Network Security Principles and Practices

Expert solutions for securing network infrastructures and VPNs

• Build security into the network by defining zones, implementing secure routing protocol designs, and building safe LAN switching environments
• Understand the inner workings of the Cisco PIX Firewall and analyze in-depth Cisco PIX Firewall and Cisco IOS Firewall features and concepts
• Understand what VPNs are and how they are implemented with protocols such as GRE, L2TP, and IPSec
• Gain a packet-level understanding of the IPSec suite of protocols, its associated encryption and hashing functions, and authentication techniques
• Learn how network attacks can be categorized and how the Cisco IDS is designed and can be set upto protect against them
• Control network access by learning how AAA fits into the Cisco security model and by implementing RADIUS and TACACS+ protocols
• Provision service provider security using ACLs, NBAR, and CAR to identify and control attacks
• Identify and resolve common implementation failures by evaluating real-world troubleshooting scenarios

As organizations increase their dependence on networks for core business processes and increase access to remote sites and mobile workers via virtual private networks (VPNs), network security becomes more and more critical. In today's networked era, information is an organization's most valuable resource. Lack of customer, partner, and employee access to e-commerce and data servers can impact both revenue and productivity. Even so, most networks do not have the proper degree of security. Network Security Principles and Practices provides an in-depth understanding of the policies, products, and expertise that brings organization to this extremely complex topic and boosts your confidence in the performance and integrity of your network systems and services. Written by the CCIE engineer who wrote the CCIE Security lab exam and who helped develop the CCIE Security written exam, Network Security Principles and Practices is the first book to help prepare candidates for the CCIE Security exams.

Network Security Principles and Practices is a comprehensive guide to network security threats and the policies and tools developed specifically to combat those threats. Taking a practical, applied approach to building security into networks, the book shows you how to build secure network architectures from the ground up. Security aspects of routing protocols, Layer 2 threats, and switch security features are all analyzed. A comprehensive treatment of VPNs and IPSec is presented in extensive packet-by-packet detail. The book takes a behind-the-scenes look at how the Cisco PIX(r) Firewall actually works, presenting many difficult-to-understand and new Cisco PIX Firewall and Cisco IOS(r) Firewall concepts. The book launches into a discussion of intrusion detection systems (IDS) by analyzing and breaking down modern-day network attacks, describing how an IDS deals with those threats in general, and elaborating on the Cisco implementation of IDS. The book also discusses AAA, RADIUS, and TACACS+ and their usage with some of the newer security implementations such as VPNs and proxy authentication. A complete section devoted to service provider techniques for enhancing customer security and providing support in the event of an attack is also included. Finally, the book concludes with a section dedicated to discussing tried-and-tested troubleshooting tools and techniques that are not only invaluable to candidates working toward their CCIE Security lab exam but also to the security network administrator running the operations of a network on a daily basis.

Saadat Malik, CCIE No. 4955, manages the Technical Support Operations for the VPN and Network Security groups at Cisco Systems. As the author of the CCIE Security lab exam and also a member of the team that wrote the CCIE Security written qualification exam, he spearheaded the development of the CCIE Network Security certification. Saadat has taught computer networking at the graduate level at San Jose State University, and he is a regular speaker on various advanced network security topics at industry events and conferences.