Network+ Training Guide

Threats to Security

Before we look at the measures you can take to secure your network, let's first look at what you are trying to protect against. The following are some possible threats to a network's security:

• Internal threats— It is a sad fact that the most common source of security problems in an organization is from the employees of that organization. For example, a user might decide to “borrow” the apparently unused hub from the equipment cupboard on the third floor, or he might really want to know just how much money the president of the company actually earns. In more extreme cases, a user might attempt to pass valuable corporate information to an outside party. Sound far-fetched? It's not; it happens every day.

• Deliberate data damage ...