ITEC FPX 5030 Assessment 5

Executive Summary

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has made it more important to have robust Internet Protocol (IP) security. Since we are currently working on IPv4, we are also migrating to IPv6, which makes it all the more important to have enhanced security measures in place to protect our systems and information. Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) refers to a series of protocols developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that provides data authentication, integrity, and confidentiality between two endpoints over an IP network (Geeks, 2020).

ITEC FPX 5030 Assessment 5:Introduction

The primary task of this lab was to enable IPsec in order to make Joe and John’s computers secure from potential hacking attacks. From the process of configuration, I got to realize the intricacies of our systems. In addition to switch, router, and workstation configuration, incorporating security features to repel unauthorized access was part of configuring the system. IPsec can be deployed across three security domains: virtual private networks (VPNs), application-level security, and routing security, where it is most commonly deployed in VPNs (Thomas & Thomas, 2004).

Scope

After all the devices are on the IoT, securing the entire system is paramount. I utilized Cisco Packet Tracer to remotely access each of the switches and workstations individually in order to install IPsec on each of them.

Procedure

Troubleshooting

Conclusion

For this lab, the stations were already pre-configured, and I had to install IPsec in order to block any remote access attempt. I first searched for Joe and John’s IP addresses in order to ensure system identification. Once I verified this, I pinged both computers’ IP addresses to confirm connectivity. Once done, I installed security prompts in the switch to protect their computers. Once I had finished setting up security, I tested the hacker’s system to see if it would be able to break into the network, and the attempt failed.

The lab was tricky, particularly in understanding the pre-configuration of the systems. I was having an issue getting Joe’s command prompt as opposed to John’s, which was confusing. But after troubleshooting, I was able to resolve the issues and attain connectivity between the systems.

As the IoT grows and we move towards an IPv6 environment, the need for good security practices becomes more urgent. Important components of IP security, such as Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) and Authentication Header (AH), provide more security. ESP offers data integrity, encryption, authentication, and protection against replaying, while AH offers the same but without encryption. The encrypting system performs the encryption required depending on the traffic, and the receiving host verifies the packets for sufficient encryption (Geeks, 2020). We need to enforce these security and encryption policies to safeguard our systems from unauthorized use.