KF7023: Computer Networks and Security Report - 2019-2020

This report delves into the realm of network security, encompassing the analysis of various networking protocols and the implementation of intrusion prevention systems. It focuses on the configuration of routers and the utilization of protocol analyzers to enhance network security. The report explores the advantages of the TCP/IP protocol, such as its scalability and ease of implementation, while also acknowledging its limitations. The study examines the role of intrusion prevention systems in detecting and preventing attacks. The report also references relevant research, including studies on entropy-based prediction of network protocols and covert channel techniques. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and demonstrating how routers can be configured and how protocol analyzers can be used to identify different protocols. Furthermore, it references the configuration of network systems and the recording of network traffic using protocol analyzers, enhancing the understanding of network security concepts.

Networking and Internet Security
Summary
The study analyses various networking protocols in use and how
can secure network environments.
The study aims to integrate additional security by implementing
intrusion prevention systems.
The study demonstrates configuration of routers and discusses
about protocol analysers.
Advantages
TCP/IP is a scalable client and server architecture enabling addition
of networks by not disrupting any current services.
The transfer of data is very fast and the protocol is easy to
implement and use.
Prediction and prevention of intrusions by IPS systems help in
detecting attacks that cannot be done by other security mechanisms.
Disadvantages
The working of the TCP/IP protocol is not generic by nature and
fails to represent other protocol stacks.
SSL encryption of HTTPS adds to the performance penalty that
users experience from the protocol.
Intrusion prevention systems can get quite expensive to implement
in the network.
Demonstration
Homem, I., Papapetrou, P. and Dosis, S., 2017. Entropy-based
prediction of network protocols in the forensic analysis of dns
tunnels. arXiv preprint arXiv:1709.06363.
Hui, X. and Qingde, H., 2016. The research on hopping covert
channel technique based on multi-protocol. DEStech Transactions
on Engineering and Technology Research, (ICMITE2016).
In conclusion the study successfully analyses network protocols
and intrusion prevention systems.
It also clearly demonstrates how routers can be configured and
protocol analysers can help identify protocol type..
Bibliography
The interconnect of two network systems is shown below.
The different networks can communicate together if the
routers are configured properly.
Below is shown the recording of network traffic by the protocol
analyser Wireshark.