Network Security and Secure Communication

Implementing a secure networked application can be difficult, even for developers who may have used various cryptographic building blocks (such as encryption and digital signatures) beforehand. In order to make the participants understand the role and usage of these cryptographic primitives, first a solid foundation on the main requirements of secure communication – secure acknowledgement, integrity, confidentiality, remote identification and anonymity – is given, while also presenting the typical problems that may damage these requirements along with real-world solutions.

As a critical aspect of network security is cryptography, the most important cryptographic algorithms in symmetric cryptography, hashing, asymmetric cryptography, and key agreement are also discussed. Instead of presenting an in-depth mathematical background, these elements are discussed from a developer's perspective, showing typical use-case examples and practical considerations related to the use of crypto, such as public key infrastructures. Security protocols in many different areas of secure communication are introduced, with an in-depth discussion on the most widely-used protocol families such as IPSEC and SSL/TLS.

Finally, as XML technology is central for data exchange by networked applications, the security aspects of XML are described. This includes the usage of XML within web services and SOAP messages alongside protection measures such as XML signature and XML encryption – as well as weaknesses in those protection measures and XML-specific security issues such as XML injection, XML external entity (XXE) attacks, XML bombs, and XPath injection.