Network Security Architectures

Chapter 3. Secure Networking Threats

This chapter covers the following topics:

• The Attack Process

• Attacker Types

• Vulnerability Types

• Attack Results

• Attack Taxonomy

Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting. Scheme so as to discover his plans and the likelihood of their success. —Sun Zi, The Art of War

That vulnerability is completely theoretical. —Microsoft

As discussed in Chapter 2, “Security Policy and Operations Life Cycle,” when considering the characteristics of your network security system, you must understand the likely threats your network will encounter. The bulk of the information contained in this chapter outlines the various attack classes you must consider when designing your network. Because ...