Reference no: EM133748175 , Length: word count:5000

Computer Networks and Security

Assessment: Network simulation

Assessment Objective
This assessment enables you to comprehend the fundamental concept of network design and acquire the skills necessary to develop both logical and physical network designs.
The simulation of a Local Area Network (LAN) using Packet Tracer enables you to comprehend the network architecture and acquire the necessary skills to successfully set up a LAN.
Assessment Details:
TechHub is a global IT company primarily based in the USA. Recently, the company has decided to enter the Australian market. TechHub plans to establish three branches in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane with the following network configurations:

Sydney (three-story structure):
NET-A will accommodate up to 600 employees.
Melbourne (two-story structure):
NET-B will accommodate up to 300 employees.
Brisbane (one-story structure):
NET-C will accommodate up to 100 employees.

Each department will have its own server. It is essential that employees can communicate and access data from various servers across the three locations. You are tasked with designing a local area network (LAN) for the three branches. Additionally, all branches should be interconnected, requiring the integration of wide area network (WAN) access into the LAN design.

The network will include a data center. Furthermore, employees will bring their own mobile devices to work (e.g., laptops, smartphones, tablets). Wireless communication facilities (Wi-Fi access points) will be provided for employees to access necessary information such as work email, required documents, and the Internet.

Requirements

You have been hired as an IT Administrator in the IT department and tasked with analyzing, designing, configuring, and simulating the new network for the Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane branches. The requirements for this assignment are divided into two parts: network design and network simulation.

Network Design Tasks

Task 1: Develop a logical design for the Sydney branch network using the Cisco hierarchical model. You need to demonstrate the network design process for each layer, considering the number of employees in each branch, and use private IP addresses only in your design.

Task 2: Design the network's physical architecture based on the logical architecture completed in Task 1. Your design should consider the building structure and the number of levels. You need to address the following:

Designing clients and servers
Designing circuits
Network design tools.

Task 3: Briefly describe how you will minimise interference from Wi-Fi access points (APs) on separate floors.

Simulation

You have been asked to use the Packet Tracer for the network shown in Figure 1 for the simulation task. Simulate and test the your design and configured network using the ping command for both local delivery (devices within the same network) and remote delivery (devices within separate networks).
You can use the lecture notes or VLSM to subnet the networks.

Task Specifications

Prepare a report to provide the details configuration for the network for the TechHub company. In this task, you will complete the required information by designing and configuring the networks in Figure-1. In your design, you have to use private IP address only and considered the number of devices required in each branch. To optimise your grade in this section, address the following points:

List all assumptions and their explanation.
Display each calculation for the number of subnets, IP addresses, valid hosts, gateways, and subnet mask for Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Assessment 2: System vulnerabilities and mitigation

Assessment Details:

A sensor network, often referred to as a wireless sensor network (WSN), consists of spatially distributed and interconnected sensor nodes designed to monitor and record environmental conditions, collect data, and transmit it to a central location for processing and analysis. Sensor networks have a wide range of applications across various fields due to their ability to collect, transmit, and analyse data from the physical environment. However, the security and vulnerability challenges in sensor networks are critical concerns due to the sensitive nature of the data they handle and their deployment in often unsecured environments.

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on the risks associated with using simple sensor devices in services that collect and store sensitive information. To enhance the resilience of sensor networks against cyber-attacks, security considerations should be integrated right from the design stage of new products. In this assessment, you will need to discuss the following:

Identify and discuss three security vulnerabilities specific to sensor networks.
Explain the working mechanism of two types of attacks against sensor networks.
Demonstrate two techniques or security tools that can be used to mitigate/prevent the attacks identified in point (2).
The objective of computer security is to protect the Integrity, Confidentiality, and Availability (CIA) of information on the devices that store, manipulate, and transmit the information. Analyse the attack methods identified in point (2) and the security tools identified in point
(3) against the CIA triad.
Demonstrate the main challenges in protecting sensor networks.

The importance of cryptography has increased over time, making it a key defence in securing data from threat actors. Select one type of cryptographic algorithm that has been developed or proposed to protect sensor networks and explain its working techniques and features.

In your report, support your discussion with references from recent conferences and articles published within the last four years.

In completing this assessment successfully, you will be able to investigate IS security, risk threats and propose the suitable security controls, which will help in achieving ULO-3, and ULO-4.