WK2 Security Zones

Question 1

Security Zone

Answer 1

Security zones are a segment of a network that protects the internal network from the internet.

They are a part of a security technique called network segmentation that divides the network into segments.

Question 2

Network Segmentation

Answer 2

Security Zones are part of the security technique called network segmentation that divides the network into segments.

Question 3

Network Segmentation example

Answer 3

Each network segment has its own access permissions and security rules. Security zones control who can access different segments of a network. Security zones act as a barrier to internal networks, maintain privacy within corporate groups, and prevent issues from spreading to the whole network. One example of network segmentation is a hotel that offers free public Wi-Fi. The unsecured guest network is kept separate from another encrypted network used by the hotel staff.

Question 4

Subnetworks (Subnets)

Answer 4

To maintain privacy for each department in an organization. For instance, at a university, there may be a faculty subnet and a separate students subnet. If there is contamination on the student’s subnet, network administrators can isolate it and keep the rest of the network free from contmination

Question 5

2 types of Security Zones

1. Uncontrolled Zone

Answer 5

First, there’s the uncontrolled zone, which is any network outside of the organization’s control, like the internet.

Question 6

2 types of Security Zones

2. Controlled Zone

Answer 6

The controlled zone, which is a subnet that protects the internal network from the uncontrolled zone.

Question 7

3 Areas in the Controlled Zone

1. The Demilitarised zone

Answer 7

On the outer layer is…

1. the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, which contains public-facing services that can access the internet. This includes web servers, proxy servers that host websites for the public, and DNS servers that provide IP addresses for internet users. It also includes email and file servers that handle external communications. The DMZ acts as a network perimeter to the internal network.

Question 8

3 Areas in the Controlled Zone

2. The Internal Network

Answer 8

The internal network contains private servers and data that the organization needs to protect. Inside the internal network is another zone called the restricted zone.

Question 9

3 Areas in the Controlled Zone

3. The Restricted Zone

Answer 9

The restricted zone protects highly confidential information that is only accessible to employees with certain privileges.

Question 10

DMZ more information…

Answer 10

Now, let’s try to picture these security zones. Ideally, the DMZ is situated between two firewalls. One of them filters traffic outside the DMZ, and one of them filters traffic entering the internal network. This protects the internal network with several lines of defense. If there’s a restricted zone, that too would be protected with another firewall. This way, attacks that penetrate into the DMZ network cannot spread to the internal network, and attacks that penetrate the internal network cannot access the restricted zone. As a security analyst, you may be responsible for regulating access control policies on these firewalls. Security teams can control traffic reaching the DMZ and the internal network by restricting IPs and ports. For example, an analyst may ensure that only HTTPS traffic is allowed to access web servers in the DMZ.

Security zones are an important part of securing networks, especially in large organizations. Understanding how they are used is essential for all security analysts. Coming up, we’ll learn about securing internal networks.