Computer networking and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Computer networking and management - Essay Example The protocol constitutes two layers; one is the TLS Record Protocol and the other is TLS handshake protocol. Netgear (2005) further discusses that TLS Record Protocol is a layered protocol. There are different contents for messages at every layer; messages may contain fields for length or details about the message. Record Protocol performs a series of functions; takes the data/message which is desired to be transmitted to the other end, divides the data into smaller blocks, performs the compression function on the data if needed, applies a MAC and encrypts the message according to it and then finally transmits the result. The data which is received at the target server is decrypted, then verified if it has come from the expected host, decompressed and finally passed onto the target host. TLS Record has two main properties, which are discussed below: Connection between the two communicating entities is private. The technique that is used for data encryption is symmetric cryptography. The connection is secure because the key for this symmetric cryptography is unique for every connection, which is communicated between the two connecting applications by another protocol- TLS Handshake Protocol. If security of the connection can be compromised then it is possible to utilize the Record Protocol without encryption. Another characteristic about the protocol is that it provides a reliable connection; this is possible due to the provision of a message integrity check which works on a keyed MAC. The security of MAC is ensured by computing it with a secure hash functions. TLS Handshake Protocol gives a medium for the client and server to authenticate each other and to decide an encryption algorithm. Cryptographic keys are also negotiated among the two applications before any data is transferred or received by either. The steps for TLS handshake protocol are defined in the figure below; The negotiation process of the encryption algorithm is also secure therefore

Summry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summry - Essay Example The first article to be considered in this review is â€Å"Apple Mac Computers Hit in Hacker Attack, Researcher Says†; written by Jordan Robertson and has been sourced from Bloomberg where it featured on 5 April 2012. According to this article, a recent research has shown that over 6 Million users of Mac computers had reportedly fallen victim to hacker attacks; this is an indication that Apple Inc, a company that had been predominantly untargeted by hackers, had now become a prime target. The article further relates that, according to a Russian antivirus software maker Doctor Web, the hacking attack predominantly targets computers using Apple’s Mac OS X software as opposed to windows systems. The research makes it apparent that most of the attacks occurred in the US and Canada, and the company had successively sealed off a security hole that had been a passageway for the virus. In addition to that, the research determined that the malware in question, specifically meant for Mac computers, capitalized on a weakness in a version of Oracle Corp’s Java software that functions as a plug-in on web browsers. The research also rebuffs traditional claims that Mac computers cannot be hacked, by pointing out the shift in hacker activities from computers that use Microsoft’s windows operating systems to those using Apple’s Mac OS X. ... Initially, Apple Inc has been an underdog in the computer operation systems business, and as such, it has been largely ignored by hackers due to its constrained market share. However, in the recent past, Apple Inc has risen above competition in this sector to rival industry giants like Microsoft Corp. In this respect, Apple Inc has taken a strategic position in the industry by increasing its market share considerably, that it has now attracted hacker activities. Conversely, industry giants like Microsoft Corp have traditionally been a haven for hackers and hacker activities due to their large market share; it is estimated that about 90% of the world’s desktop computers use the Microsoft Corps’s windows OS and this means that it has the largest numbers of victims. Numbers are very significant to the hackers because then they are able to transfer the malware to a large proportion of victims in a single attack; this highly promotes the hackers’ illicit money making schemes. The research establishes that Apple’s spokesman Bill Evans has declined to comment on the recent attacks, perhaps due to the implications of the incidence to the future strategic direction of the company. The sudden realization that the company was not hacker resistant anymore could potentially ruin the company’s prospects in the future because then it has lost one of its competitive advantages in the industry. It is understood that computers that use Apple Inc’s Mac OS X operating systems are equally vulnerable to hackers, just like the computers operating on Microsoft Corp’s windows operating system. The second article â€Å"Exclusive: Hacked companies still not telling investors† is by Joseph Menn, and