Category: Network Protocols

The traditional perimeter-based security model, where systems trust internal entities by default and protect against external threats through firewalls and VPNs, is increasingly inadequate in today’s distributed, cloud-native, and hybrid infrastructure environments. As organizations move toward more dynamic workloads, microservices architectures, and remote access models, the concept of Zero-Trust Networking has emerged as a critical…

In modern IP-based networks, particularly those within home, office, and enterprise environments, the seamless discovery of services—such as printers, file shares, and media servers—has become essential. Traditionally, service discovery required manual configuration or central coordination via DHCP options or directory services. However, in decentralized environments where no central DNS server is available or where zero-configuration…

The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is a fundamental part of the IP suite, providing diagnostic and control functions that are essential for network operations. Unlike TCP or UDP, ICMP is not designed for user-level data transport but rather for relaying error messages, operational information, and reachability notifications between network devices. While ICMP plays a…

Multicast has long been recognized as an efficient method for delivering the same content to multiple receivers in a network without sending multiple copies of the same data. Traditionally, IP multicast has relied on protocols such as PIM (Protocol Independent Multicast) and MSDP (Multicast Source Discovery Protocol), combined with distribution trees constructed in the network’s…

The TCP/IP protocol suite, formally known as the Internet Protocol Suite, has been the dominant networking model for decades, forming the backbone of the modern Internet. Built around a layered architecture—commonly represented by the four layers of link, internet, transport, and application—it has provided a reliable and scalable framework for data communication. However, as networking…

The advent of quantum computing introduces a paradigm shift in the security landscape of modern communications. While quantum computers promise transformative advances in computation, they also pose a significant threat to classical cryptographic systems. In particular, public-key algorithms such as RSA, DSA, and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC)—cornerstones of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and other network…

The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) enhance the integrity and authenticity of DNS by enabling cryptographic verification of DNS data. Through the use of digital signatures, DNSSEC ensures that responses to DNS queries have not been tampered with and genuinely originate from the authoritative source. While DNSSEC provides essential security protections against attacks such…

Service Function Chaining (SFC) is a framework that allows network operators to define and enforce an ordered set of service functions—such as firewalls, load balancers, and deep packet inspection devices—that packets must traverse as they move through a network. Traditionally, the challenge with implementing SFC lies in encoding and transporting the service path metadata in…

The architecture of 5G introduces a fundamental shift in how mobile networks are structured, operated, and optimized. Unlike previous generations, the 5G Core (5GC) is designed to be service-based, modular, and cloud-native, providing the flexibility and scalability required to support a wide range of use cases including enhanced mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low latency communications, and…

OAuth 2.1 represents the ongoing evolution of the OAuth 2.0 authorization framework, which has become the industry standard for delegated access in web and mobile applications. Designed to allow applications to access user resources on a server without exposing credentials, OAuth separates the authorization process into discrete roles: the resource owner, the client application, the…