Network Security
Network security encompasses the technologies, policies, personnel, and procedures implemented to protect communication infrastructures from cyber attacks, unauthorized access, and data loss. There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to network security, and we should always look for specific features that will meet our needs. There are 4 common tools known for network security and these tools are bundled with multiple features when it comes to protecting your data and endpoints online. Here are the 4 common tools for network security:
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Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
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A network security tool that observes network traffic and devices for identifiable malicious activity, suspicious behavior, or violations of security policies.
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Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
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This tool constantly monitors a network for malicious activity and takes immediate action to prevent it, such as reporting, blocking, or dropping the activity when detected. This tool is like an upgrade for an IDS, where IDS can only detect anomalies while IPS can detect and prevent those anomalies.
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Next Generation Firewall (NGFW)
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In simple terms, Next Generation Firewall is a combination of IPS, IDS and a Firewall. These integrated security solutions offer comprehensive protection by monitoring network traffic for malicious activities (IDS), actively preventing identified threats (IPS), and controlling traffic based on security policies (Firewall), all within a single platform.
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Network Detection and Response (NDR)
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NDR solutions maintain ongoing monitoring and analysis of raw enterprise network traffic to establish a standard pattern of typical network behavior. When they identify unusual network traffic patterns diverging from this norm, NDR tools promptly notify security teams about potential threats in their environment. This enables security teams to investigate the threat, identifying its source, behavior, and the full story of how and where the threat originated.
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Here are examples of other Network Security Features that is commonly bundled with the 4 common Network Security Tools:
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Application Security
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Anomaly/Intrusion Detection
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Firewalls
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Web Security
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Web Filtering
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Network Segmentation
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Network Monitoring
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VPN Access
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Data Loss Prevention
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Network Access Control (NAC) etc.