Internet Networks & Network Security | Google Cybersecurity Certificate

Google Career Certificates・2 minutes read

Chris Roosenraad emphasizes the importance of network security and education on network structure, protocols, and security practices, highlighting key concepts like IP addresses, MAC addresses, firewalls, VPNs, and security hardening practices. The course covers essential topics such as network segmentation, security zones, proxy servers, DoS attacks, packet sniffing, IP spoofing, and patch updates to mitigate security risks and ensure network protection.

Insights

Understanding the structure and components of networks, including LANs and WANs, as well as devices like switches and routers, is crucial for network security professionals to safeguard against common attacks and implement security measures effectively.
Security professionals must utilize tools like firewalls, VPNs, and security zones to protect networks from threats like DoS attacks, IP spoofing, and packet sniffing, emphasizing the importance of encryption, proper configuration, and regular maintenance to ensure robust network security and data privacy.

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What are the two types of networks?
LAN and WAN

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Summary

00:00

"Securing Networks: Essential Practices and Tools"

Chris Roosenraad, Chief Information Security Officer for Google Fiber, introduces the importance of securing networks due to the rise in network-based attacks.
The course led by Chris aims to educate on network structure, architecture, tools, operations, protocols, common attacks, and security hardening practices.
Networks consist of connected devices communicating via network cables or wireless connections using unique IP and MAC addresses.
Two types of networks are Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN), with LAN covering small areas and WAN spanning large geographical regions.
Common network devices include hubs, switches, routers, and modems, each serving specific functions in network communication.
Virtualization tools can replicate the functions of physical network devices, offering cost savings and scalability.
Cloud computing is increasingly adopted by companies to manage network resources remotely, reducing costs and simplifying operations.
Data packets are fundamental units of network communication, containing IP and MAC addresses, protocol numbers, message content, and footers.
Bandwidth measures data received per second, while speed indicates the rate of data packet reception, crucial for network performance monitoring.
The TCP/IP model, comprising network access, internet, transport, and application layers, organizes data transmission and aids security professionals in identifying and addressing network issues.

14:22

Understanding Network Protocols and Security Measures

Network protocols control traffic flow across a network, allowing or denying communication with other devices and providing connection status information.
The application layer of the TCP/IP model determines how data packets interact with receiving devices, organizing functions like file transfers and email services.
IP addresses, unique strings identifying device locations on the internet, can be IPv4 or IPv6, with IPv6 allowing for more connected devices.
IP addresses can be public, assigned by internet service providers based on geographic location, or private, only visible within a local network.
MAC addresses, unique identifiers for physical devices on a network, are used by switches to direct data packets to the appropriate device.
Network protocols, like TCP, ARP, HTTPS, and DNS, are essential for establishing secure communications and translating domain names into IP addresses.
Firewalls, network security devices, monitor and control traffic based on defined security rules, with hardware, software, and cloud-based options available.
Hardware firewalls inspect data packets before entering the network, while software firewalls analyze traffic on individual devices or servers.
Cloud-based firewalls, hosted by service providers, protect incoming traffic and assets used in the cloud, with options for stateful or stateless operation.
Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) provide advanced security features like deep packet inspection and intrusion protection, connecting to threat intelligence services for updated protection against cyber threats.

28:27

VPN Encryption and Network Segmentation Essentials

VPNs help keep data private on public networks like the internet by encrypting data in transit.
Encapsulation, performed by VPN services, protects data by wrapping sensitive information in other data packets.
Encapsulation prevents security threats by encrypting data packets, making IP and MAC addresses unreadable to network routers.
VPN services encrypt data packets and encapsulate them in other packets readable by routers, ensuring data privacy while allowing network requests to reach their destination.
Security zones are network segments that protect internal networks from the internet, part of network segmentation dividing networks into segments with unique access permissions and security rules.
Network segmentation examples include a hotel separating guest and staff networks and a university dividing faculty and student subnets.
Security zones include uncontrolled zones (outside the organization's control, like the internet) and controlled zones (subnets protecting the internal network).
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the controlled zone contains public-facing services like web servers and email servers, acting as a network perimeter.
Proxy servers regulate and restrict network access, with forward proxies controlling outgoing traffic and reverse proxies managing incoming traffic to internal servers.
Proxy servers enhance security by hiding IP addresses, blocking unsafe websites, and reducing contact with internal servers, crucial for security analysts monitoring network traffic.

42:56

Preventing Cyber Attacks: DoS, Sniffing, Spoofing, Security

DoS attacks can overwhelm servers with an excessive number of requests or a single large request.
The ping of death attack involves sending an oversized ICMP packet to crash a system.
Packet sniffing involves using software tools to observe data moving across a network.
Malicious actors may use packet sniffing to spy on data packets and make changes to them.
Packet sniffing can be passive, where data packets are read in transit, or active, where packets are manipulated.
Ways to protect against malicious packet sniffing include using a VPN, ensuring websites use HTTPS, and avoiding unprotected Wi-Fi.
IP spoofing involves changing the source IP of a data packet to impersonate an authorized system.
Common IP spoofing attacks include on-path attacks, replay attacks, and Smurf attacks.
Encryption, firewalls, and proper configuration can protect against IP spoofing attacks.
Security hardening involves strengthening systems to reduce vulnerabilities and attack surfaces, including regular maintenance and penetration testing.

57:05

"Security Patch Updates Essential for Network Protection"

Patch updates address security vulnerabilities in software and Operating Systems (OS).
OS software vendors provide patch updates that require upgrading to the latest software version.
Malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities in out-of-date OS systems, emphasizing the importance of timely patch updates.
Emergency patch updates are necessary to address vulnerabilities in commonly used programming libraries.
Baseline configuration documents specifications within a system for future builds, releases, and updates.
Hardware and software disposal is crucial to ensure old hardware is properly wiped and disposed of, reducing vulnerabilities.
Implementing a strong password policy with specific rules and Multi-Factor Authentication enhances network security.
Network hardening focuses on security measures like port filtering, network segmentation, and encryption for communication.

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