Sipna College of Engineering & Technology, Amravati.

Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

Department: Electronics & Telecommunication Class: IV
year
Subject: Cryptography and Network Security Sem: VII

PRACTICAL NO. 1

Aim: Introduction to Cryptography and Network Security.

Theory:
Introduction to Network Security: Network security is the security provided to a network from unauthorized
access and risks. It is the duty of network administrators to adopt preventive measures to protect their
networks from potential security threats.
Computer networks that are involved in regular transactions and communication within the government,
individuals, or business require security. The most common and simple way of protecting a network
resource is by assigning it a unique name and a corresponding password.
Network security consists of the policies, processes and practices adopted to prevent, detect and
monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of a computer network and network-
accessible resources. Network security involves the authorization of access to data in a network, which is
controlled by the network administrator. Users choose or are assigned an ID and password or other
authenticating information that allows them access to information and programs within their authority.

Security services:
A security service is a processing or communicating service that can prevent or detect the various attacks.
Various security services are:
 Authentication: the recipient should be able to identify the sender, and verify that the sender, who
claims to be the sender, actually did send the message.
 Data Confidentiality: An attacker should not be able to read the transmitted data or extract data in
case of encrypted data. In short, confidentiality is the protection of transmitted data from passive
attacks.
 Data Integrity: Make sure that the message received was exactly the message the sender sent.
 Non repudiation: The sender should not be able to deny sending they should not be able to deny
receiving the message. The receiver should not be able to deny receiving the message.

Types of Attack:
1. Passive Attack: In a passive attack, the attacker monitors or eavesdrops on the transmission between
sender and receiver, the attacker trying to retrieve the information from transmitted massage. In a
passive attack, neither the sender nor the receiver is aware of the attack as the attacker only retrieves the
message, he doesn’t perform any alteration to the captured message.

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Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering

2. Active Attack: We have seen that in the passive attack, the attacker does not alter the message, but in
the active attack the attacker alters, and modifies the transmitted message by creating a false data
stream.

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Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Types of Network Security Devices:

Active Devices
These security devices block the surplus traffic. Firewalls, antivirus scanning devices, and content filtering
devices are the examples of such devices.
Passive Devices
These devices identify and report on unwanted traffic, for example, intrusion detection appliances.
Preventative Devices
These devices scan the networks and identify potential security problems. For examples, penetration testing
devices and vulnerability assessment appliances.
Unified Threat Management (UTM)
These devices serve as all-in-one security devices. Examples include firewalls, content filtering, web
caching, etc.
Hardware and Software Firewalls
Hardware firewalls are standalone products. These are also found in broadband routers. Most hardware
firewalls provide a minimum of four network ports to connect other computers. For larger networks − e.g.,
for business purpose − business networking firewall solutions are available.
Software firewalls are installed on your computers. A software firewall protects your computer from
internet threats.
Antivirus
An antivirus is a tool that is used to detect and remove malicious software. It was originally designed to
detect and remove viruses from computers.
Modern antivirus software provide protection not only from virus, but also from worms, Trojan-horses,
adware, spywares, keyloggers, etc. Some products also provide protection from malicious URLs, spam,
phishing attacks, botnets, DDoS attacks, etc.
Content Filtering
Content filtering devices screen unpleasant and offensive emails or webpages. These are used as a part of
firewalls in corporations as well as in personal computers. These devices generate the message "Access
Denied" when someone tries to access any unauthorized web page or email.
Content is usually screened for pornographic content and also for violence- or hate-oriented content.
Organizations also exclude shopping and job-related contents.
Content filtering can be divided into the following categories −
 Web filtering
 Screening of Web sites or pages
 E-mail filtering
 Screening of e-mail for spam
 Other objectionable content
Intrusion Detection Systems
Intrusion Detection Systems, also known as Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, are the appliances
that monitor malicious activities in a network, log information about such activities, take steps to stop them,
and finally report them.
Intrusion detection systems help in sending an alarm against any malicious activity in the network, drop the
packets, and reset the connection to save the IP address from any blockage. Intrusion detection systems can
also perform the following actions −
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Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
 Correct Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) errors
 Prevent TCP sequencing issues
 Clean up unwanted transport and network layer options

Types of Security Attacks and how to prevent them:

