Report: Select Two Of The Topics Below To Create An Actionab ✓ Solved

Report select two of the topics below to create an actionabl

Report select two of the topics below to create an actionable report with a common theme. Your analysis should demonstrate you understand the material.

Wireshark: download, install, and run Wireshark; observe a standard website handshake; discuss what it shows; how a network administrator could use Wireshark; include screen captures.

Nmap: study the Reference Guide; run three different types of scans on a designated test system with explicit permission; provide screenshots and interpret results; discuss how a network security administrator could use Nmap.

Network protocols: define and discuss TCP, UDP, IP, and ICMP; differences between TCP & UDP and IP & ICMP; explain why this matters for network security; include APA references.

Suspicious traffic signatures: Informational, Reconnaissance, Unauthorized access, Denial of service; discuss each type.

TCP flags: describe how SYN, ACK, PSH, URG, RST, and FIN are used.

Paper For Above Instructions

Wireshark in a defensive security context: Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer that allows practitioners to observe real-time traffic across protocols, including the TCP three-way handshake and HTTP requests. In a controlled lab with a single client and server, capturing interactions with a standard website can illustrate the TCP handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) and subsequent data exchange. For defenders, Wireshark can aid in identifying misconfigurations, unusual payloads, or unexpected application behavior, and it provides a valuable capability for incident reconstruction and forensic analysis (Chappell, 2013). When used in practice, analysts should ensure systems under observation are owned or explicitly authorized for monitoring to avoid legal or ethical issues. In addition to technical interpretation, analysts should annotate captures to show which parts of the handshake and application traffic correspond to legitimate user activities versus anomalous patterns. The practical value of Wireshark rests not only in viewing raw frames but in translating those frames into actionable security insights (Lyon, 2009).

Nmap in a controlled assessment context: Nmap is a versatile network scanner used for discovery, inventory, and security auditing. In legitimate, permission-based scenarios—such as a corporate red-team exercise or a sanctioned security assessment—administrators can use Nmap to map live hosts, identify open ports, and infer service versions. Three representative scan types can illustrate different information getaways while remaining within ethical boundaries: a connect() scan (TCP connect), a SYN scan (stealthier, using raw packets if permitted), and a UDP scan (probing UDP ports). Before performing scans, it is essential to obtain explicit authorization from the system owner, document the scope, and work within an isolated or test environment to minimize risk to production systems (Lyon, 2009). The results provide practical insights into exposure surfaces and help security teams prioritize remediation; for example, open ports and outdated services may indicate configuration drift or weak asset management. A security administrator can translate Nmap output into defensive controls, change management actions, and ongoing monitoring strategies (Chappell, 2013).

Foundational network protocol definitions and security implications: TCP is a reliable, connection-oriented protocol that performs flow and error control, sequencing, and acknowledgments to ensure ordered delivery (Kurose & Ross, 2017). UDP provides a best-effort, connectionless service with lower overhead, suitable for time-sensitive applications where occasional loss is acceptable. IP is the underlying addressing and routing layer that enables packet delivery across networks, while ICMP supports diagnostic and control messaging, including reachability tests and error reporting. The differences between TCP and UDP influence security posture: TCP's reliability comes at the cost of potential performance overhead and higher exposure to connection-oriented attacks, whereas UDP can be exploited for amplification and flooding if not properly managed. Similarly, IP and ICMP have distinct roles in routing versus error handling, and misconfigured ICMP responses can be exploited for reconnaissance or disruption. Core references describe these mechanisms in depth and emphasize security considerations (Kurose & Ross, 2017; Tanenbaum & Wetherall, 2011; Stevens, 1994).

Suspicious traffic signatures and their role in defense: Analysts categorize traffic into informational, reconnaissance, unauthorized access, and denial-of-service (DoS) signatures to prioritize incident response. Informational signatures reflect routine or benign probing activity, reconnaissance signatures indicate discovery efforts by an attacker, unauthorized-access signatures signal attempts to breach or exfiltrate data, and DoS signatures reflect attempts to exhaust resources. Recognizing these patterns helps security teams tailor detection rules, allocate monitoring resources, and implement mitigations such as rate limiting, access controls, and anomaly-based alerts (Stallings, 2017). An actionable defense plan ties these signatures to concrete controls, including log correlation, thresholding, and timely response playbooks to limit attacker footholds while preserving availability for legitimate users (Chappell, 2013).

TCP flags and their security implications: The TCP control flags—SYN, ACK, PSH, URG, RST, and FIN—reflect the lifecycle and intent of TCP connections. The SYN flag initiates connections, the ACK flag acknowledges data, PSH signals immediate data delivery, URG indicates urgent data, RST resets connections, and FIN gracefully closes a connection. Understanding these flags supports traffic classification, anomaly detection (e.g., abnormal SYN flood patterns, unexpected RST usage), and accurate interpretation of traffic captures. For example, a high rate of SYN without completed handshakes may suggest a scanning activity or a SYN flood attack, while a normal sequence of SYN-ACK-ACK with a matching FIN may indicate legitimate session termination. Foundational descriptions of TCP behavior and flag usage underpin effective security monitoring and are discussed in standard texts and RFCs (Stevens et al., 1994; RFC 793, 1981; Kurose & Ross, 2017).

Conclusion: By combining practical, permission-based use of Wireshark and Nmap with solid foundational knowledge of TCP, UDP, IP, and ICMP, security practitioners can build actionable defense strategies. This integrated approach supports incident detection, network inventory, and risk mitigation while maintaining ethical and legal responsibilities. The guidance aligns with widely accepted references and RFC standards, reinforcing the importance of disciplined methodology and continuous learning in network security practice (Tanenbaum & Wetherall, 2011; Stevens, Fenner, & Rudoff, 2011).

References

1. Kurose, J. F., & Ross, K. W. (2017). Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (7th ed.). Pearson.
2. Tanenbaum, A. S., & Wetherall, D. (2011). Computer Networks (5th ed.). Pearson.
3. Stevens, W. R., Fenner, B., & Rudoff, A. (2011). UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1: The Sockets Networking API (3rd ed.). Addison-Wesley.
4. Stallings, W. (2017). Network Security Essentials (6th ed.). Pearson.
5. Chappell, L. (2013). Wireshark Network Analysis. Wiley.
6. Lyon, G. (2009). Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide. Insecure.
7. Stevens, R. (1994). TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols. Addison-Wesley.
8. Internet Engineering Task Force. (1981). RFC 791: Internet Protocol. https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc791.txt
9. Internet Engineering Task Force. (1981). RFC 793: Transmission Control Protocol. https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc793.txt
10. Internet Engineering Task Force. (1981). RFC 792: Internet Control Message Protocol. https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc792.txt