Attacking Network Protocols

1THE BASICS OF NETWORKING

To attack network protocols, you need to understand the basics of computer networking. The more you understand how common networks are built and function, the easier it will be to apply that knowledge to capturing, analyzing, and exploiting new protocols.

Throughout this chapter, I’ll introduce basic network concepts you’ll encounter every day when you’re analyzing network protocols. I’ll also lay the groundwork for a way to think about network protocols, making it easier to find previously unknown security issues during your analysis.

Network Architecture and Protocols

Let’s start by reviewing some basic networking terminology and asking the fundamental question: what is a network? A network is a set of two or more ...