The OSI Security Architecture

Network Security

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The OSI Security Architecture
Objectives of the
Topic
• After completing this
topic, a student will
be able to
– describe the OSI
security
architecture and its
usefulness.

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The OSI Security Architecture
Figures and material
in this topic have
been
• adapted from
“Network Security
Essentials:
Applications and
Standards”, 2014, by
William Stallings.

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The OSI Security Architecture
• In an organization, the
manager responsible
for security has to
effectively assess the
security needs of an
organization.
• He has to evaluate
and choose various
security products and
policies.

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The OSI Security Architecture
• Thus, the manager
needs some
systematic way of
defining the
requirements for
security and
characterizing the
approaches to
satisfying those
requirements.

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The OSI Security Architecture
• This is difficult enough
in a centralized data
processing
environment.
• With the use of local
and wide area
networks, the
problems are
compounded.

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The OSI Security Architecture
• Such a systematic
approach was defined
by the International
Telecommunication
Union (ITU)
Telecommunication
Standardization Sector
(ITU-T).

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The OSI Security Architecture
• (ITU-T) is a United
Nations sponsored
agency that develops
standards, called
Recommendations,
relating to
telecommunications
and to open systems
interconnection (OSI).

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The OSI Security Architecture
• Recommendation
X.800, Security
Architecture for OSI.
• The open systems
interconnection (OSI)
security architecture
was developed in the
context of the OSI
protocol architecture.

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 The OSI Security Architecture
OSI protocol
architecture

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The OSI Security Architecture
• The OSI security
architecture is useful
to managers as a way
of organizing the task
of providing security.
• It focuses on security
attacks, mechanisms,
and services.
• These are defined
next:

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The OSI Security Architecture
Security Attack:
• Any action that
compromises the
security of
information owned by
an organization.

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The OSI Security Architecture
Security Mechanism:
• A process (or a device
incorporating such a
process) that is
designed to detect,
prevent, or recover
from a security attack.

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The OSI Security Architecture
Security Service:
• A processing or
communication
service that enhances
the security of the
data processing
systems and the
information transfers
of an organization.

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The OSI Security Architecture
• The services are
intended to counter
security attacks, and
they make use of one
or more security
mechanisms to
provide the service.

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 The OSI Security Architecture

RFC 4949, Internet Security Glossary.

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 The OSI Security Architecture
• The OSI architecture is
an international
standard, computer
and communications
vendors have
developed security
features for their
products and services
that relate to this
structured definition
End
of services and
mechanisms.
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