Library items tagged: security

Cryptography is one of the essential technologies used in building a secure VPN. Different applications of the same basic algorithms can provide both encryption that keeps data secret and authentication that ensures the two security peers in a VPN are who they claim to be. This chapter introduces some basic concepts in cryptography and demonstrates how they can be used in practice to provide data confidentiality. The next chapter continues this theme with a discussion of mutual authentication using cryptographic algorithms.

Testing Before any system is introduced into the production environment, it must undergo a period of testing and evaluation. This is usually done in a test environment away from the production infrastructure.

Overview Cisco offers the PIX firewall solution, acquired from Network Translation in 1995, along with the original Centri firewall which ran on the Windows NT® operating system. The Cisco PIX, however, runs its own proprietary system called PIX OS, currently at version 7. The PIX is a packet filtering firewall with stateful inspection, and there are several DPI features in the newer versions which enhance the rules that can be created.

Why use UNIX/Linux? Firstly, unless a network administrator is familiar with the UNIX/Linux platform, then it is not recommended that a UNIX/Linux firewall is implemented. It will be easier to maintain a secure system if the administrator has skills in maintaining the underlying operating system. UNIX/Linux systems typically rely on a CLI more than a GUI, making navigating the system more difficult for the first time user.