Network Security

Ping commands can accomplish various attacks, including Ping of Death and Connection Exhaustion. These attacks fall under two categories: Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). DoS attacks usually involve flooding a server with an extreme number of packets that overwhelm it and cause it to slow or crash. Attacks by DDoS typically originate from multiple locations through linked devices. The attack can disrupt regular traffic between them by bombarding servers, services, and networks with data. As a result, servers and networks receive an enormous number of continuous service requests, making it challenging to identify a trustworthy source of information (Haseeb et al., 2023). 

A ping-of-death attack is a packet of data maliciously engineered to cause a server-side system failure. Most ping flood assaults are designed for sheer volume, so the data are practically irrelevant. Ping-of-death attacks cause the victim's device to stop or break by exploiting its weaknesses. Other protocols, such as TCP and UDP, may also be affected by this approach (Haseeb et al., 2023). Connection exhaustion, also known as state-exhaustion attacks, attacks targets infrastructure (like web application servers) to completely overwhelm connection tables with fake data. 

The security incidents I chose to discuss are computer viruses and phishing. In 1971, the first self-replicating computer virus, “Creeper system,” was released. The virus aimed to take up hard drive space until the computer was no longer operational (Bhargava et al., 2022). Presently, viruses serve many destructive purposes, from stealing information to corrupting data and destroying a computer system. One main vulnerability of computers is the interconnectivity of modern devices through the internet. Email, file downloads, shared networks, and not keeping security patches updated are ways of quickly spreading viruses. Inadvertently downloading infected files or clicking malicious links are other ways of infecting computers with viruses. 

When infected, the systems can include crashing and slow performance, pop-up windows, error messages, and system setting changes. Malicious viruses can steal sensitive information, such as financial information and passwords. 

Phishing attacks are relatively recent and are malicious attempts that pose as legitimate companies and entities to trick users into giving information such as credit cards, usernames and passwords, and personal information. Fraudsters use a wide range of technologies and platforms to conduct phishing attacks. SMS text messages and chats in platforms like Slack, Teams, Signal, WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger are among the most common targets (NSA, 

2023). Psychological tactics that exploit human emotions, like fear and curiosity, are also used in phishing to deceive people. Phishing attacks are usually deployed to a broad group, increasing the chance of someone falling for the scam. These attackers can also spoof (imitate) legitimate companies, sites, and email addresses, making it harder to distinguish what is real. These tactics can lead to the theft of sensitive information, which can be misused in various ways.  

  To combat computer virus infections, it is crucial to install reputable Antivirus software. These programs can detect and remove malicious and malware software before it can cause harm. A firewall should be enabled as it acts as a barrier between the internal network and external threats (Stallings & Lawrie, 2014). Phishing can be prevented by spreading awareness and education to avoid suspicious links and how to identify fraudulent sites. Checking the sender's email address in the header is also an excellent way to verify legitimacy. Being cautious of unsolicited emails and ensuring websites are secure (“https:// and a padlock) will also aide in visiting safe and reputable sites.  

 

 

References 

Haseeb-Ur-Rehman, R. M. A., Aman, A. H. M., Hasan, M. K., Ariffin, K. A. Z., Namoun, A., 

Tufail, A., & Kim, K. H. (2023). High-Speed Network DDoS Attack Detection: A Survey. 

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 23(15), 6850. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23156850 

Natural Security Agency. 20232, October 18. Phishing Guidance. Stopping the Attack Cycle at 

Phase One. NSA. https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-

Release-View/Article/3560788/how-to-protect-against-evolving-phishing-attacks/