From the course: Cybersecurity Awareness: Cybersecurity Terminology

Network controls

From the course: Cybersecurity Awareness: Cybersecurity Terminology

Network controls

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- [Instructor] When you think of your own personal people network, it is typically people with a common interest that you communicate with in order to help you complete tasks or leverage to gain something from and vice versa. When you use a computer such as in a work environment, you are communicating and sharing information via your company's network. A network is a set of computers that leverage the same set of resources and are able to communicate due to a set of common technologies. A virtual private network, or VPN, is almost like a tunnel you can turn on and off when connected to a public network. This tunnel, when turned on, serves as a way to encrypt data being transmitted, which in turn is an extra layer of security when utilizing public wifi. Your company may require use of a VPN in order to access certain information within your company environment. When you consider the physical security of a company building, one layer of security that may be in place is a security guard. This guard is there to monitor people coming into and out of a building, and verify they have the correct permissions to be there, usually by looking at their badge credentials. A firewall serves a similar purpose in digital means by monitoring both incoming and outcoming traffic on a network and not permitting access if access is not authorized. Just like criminals can find ways around physical security controls, cyber criminals have been known to exploit firewalls in order to gain access into the network as well. Utilizing VPNs and firewalls are one way to protect yourself and your data, but there are a number of others. While we can't cover them all, we will define a few. Next up is antivirus. One can think of antivirus similar to when someone goes to the doctor, either because they are not feeling well or just as a wellness checkup to ensure everything is in order. The doctor will do a scan and check your body, and if something is found, notify you, and perhaps make recommendations to help fix the issue. Antivirus is similar, and that it is placed on a device with the purpose of scanning the device, either automatically or on demand for malicious malware and viruses, notifying the user of what has been found, and even sometimes giving advice for how to remedy the issues that were discovered. When it comes to securing a network and/or devices, there is no one size fits all, and the amount of tools and technologies out there is enumerable. We only covered a minuscule amount of what can be done to create a secure environment. So I encourage you to continue to research additional methods for protecting yourself and your information.

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