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Curriculum lobby
0s60 min Loop60 min★ 240 XP
Syllabus

Network Security Essentials

Networking Fundamentals for SecurityOSI Model Deep Dive (Layers 1–7) & Security RelevanceTCP/IP Suite Architecture (Link, Internet, Transport, Application)Key Protocols: ARP, IP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPSIPv4 vs. IPv6 Security ImplicationsNetwork Addressing, Subnetting, and CIDR (Security Zoning Perspective)
TCP/IP Vulnerabilities & AttacksTCP Attacks (SYN Flood, Session Hijacking, Sequence Prediction)UDP Attacks (UDP Flood, Port Scan Evasion)IP Spoofing & Source Routing ExploitsARP Spoofing / ARP Poisoning (Man-in-the-Middle)ICMP Attacks (Ping of Death, Smurf, Tunneling)DNS Attacks (Cache Poisoning, DNS Spoofing, and Tunneling)Layer 2 Attacks (MAC Flooding, CAM Table Overflow, STP Manipulation)Sniffing & Eavesdropping (Promiscuous Mode, Wireshark Countermeasures)
Firewalls – First Line of DefenseFirewall Types: Packet Filtering (Stateless) vs. Stateful InspectionNext-Generation Firewalls (NGFW): Application Awareness, IPS IntegrationFirewall Rule Structure (Source, Destination, Port, Action)Default-Deny vs. Default-Permit PoliciesImplementing Firewall Zones (WAN, LAN, DMZ)Network Address Translation (NAT) Security Benefits & LimitationsOpen-Source Firewalls (iptables, nftables, pfSense, and OPNsense)Enterprise Firewalls (Cisco, Palo Alto, and Fortinet Concepts)
Intrusion Detection & Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS)IDS vs. IPS vs. HIDS vs. NIDSSignature-Based vs. Anomaly-Based vs. Policy-Based DetectionSnort Fundamentals (Rules, Preprocessors, and Output Plugins)Suricata (Multi-threading, Protocol Analysis, and TLS Fingerprinting)Zeek (formerly Bro) for Network Analysis and Metadata LoggingWriting Custom IDS Rules (Detecting Scanning and Suspicious Activity)Evasion Techniques (Fragmentation, Encryption, and Polymorphism)IDS/IPS Placement (In-Line vs. Passive, SPAN Ports vs. TAPs)
VPNs – Secure Remote ConnectivityVPN Purpose & Use Cases (Remote Access vs. Site-to-Site)Tunneling Protocols: PPTP (Insecure), L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, WireGuardIPsec Deep Dive (AH vs. ESP, Transport vs. Tunnel Mode, IKE Phases)SSL/TLS VPNs (Browser-Based vs. Full Tunnel)WireGuard Architecture (Simpler, Faster, Modern Crypto)VPN Split Tunneling vs. Full Tunneling (Security Trade-offs)Common VPN Misconfigurations & Leak Testing (DNS, WebRTC, IPv6)Enterprise VPN Solutions (Cisco AnyConnect, Pulse Secure, FortiClient)
Network Segmentation & ZoningWhy Segment? (Breach Containment, Performance, Compliance)VLANs (Tagged/Untagged, VLAN Hopping Attacks)DMZ Design (Single-Homed, Dual-Homed, Multi-Tier)Microsegmentation (Software-Defined Networking, Zero Trust)Internal Network Segmentation (Corporate vs. Production vs. Guest)Jump Boxes / Bastion Hosts for Administrative AccessAir-Gapped Networks & Data Diode ConceptsSegmenting Cloud VPCs (AWS Security Groups, Azure NSGs)
Network Hardening & Best PracticesDisabling Unnecessary Ports & ServicesHardening Router & Switch Configurations (SSH v2, Disable Telnet)Port Security (MAC Limiting, Sticky MAC, 802.1X)DHCP Snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), IP Source GuardControl Plane Policing (CoPP) & Management Plane ProtectionLogging & Monitoring (Syslog, NetFlow, IPFIX, sFlow)Nmap for Internal Auditing & Verification
Secure Network Design & ArchitectureDefense-in-Depth for NetworksZero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) vs. Traditional VPNSecure Access Service Edge (SASE) FrameworkRedundancy & High Availability (Failover Clusters, Load Balancers)Network Segmentation for Compliance (PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST 800-171)
Real-World Network Attacks & DefensesRansomware Lateral Movement (How Segmentation Stops It)DNS Tunneling Detection & PreventionInternal Reconnaissance Defense (Honeypots, Canary Tokens)Case Study: SolarWinds & Network Detection Gaps
Hands-On LabsConfiguring iptables Rules for a Linux GatewaySetting Up Snort/Suricata & Alerting on ScansBuilding an L2TP/IPsec VPN (StrongSwan or LibreSwan)VLAN Segmentation Practice (Cisco Packet Tracer / EVE-NG)ARP Spoofing Detection & Prevention ExerciseFirewall Rule Audit & Optimization Project
network-security-essentials / vlan-segmentation-practice

VLAN Segmentation Practice (Cisco Packet Tracer / EVE-NG)

#Lab: Designing and Enforcing VLAN Isolation#link

This lab uses a network simulator to design a multi-VLAN topology, configure 802.1Q trunks, and implement Router-on-a-Stick (ROAS) with strict inter-VLAN ACLs to prevent unauthorized lateral movement.

Step 1: VLAN Creation and Port Assignment

Create distinct VLANs for Users (10), Servers (20), and Management (99). Assign switch ports to these VLANs and configure the uplink to the router as an 802.1Q trunk.

info

💡 Pro-tip: Always assign unused switch ports to a 'Blackhole' VLAN (e.g., VLAN 666) and shut them down. This prevents unauthorized users from plugging into a live network jack.

Configuring an 802.1Q Trunk
root@vulnarex:~#interface GigabitEthernet0/1 switchport mode trunk switchport trunk allowed vlan 10,20,99

Restricting the allowed VLANs on a trunk prevents VLAN hopping attacks and ensures that unnecessary broadcast traffic doesn't traverse the link.

Step 2: Router-on-a-Stick and Inter-VLAN ACLs

Configure sub-interfaces on the router for each VLAN. Apply an inbound ACL on the User VLAN sub-interface to block SMB (445) and RDP (3389) traffic destined for the Server VLAN.

STRICT SECURE AUDIT RULE

⚠️ Remember that ACLs are processed top-down. Ensure your 'permit icmp' (for testing) or 'permit established' rules are placed correctly so you don't accidentally block legitimate return traffic.

VLANIDSubnet
Users10192.168.10.0/24
Servers20192.168.20.0/24
Management99192.168.99.0/24
  • ▪Create and name VLANs
  • ▪Assign access ports
  • ▪Configure 802.1Q Trunks
  • ▪Set up ROAS sub-interfaces
  • ▪Apply inter-VLAN ACLs
quiz BLOCK (★ 50 XP)

What is the primary purpose of a 'Router-on-a-Stick' (ROAS) configuration?

Select your proof vectors above

Verification Proof Checkpoint

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Lab: Designing and Enforcing VLAN Isolation
Laboratory Sanity Code

Isolate active probes on matched virtual networks. Keep execution streams fully sandboxed.