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Essay on Security and the OSI Model

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Abstract The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model is a standard reference model for the communication between two end users. Seven different layers make up the OSI model: physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation, and application. This paper will cover the type of security that is associated with each level of the OSI model. Physical Layer The physical layer is where the actual communication occurs between devices. The security of the physical layer pertains to the actual hardware. The vulnerabilities of the physical layer include: • Power outage • Environmental control loss • Hardware theft, damage or destruction • Unauthorized hardware changes (i.e.; removable media, data connections) • Detachment …show more content…

• Switches could flood all traffic to the VLAN ports and not forward to the proper port. This could result in data being intercepted by any device that is connected to the VLAN. • Stations could be force direct communication with other stations which ends up bypassing subnets and firewalls. • Weak authentication and encryption on a wireless network could allow for unauthorized connections to the network, data and devices. Data link layer controls can be implemented to ensure the security of the transmissions. By using MAC address filtering the stations are identified by not only the MAC address but are cross-referenced with the logical access or physical port. Firewalls should be between layers, ensuring physical isolation from one another. Wireless application must be monitored consistently and carefully for unauthorized access. In order to secure the wireless network, the use of the built-in encryption, authentication, and MAC filtering must be implemented with strong passwords. Network Layer The third layer of the OSI model is the network layer. This layer is responsible for end to end packet delivery. The network layer issues request to the data link layer and responds to requests from the transport layer and issues requests to the data link layer. The procedural and functional process of sending different

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