The computer connected to the Internet not only gets an information access, the wide area network located on servers, but also becomes vulnerable for the external network attacks prepared by malefactors.
Types of network attacks
There is a huge set of different configurations of computers, operating systems and the network equipment, however, it does not become an obstacle for access to a wide area network. Such situation became possible, thanks to the universal network protocol of TCP/IP setting certain standards and rules for data transmission online. Unfortunately, the similar universality led to the fact that the computers using this protocol became vulnerable for external influence and as the TCP/IP protocol is used on all computers connected to the Internet malefactors have no need to develop individual accessors to someone else's machines.
Network attack is an attempt to influence the remote computer with use of program methods. As a rule, the purpose of network attack is violation of confidentiality of data, that is, theft of information. Besides, network attacks are carried out for gaining access to someone else's computer and subsequent change of the files located on it.
There are several types of classification of network attacks. One of them – by the principle of influence. Passive network attacks are directed to obtaining confidential information from the remote computer. Reading the entering and outgoing messages by e-mail, for example, belongs to such attacks. As for active network attacks, their task is not only access to any given data, but also their modification. One of the most significant differences between these types of the attacks is that it is almost impossible to find passive intervention while consequences of the active attack, as a rule, are noticeable.
Besides, the attacks are classified by what tasks they pursue. Among the main objectives, as a rule, select violation of operation of the computer, illegal access to information and the hidden change of the data which are stored on the computer. For example, cracking of the school server with the purpose to change estimates in logs belongs to active network attacks of the third type.
Technologies of protection
Methods of protection against network attacks are developed and improved constantly, however any of them does not give a full guarantee. The fact is that any static protection has weak points as it is impossible to be protected from everything at once. As for dynamic methods of protection, such as statistical, expert, protection with fuzzy logic and neural networks, they have too the weak points as are based mainly on the analysis of suspicious actions and their comparison with the known methods of network attacks. Therefore, the majority of systems of protection gives in to unknown types of the attacks, beginning invasion reflection too late. Nevertheless, modern protective systems allow to complicate so to the malefactor access to data that more rational happens to look for other victim.