Self-Defending Networks: Implementation, Benefits, and Future Trends

This report delves into the concept of self-defending networks, examining their importance in modern organizations and their ability to automatically respond to network threats. It begins by introducing the need for robust network security due to increasing threats such as viruses, information theft, and misuse of applications. The report then outlines the precautions necessary when developing a self-defense network, including access rights, security policies, and data protection. It highlights the key characteristics of a self-defending network, such as policy checking, endpoint security, intrusion detection and prevention, and network maintenance and recovery. Furthermore, the report discusses the collaborative, integration, and adaptive standards that these networks must maintain. The benefits of implementing self-defending networks, including improved IT management, protection of corporate resources, and enhanced user security, are also explored. Finally, the report examines the current progress and future of self-defending networks, noting the challenges and advancements in the field, particularly with the rise of automated management and software-defined networks. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of embracing self-defending networks for reliable and comprehensive network protection.

Running head: NETWORKING
Networking
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Networks
Self-defending networks
Introduction
In the current organizations’ setting, there are several changes that had taken place as far as
businesses are concerned. Due to the current changes, companies have come up with information
networks which are necessary for the upcoming changes according to de Aguiar & Gruenewald,
(2018). The information networks have allowed the industries to give quality performance and
outcomes. However, there are a few issues that are causing headaches to these institutions. These
issues include virus attacks, theft of information and misuse of the available applications. Due to
search threats, it is high time the organizations create multiple ways of protecting and securing
the company networks. The protection assists in preventing the loss of the crucial information
and consistency of the network. Some of the sources of these threats may include hackers,
trusted insiders and the employees of that particular institution. From that perspective, it is
important for the organization to have self-defense network.
Self-defense network is an in-depth security mechanism of protecting company resources from
theft, viruses, and hackers according to Liu, Cheng, Zhang & Hsieh, (2018). The security
mechanism involves various network technologies organized in layers at a certain point of the
network. The arrangement ensures that the security settings are well set to offer thick fabric
protection. One of the main aims of the approach is the automation of security in the
organization. Every device on the arrangement of the security network possess specific protocols
and coordinating results depending on the policies that the organization has put in place.

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Multiple organizations may have different arrangement but the goal is similar in all these
institutions.
Precautions when developing self-defense network in an institution
For an organization to achieve the goal of the security network of preventing and mitigating
information theft there are specific rules that the company must put into consideration. These
rules are the ones called the precautions. Some of the precautions include putting in place the
access rights for the authenticated users of the network, elaborating the formal institutional
policies of the security and protecting the transport of voice and data within and outside the
organization. Consequently, security personnel faces various challenges when coming up with
these policies. Some of these difficulties include the procedure of preventing the attacks internal
access protection and the network level of performance. A fully functional security network
should be in a position to actively detect suspicious activity within the network to establish
threats and respond actively to the identified threats.
The necessary feature for the self-defending network.
The steps involved in defending the network organization include establishing, protecting and
adapting to the security threats whether the threats come from the internal sources or external
sources. When an institution is well protected it will be at a good position to take advantage of
the intelligence within the network resources which assist in improving the company operation.
The company now operates at a low cost in protecting its resources. For the self-defending
network to achieve the above aims, it must possess the following characteristics:
i. Policy checking

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It is the heart of the self-defense security network. The organization achieves the policy checking
by use of a central policy server. The purpose of this server is to select and analyze the security-
related information from every device in the network. These devices may include the local area
network connection with the personal computers towards the routers and the switches. The server
has the meta- console which its purpose is to compare the analyzed intelligence to the arranged
security policies and rules. After the comparison process, the server gives specific instruction to
each of the devices. The aim of the instruction is to ensure that every device does not process
unauthorized instruction.
ii. Endpoint security
Self- defense network depends on the host-based agents to keep checking on the capability of the
workstations to comply with the set security rules in the organization. For instance, the devices
should have operational firewalls, latest AV signatures and updated operating system having
security configurations. There are various ways of checking on the compliance in security, for
example, they can make use of the downloadable applets or agentless endpoint security.
iii. Intrusion detection and prevention
The mechanism of the self-defense network is to be able to detect any security breach in the
institution. Some of the structures used in preventing detecting intrusion include the firewalls,
traffic flow monitors and the inline network-based identity. Apart from those devices such as
routers and switches assist in gathering information about the network.
iv. Maintenance and recovery in the network
There is some situation whereby the network of the organization can be invaded by a virus or
other threats. However, there must be a strategy for recovery and maintenance after that havoc.

