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Network Security - Principles

By IncludeHelp Last updated : July 27, 2024

The following are the network security principles:

1. Confidentiality
2. Integrity
3. Availability
4. Authentication
5. Authorization
6. Accountability

Let us discuss these principles in detail:

Confidentiality

Confidentiality in network security means protecting information from unauthorized access and disclosure. It ensures that data remains private and is only accessible to those with the correct permissions. Confidentiality is crucial for protecting personal information, business data, and other sensitive information.

Integrity

Integrity in network security refers to assuring users that data has not been altered or changed with during transmission, storage, or processing. It ensures that data remains accurate, complete, and consistent over time.

Maintaining data integrity is crucial to prevent unauthorized changes or corruption that could undermine its reliability and usefulness.

Availability

Availability in network security means ensuring that data, applications, and IT resources are accessible to authorised users without undue delay. This means reducing the time your network is down and ensuring it can handle problems without shutting down.

Authentication

Authentication in network security refers to validating a user's identity or device before providing access to a system or network. This prevents un-authorised access and potential security breaches.

Authorization

Authorization is the process of granting or denying specific permissions to users based on their roles or identities. It determines what an authenticated user is allowed to do. After a user is authenticated (proving who they are), authorization controls what they can access and what actions they can perform within a network or system.

For example, you have a company with different departments: HR, Finance, and IT. An HR employee should have access to employee records but not to financial data. Authorization ensures that HR employees can only access the information relevant to their role.

Accountability

Accountability in network security refers to the ability to track and log user activities and operations performed on a network. This involves identifying who performed what action, at what time, and where. Accountability helps in detecting security breaches, analyzing incidents, and complying with regulatory requirements.