to ensure services enabled in
the network grid as default. The services are generally unnecessary and however, any attacker
can get through the router boundary into the network (Porras et al. 2012). Therefore, during
router configuration, the unnecessary router settings should be prevented from attackers so that it
could not damage the network from information theft and network device configuration issues.
In personal, government, and business critical cases, the applications became common for using
internet and increasing issues over network grids.
The network related applications and services could increase security risk and threats
with growing information sources to companies and government. In several other cases, the
network grids became insecure from expense of network security (Marsa-Maestre et al. 2013).
Organizations should consider information as asset to protect them in network designing.
Enforcing proper network security practices, the government and several other individuals are at
stake of losing the information asset. Security aspect is considered as protecting assets over
network grids (Porras et al. 2015; Shiravi, Shiravi and Ghorbani 2012). Within configuration of
LANs, personal computers, and wider networks; generally, the networks are insecure. Major e-
commerce websites and internet based applications need to balance between isolated system
configuration and insecure system configuration to reduce all vulnerabilities. The security breach
can increase with weaknesses mentioned in following table:
Security Weakness Ways to exploit security weaknesses
Insecure user accounts Generally, user accounts are insecure across the network as users
may share credentials over network. Disclosing user account

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information and sensitive data makes the accounts insecure.
Accounts and systems
with easy guessed
passwords
This common problem is found as poor selection and easily guessed
passwords and usernames (Yi, Qin and Li 2015).
Wrongly configured
internet services
Over web browser, some common problem is identified in
JavaScript that easily enables attacks over hostile JavaScript. The
JavaScript can access to IIS, un-trusted sites, FTP, and for posing
problems in terminal services.
Unsecured settings as
default within network
device products
Some network devices have default settings for enabling security
issues (Kim and Feamster 2013).
Wrong configured
network equipments
Wrongly configured equipment can increase significantly vulnerable
security protocol, SNMP with community strings for opening up
more security holes.
Table 1: Common configuration weaknesses for network
(Source: Dong et al. 2015, pp. 67)
The LANs and personal computers increased in numbers and internet can create several
security risks. Software, Firewall devices, and hardware can enforce access control policies
between two or multiple networks in security consideration (Shang et al. 2014). Technology that
gave business with balance for simple outbound and security access for the internet within
mostly used as web surfing and e-mail. Network security is considered as most vital component
for information security so that the network security can be considered as responsible with
securing information as potential asset passing through networked computers (Ali et al. 2015;

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Chen et al. 2013). Network security can be referred to hardware and software functions, features,
operational procedures, accounting measures, network characteristics, and access controlling.
Moreover, the network should consider administrative and network control policy over
accessible level of hardware and software within network information.
The network security and configuration can be made successful for preventing data loss
along with some fundamental perceptions. Firstly, secure network must consider data integrity
over stored information so that correct and protected information against data issues (Bari et al.
2013). Next, securing a network is essential for ensuring data confidentiality, data integrity, and
data accessibility. The ability for sharing information over network grid can be used for some
people. Finally, network security can be required for maintaining information availability over
necessary recipients so that some pre-determined data can be utilized in exceptions (Zaalouk et
al. 2014; Ding et al. 2014). Three principles for network security can be adhered to evolve from
year wise network security practices and enforcing the security practices. While network security
is discussed some common terms are considered for vulnerabilities, threats, and risks. Some
vulnerabilities can be considered as weaknesses in which network security devices themselves.
There exists three vulnerabilities or weaknesses such as:
Technology weaknesses: Network devices and computer can have some intrinsic security
weaknesses. The weaknesses include operating system weaknesses, TCP/IP protocol
weaknesses, and other network equipment weaknesses.
Network Device configuration weaknesses: The network administrations or network
engineers can learn about Network Device configuration weaknesses (Scott-Hayward, Natarajan
and Sezer 2016). The network administrators should consider configuration weaknesses in

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configuring network devices with compensations. The configuration weaknesses are mentioned
as following:
Configuration issues How the weakness is exploited
Lack of written policy As policies are not written cannot be consistently and
enforced.
Politics Political issues can be considered for making the situation
difficult with implementing consistent security (Mainanwal,
Gupta and Upadhayay 2015).
Lack of working community Frequent replacement of employee and personnel can increase
chance of getting erratic approach towards security issues.
Access controlling is not applied Access control that is wrongly chosen can make the default
password malfunctioning for unauthorized access to the
network (Mohaien et al. 2013).
Software and hardware
installation and changes do not
apply to policy
Unauthorized and unprecedented access to the network
topologies and unauthorized changes made to networks can
create security vulnerabilities in any system.
Disaster recovery plan is not
applied
Absence of disaster recovery can make the plan into a chaos
and makes other panic from occurrence of attacks (Lara,
Kolasani and Ramamurthy 2014).
Table 2: Common security policy weaknesses for network
(Source: Rani and Singh 2012, pp. 139)

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Security policy weaknesses: Some security policy weaknesses can exist for making
major issues in network grids; moreover, the network can pose security risks in case the users do
not follow security policies (Ahmad et al. 2015). The common security policy weaknesses are
identified as in following table:
Threat Internal /
External
Threat consequences
E-mail with
virus
External
origination and
internal use
Threat consequence can arise as infecting system reading
email and subsequently spreading through entire
organization
Network virus External Threat consequences could enter in unprotected ports,
compromising inside whole network (Nunes et al. 2014).
Web based
virus
Internal browsing
for external site
The threat consequences compromise over system doing for
browsing over subsequently affecting on internal systems
Web server
attack
External over
web servers
If web servers can be compromised for, hacker could gain
access for other systems into internal network (Olivier,
Carlos and Florent 2015).
Denial of
Service (DOS)
attack
External External services so that web, email, and ftp could become
unusable; in case router is attacked for, entire network
could go down.
Network user
attack
Internal to
anywhere
Some traditional border may exist for firewalls that cannot
do anything to the attack; moreover, the internal
segmentation firewalls may help to certain damage (Scott-

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Hayward 2015).
Table 3: Threat Identification
(Source: Mainanwal, Gupta and Upadhayay 2015, pp. 4)
Security policy weaknesses could make people eager and willing for taking advantage of
threats. The personnel can continually search for new vulnerabilities and weaknesses; moreover,
the threats over variety of tools, scripts, and programs for launching attack to networks (Gao et
al. 2012). In this paper, the researchers can discuss over primary classes over threats to network
security, the internal and external threats. Some internal threats can be major source over
straining over level of security attained by the network (Hong et al. 2015). The threats can be
either removed from unethical employees.
Research Methodology
Research methodology chapter is considered as helping in defining the format of studying
in appropriate approach in the research process. The research design is chosen as descriptive so
that the network issues and security vulnerabilities are discussed. The formative research format
is chosen for this particular study is to consider description of the network threats. The design of
secure campus network is considered as another work that should be considered in the analysis
and discussion part. The proposal in this consideration acquires the essentiality of the designing
and implementing a secure network in the campus. The justification of selecting descriptive
design is that the outcomes in this study should consider security constraints. The study is
considered as completely secondary. The secondary study should be considered with researching
relevant secondary articles online and studying some previous works in to the study undertaken.