Mission Critical Internet Security
Learn how to prepare for and recover from
security breaches on your network by reading this
reference guide.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Mission Critical Internet Security
Chapter 4: Internet Security Applications
Introduction
This chapter will discuss Internet security applications and some of the more common methods used for securing Internet connections and e-mail messages. It will provide you with a good overview of the technology as well as some of the shortcomings that have been found and exploited.
Topics that will be covered in this chapter include Digital Signatures and Certificates, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Secure Shell (SSH), Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME), and Kerberos; it will also provide information on protocols for authenticating users, for securing Internet transactions, and for secure messaging. All of these measures provide necessary services for a healthy and secure network. Not all of these applications have to be deployed, as there are many competing technologies, but you should be informed about what measures are available and how they work.
Integration of Internet Security Applications
You will find that different security applications can be used in different situations and there is even some overlap. For example, digital certificates can enable other technologies including S/MIME and SSL. Digital certificates are being integrated with Kerberos, and there are versions of SSH that support Kerberos authentication. All of the technologies discussed here should be considered complimentary, and part of a layered approach to enhancing the security in your environment. You may find that PGP is great for securing files, but it may not meet your requirements for secure e-mail as well as S/MIME. S/MIME, on the other hand, provides limited support for file encryption.
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