The Advantages and Disadvantages of Securing Wired and Wireless Systems
Wired Network Security
Internet protocol security (IPSEC) is the set of protocols used to secure data transfer at the IP layer over wired networks, rather than at the application layer. It encrypts data using one of two modes: transport and tunnel. Transport mode encrypts a packet’s data, but not the packet header, tunnel mode encrypts both. IPSEC-compliant devices are able to decrypt these packets for usage.
Mac Address Filtering
Every network-enabled device comes with a media access control (MAC) address, that is used to identify the device on a network. Mac address filtering is like a whitelist, when enabled it blocks network entry to devices with a mac address that has not been specifically approved by a network administrator. Mac address filtering is used on some private networks where the owner only wants a small number of trusted devices to connect.
Source(s): https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff521761.aspx, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_filtering, http://www.howtogeek.com/204458/why-you-shouldn%E2%80%99t-use-mac-address-filtering-on-your-wi-fi-router/
Wireless Network Security
Wired equivalent privacy (WEP) is a security protocol for wireless networks. Its purpose is to make a wireless LAN’s security and privacy as effective as that of a wired LAN. Wired networks are physically protected from external interference. In order to protect a wireless network, the WEP protocol is used. WEP works by encrypting data for safe transmission between devices. WEP is effective when implemented in most networks, but it is possible for skilled attackers to intercept and decrypt WEP-encrypted data mid-communication.
Also known as ‘Wi-Fi- protected access 2 – pre-shared key, WPA2-PSK is a method of client authentication that uses a password. This password generates regularly changing unique encryption keys for each client using temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP). When a user connects to a WPA2-PSK-protected network, they are asked for a password. If the password matches the one WPA2-PSK password, the users is granted access. There are downsides to WPA2-PSK however. If a passcode holder is compromised, the entire network is placed under risk. Also, because WPA2-PSK uses advanced encryption, it requires additional processing power to function effectively.
Task 3 general source(s): http://unit32.2plus2isfive.co.uk/paddv/week-12-wires-and-wireless/