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Factors such as the integrity of the network are crucial in the institution. However, devices such
as the remedial server can be used to ensure that the network is clean from infection and
configuration are done on time to prevent any future damage.
The standards that the self-defending network must maintain
i. Collaborative standard
The above standard aims at ensuring that every device in the network is able to work with other
gadgets to maintain the security of the whole institution according to Pathan, (2016). The devices
used in self-defense network include appliances, routers, firewalls, and switches. All these
devices must work together according to the policies of the institution. For instance, they can use
the Network Admission Control principle to ensure collaboration of the devices.
ii. Integration standard
The standard ensures the use of different technologies to maintain the operation of the network.
iii. Adaptive standard
The above standard permits the automatic establishment of innovative behavioral was to identify
new types of threats in the network.
Benefits of the self-defense network
After implementing self-defending networks, the organization is set to enjoy some benefits in
terms of its resources. However, some of the common advantages include the following:
i. It improves the way the institution manages its information technology thus leading to
efficiency.

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ii. It ensures that there is the protection of corporate resources and its reputation. It means that
nobody can authoritatively access the company information and spread it to other people.
iii. Self-defending networks protect the users in a particular organization against other people
who may come with insecure devices to the institution. It notifies other users as soon as possible.
iv. It ensures that the network of the company is always up to the time since there is a
continuous response to unknown and known threats to the organization.
v. The company can now enforce the security mechanism in an effective manner in many other
institutions countrywide. The policies enable other companies to work without fear of losing
their information to unknown people.
The progress and future of self-defending networks.
Up to now, many companies such as IBM have established that self-defending networks have
done well in the protection of the institution’s data. However, the current challenge is that many
users and organizations have not welcomed the security mechanism. The software-defined
networks which operate automatically to respond to the network attacks. From the above
comments, the generation to come of the self-defending network will be able to assist the experts
in networking to know various ways of implementing an end to end security mechanism in
reference to Gelenbe, (2017). Apart from that, the networking professions will have ways of
deploying an integrated security mechanism. There is a clear presentation of the components that
the institutions can use to implements their security mechanisms. The organizations such as the
Cisco have fully implemented the system and have quality ways of identifying their security
threats.

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Even though many customers still fear on the mechanism, it is evident that many companies will
implement the mechanism because of its way of preventing the attacks on systems. The
challenge with this mechanism is that the initial cost of implementation is high. For instance, it
needs devices, router, switches and cables which smaller institution may not manage.
Despite being able to defend a network, this type of security mechanism may face some few
challenges in the process of protecting a network according to Alten, (2016). For instance, the
difficulty that exists when the SIM vendors have when forcing their correlation machines to get
information from every security device. It is a similar challenge that exists in self-defending
networks. The self-defending networks have a server that always pulls the security intelligence
from every gadget in the network. For example the switches, routers, and firewalls. The process
of pulling must take place instantly regardless of the network traffic. In the future mechanism,
organizations such as Cisco have come up with automated management devices for the self-
defending networks. The initial phase of devices that Cisco came up with were able to
communicate with the endpoint gadgets. In the same phase, there is a central server whose
purpose was to issue policies to other devices. However, for the coming phases, Cisco will be
able to come up with switches possessing defensive mechanisms. As the technology is
improving, the Cisco will be able to build other gadgets such as the firewalls with security
mechanisms.
In conclusion, many customers should embrace self-defending networks in their organizations as
it is reliable and able to defend large networks.

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References
Alten, A. I. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 9,276,906. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
de Aguiar, L. P., & Gruenewald, T. (2018). U.S. Patent Application No. 15/742,108.
Gelenbe, E. (2017). Self-aware networks: The cognitive packet network and its performance.
In Self-Aware Computing Systems (pp. 659-668). Springer, Cham.
Liu, X., Cheng, M., Zhang, H., & Hsieh, C. J. (2018). Towards robust neural networks via
random self-ensemble. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Computer Vision
(ECCV) (pp. 369-385).
Pathan, A. S. K. (Ed.). (2016). Security of self-organizing networks: MANET, WSN, WMN,
VANET. CRC press.