Network Security
The term "Network Security" encompasses the concepts and practices that are implemented to protect the assets of an organization that are connected to its network, and the network infrastructure itself. The practices implemented range from policies that specify criteria for computer access, rules implemented to govern traffic flow in the network, computers that analyze network behavior and devices and software that filter out unwanted or malicious traffic.
MIT's network, due to its size and the needs of its users, is a very open network. There are no centrally managed firewalls or any other devices that inhibit the flow of traffic, so computers and other peripherals that are attached to the network can be directly accessible from the Internet. As such, it is up to the users of the network to protect the computers or subnets they are responsible for, and the data stored on those computers, from unauthorized access; one way to do this is through the use of personal firewalls.
For more information on the MIT network, see Network / Connectivity at MIT.
