History, Concepts, and Technology of Networks and Their Security

summary

It is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine a world devoid of computers. We have, over the past half century, seen a culture evolve driven by the vision of “techno-magic”, which allows us to perform everyday functions more easily, quickly, cheaply, reliably, and safely than we could when limited to manual means.

We remain, though, only human. As technology is staged in an environment still driven by human nature, the temptation to use its magical powers to less noble ends is irresistible. In an era when automobiles and aircraft are routinely involved in the conduct of criminal activity, it should come as no surprise that information networks and the computers that enable them are intrinsic to such activity as well. In this chapter, we will discuss the history and nature of computer and network technology, highlighting the fast-moving area of network security. As those charged with enforcing the law are themselves also dependent upon information technology, we will discuss the defensive as well as offensive aspects of this area.