Understanding Network Transmission Media Security

This chapter focuses on twisted‐pair cabling, coaxial cabling and fiber‐optic cabling. It explores transmission media vulnerabilities and wireless network vulnerabilities. The chapter describes about Bluetooth and WiMAX. Twisted‐pair cabling consists of two or more pairs of wires twisted together to provide noise reduction. Coaxial cable is familiar to most people as the conductor that carries cable TV into their homes. Coaxial cable is constructed with an insulated solid or stranded wire core surrounded by a dielectric insulating layer and a solid or braided metallic shield. Fiber‐optic cable is plastic or glass cable designed to carry digital data in the form of light pulses. The signals are introduced into the cable by a laser diode and bounce along its interior until they reach the end of the cable. Wireless networks connect computer nodes using high‐frequency radio waves. Transmission media security must be considered at two levels: physical security and logical security.