The Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) is an integrated security equipment that can perform a variety of functions like firewall, intrusion prevention, VPN, content security, unified communications, and remote access. Among these functions, the ASA can also perform routing using popular routing protocol like Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Open […]
Configuration of Cisco WPA2 Enterprise and Personal on WLAN using GUI
What is WPA2: WPA2 is short for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 and is standardized under the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA2 is a security protocol framework that is used to protect wireless networks. WPA2 is currently considered as the most secure method to protect a Wi-Fi network. It provides layer 2 based security and uses IEEE […]
Configuring Object Groups on Cisco ASA (Network, Service Objects etc)
The usage of object groups (network objects, service object etc) is becoming more popular on Cisco ASA firewalls especially with newer OS versions ( 8.3(x) and later) . In the newer versions, network object groups are used extensively for the configuration of NAT mechanisms in addition to other uses. In this post I will show […]
Cisco IPsec Tunnel vs Transport Mode with Example Config
IP Security (IPsec) is a framework of open standards developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). IPsec provides security for transmission of sensitive information over unprotected networks such as the Internet. IPsec acts at the network layer, protecting and authenticating IP packets between participating IPsec devices also known as IPsec peers. IPsec has two […]
14 Best IP Address Management (IPAM) and DDI Software/Tools
In my enterprise work environment, our corporate private and public network spans across many buildings and locations and uses thousands of private IP addresses (in the range specified by RFC1918) and hundreds of public IPs as well. How do we handle the management of such a huge address space? The secret is an IPAM (IP […]
Network based Firewall vs Host based Firewall-Discussion and Comparison
A “Firewall” is one of the most popular computer and network security devices that professionals use to protect their enterprise IT assets and networks. Just like a fire-resistant door in buildings which protects rooms from a possible fire and stops the spreading of flames within the building, the security firewall has a similar function to […]
Layer 2 VLAN Configuration on a Cisco Switch (with Example)
This post will deal with creating Layer 2 VLANs on Cisco switches and performing all relevant configurations. Up to 4094 VLANs can be configured on Cisco catalyst switches. By default, only VLAN 1 is configured on the switch, so if you connect hosts on an out-of-the-box switch they all belong to the same Layer 2 […]
The Basics and Application of Cisco Packet tracer – a Guide for Beginners
Network systems are continually evolving – getting complex and innovative. To make students familiar with them, new educational tools and updated curriculum is emerging all the time. Today, there are many simulation tools available that can be used to learn networking, and they have made the life of both teachers and students, very easy. In […]
Comparison and Differences Between IPS vs IDS vs Firewall vs WAF
There are so many acronyms in the networking and security field that can drive you crazy. The terms IPS, IDS, WAF etc might be known acronyms in the field of network security but many beginner professionals sometimes have difficulty to understand the concept behind these technologies, how they compare etc. In this article I’ll do […]
What Are the Biggest Cybersecurity Threats in 2021? (And How Can You Deal With Them?)
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) of the FBI has reported that the cost of cybercrimes doubled last year to a whopping $2.7 billion. What’s more? The IC3 reported that most of the complaints included personal data breaches, extortion, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and romance or confidence fraud. What does that mean for your business? With cybersecurity […]
The Protocol of the Internet – eBGP and iBGP Tutorial and Configuration
The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is considered to be the routing protocol of the Internet because it runs between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to interconnect all Autonomous Systems (AS) comprising the whole internet. Of course the above refers to External BGP (eBGP) which runs between different Autonomous Systems. There is also another “flavor” of BGP […]
Collision Domains and Broadcast Domains Explained (with Diagrams and Examples)
In this blog I usually share practical configuration examples and how-to guides about Cisco networking devices and technologies (routers, switches, ASA firewalls etc). However, there are a lot of people out there interested in more generic and fundamental networking topics because they either just starting out in this field or are learning the basic concepts […]
10 Best Free Log Analysis & Management Tools for Networks, Security, App Logs
Log management and log analysis tools play a vital role in maintaining healthy and secure systems and network infrastructure. Logs provide “visibility” into what is going on in your network and systems, both from the operational perspective but also from the security perspective as well. Comprehensive logging involves the recording of statuses and events from […]