A security attack is an unauthorized attempt to steal, damage, or expose data from an information system
such as your website. Malicious hackers can go about this in a variety of ways, including the ones listed
below.
1. Malware
Malicious software – ‘malware’ – infects devices without users realizing it’s there. Variations include Trojan
horses, spyware, ransomware, ‘malvertising’, and viruses. Secretly infected files or software can further
introduce malware to your site. You could also trigger a malware download by clicking on a link in a pop-up
window or an email attachment.
To prevent malware infections, you’ll want to install a security scanner. This tool will alert you to otherwise
undetected problems on your site.
2. Drive-by downloads
A drive-by download is a method of distributing malware, and occurs when a malicious script is inserted
into a page’s PHP or HTTP. When a person visits the infected site, the malware is downloaded onto, and
silently infects, the device.
These threats can be tricky because they’re not attributed to human error. You could visit a seemingly
legitimate site; unaware it’s been compromised. Therefore, the best action you can take to prevent drive-by
download attacks is to keep your security systems updated and remove any unnecessary software. You might
also consider using an ad blocker, such as AdBlock: This is a Chrome extension that prevents ads on static
web pages and video websites. It is free to use and customizable, but is by no means the only option
available.
3. Phishing
Phishing is among the oldest and most common types of security attacks. What’s more, these attacks have
increased by 65 percent in the last year, and account for 90 percent of data breaches. This form of social
engineering deceives users into clicking on a link or disclosing sensitive information. It’s often
accomplished by posing as a trusted source via email. Another approach is ‘spear phishing,’ which is a
targeted attack on an individual.
4. Brute-force attacks
In brute-force security attacks, hackers often use dictionary software to repeatedly and systematically
attempt password combinations until they find one that works. Once the cyber criminal has access, they can
wreak all sorts of havoc on your site. Users should always choose strong passwords that include a
combination of letters, symbols, and numbers. You might consider using a password generator tool such
as LastPass: This tool enables you to quickly generate a secure combination of characters. It’s also useful for
safely storing passwords across devices so you don’t have to worry about forgetting them. You could also
help prevent brute-force attacks by limiting login attempts and implementing Two-Factor Authentication
(2FA). If a cybercriminal does gain access to your site, you can block them from retrieving confidential
information by further password protecting sensitive files.
5. SQL Injections
Structured Query Language (SQL) injections are when an attacker injects malicious code into a server to
manipulate back-end databases. The goal is to reveal private data such as user lists, customer details, and
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Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
credit card numbers. SQL injection attacks can cause severe damage to businesses. Attackers can delete
tables and gain administrative rights, although the most devastating aspect is the loss of your customers’
trust and loyalty. To prevent malicious code from infiltrating your database, you can use a Web Application
Firewall (WAF), which acts as an additional protective barrier.
6. Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attacks
With MITM attacks, the criminal positions themselves between your device and the server. They eavesdrop
on, intercept, and manipulate communication between two parties – this often happens on unsecured
wireless networks such as public WiFi. Detection of these attacks is difficult, but prevention is possible.
Always use secure WiFi connections, and consider investing in a Virtual Private Network (VPN). It’s also
wise to install a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate on your site. This ensures communication between
your website and a visitor’s browser is encrypted and inaccessible to MITM attackers.
7. Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks
In a nutshell, a DoS attack sees an attacker flood a website with an overwhelming amount of traffic, often
using ‘bots.’ As a result, the system crashes and denies access to real users. These attacks are growing
increasingly popular. Hackers can take advantage of vulnerabilities in connected devices and use them to
launch Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. To minimize your site’s risk of DoS attacks, it’s
important to constantly monitor your site’s traffic, and have dependable tools to mitigate the negatives. For
example, routers and WAFs can block suspicious visitors, while your server needs to be strong and stable.
What’s more, it’s smart to update these tools regularly.
8. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks occur when an attacker exploits vulnerabilities in a web application by
injecting malicious code – usually JavaScript – into the user’s browser. This lets them gain control of (and
access to) the user’s browser, as well as account credentials and sensitive data.
There are there are other important methods of XSS prevention you could implement. For example, you
could enforce passwords for sensitive pages, and implement validation through classification or input
sanitization.

Introduction to Cryptography:

Cryptography is the science of using mathematics to encrypt and decrypt data. Cryptography enables you to
store sensitive information or transmit it across insecure networks (like the Internet) so that it cannot be read
by anyone except the intended recipient.
While cryptography is the science of securing data, cryptanalysis is the science of analyzing and breaking
secure communication. Classical cryptanalysis involves an interesting combination of analytical reasoning,
application of mathematical tools, pattern finding, patience, determination, and luck. Cryptanalysts are also
called attackers. Cryptology embraces both cryptography and cryptanalysis.
A cryptographic algorithm, or cipher, is a mathematical function used in the encryption and decryption
process. A cryptographic algorithm works in combination with a key—a word, number, or phrase—to
encrypt the plaintext. The same plaintext encrypts to different ciphertext with different keys. The security of
encrypted data is entirely dependent on two things: the strength of the cryptographic algorithm and the
secrecy of the key. A cryptographic algorithm, plus all possible keys and all the protocols that make it work,
comprise a cryptosystem. PGP is a cryptosystem.

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Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering
Cryptography Terminologies:

 An original message is known as the plaintext.

 The Coded message is called the ciphertext.
 The Process of converting from plaintext to ciphertext is known as enciphering or encryption.
 Restoring the plaintext from the ciphertext is deciphering or decryption.
 The many schemes used for encryption constitute the area of study known as cryptography.
 Techniques used for deciphering a message without any knowledge of the enciphering details is
known as cryptanalysis. It also known as "Breaking the Code".
 The areas of cryptography and cryptanalysis together are called cryptology.
 A cryptanalyst develops mathematical methods and codes that protect data from computer hackers.
This involves the decryption of a cipher text into plain text in order to transmit a message over
insecure channel

In conventional cryptography, also called secret-key or symmetric-key encryption, one key is used both for
encryption and decryption. The Data Encryption Standard (DES) is an example of a conventional
cryptosystem. Conventional encryption has benefits. It is very fast. It is especially useful for encrypting data
that is not going anywhere. However, conventional encryption alone as a means for transmitting secure data
can be quite expensive simply due to the difficulty of secure key distribution.

Conclusion: Thus, we have studied about different attack and use of Cryptography to prevent the attack.

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