Network security and AAA framework are essential parts of any security policy. These are used to protect sensitive data from a multitude of threats. These threats can either be physical threats such as fire, natural disasters, robbery, or theft. Or these threats can be cyber threats such as malware attacks, phishing scams, data breaches, ransomware, and social engineering. There are quite a few different network technologies that can be used to combat these different types of threats. These would include firewalls, anti-virus software, virtual private network (VPN), and intrusion prevention system (IPS). If we look at T-Mobile, they are a prime example of why these technologies need to be implemented but also why they need to be reviewed and updated regularly. T-Mobile has had 4 data breaches in the last 3 Years. The first breach was in December 2021 then again in November 2022 and they have had two breaches in 2023. The first was in January and affected 37 million customers. The next was in May of 2023 and impacted 800 customers. Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA)
Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of the user. This is typically achieved through credentials, biometrics, and security badges. This step is essential to ensure that only individuals that can prove their identity are granted access to the system and other areas of the company. The first step is to make sure that anyone accessing the system uses the correct username and passwords as well as multi-factor authentication which will require double authentication. Authorization is the process used to determine what a user can access within the network once they are authenticated. If a user is authenticated, they can only access the areas that they are
