Network and system security in an information age

In a time when networks are so readily interconnected around the world, computer security is a paramount concern for information technology professionals. As users, we regularly log onto terminals that are configured and maintained by others, running software developed by others, using operating systems with publicly known flaws, over networks connected by others, using protocols that were never constructed with security in mind. We rely on systems that we are forced to trust, connecting to remote systems we do not know, and only a finite minority of users has even the slightest conception of how these systems handle their information. Availability is the ultimate goal in providing usefulness and utility with an information system, but availability is also a detriment to system security. Avenues of availability are also avenues of potential data attack from malicious users or hackers. A certain level of confidentiality within data systems is necessary to assure the privacy of personal information as well as the secrecy of proprietary data. Users and information systems must be able to authenticate one another\u27s identification while insuring transmissions between them remain unaltered in transit. This thesis is a discussion of network security considerations and network attack methodologies with respect to availability, confidentiality, and reliability. Network administrators must consider balancing these aspects in securing information systems