Network Traffic Monitoring and Analysis

  1. Foundational Networking Concepts
    1. The OSI Model
      1. Layer 1: Physical
        1. Physical Media Types
          1. Copper Cables
            1. Fiber Optic Cables
              1. Wireless Media
              2. Signal Transmission
                1. Electrical Signals
                  1. Optical Signals
                    1. Radio Frequency Signals
                    2. Physical Layer Devices
                      1. Hubs
                        1. Repeaters
                          1. Media Converters
                        2. Layer 3: Network
                          1. IP Addressing
                            1. IPv4 Addressing
                              1. IPv6 Addressing
                                1. Address Classes and Types
                                2. Routing Principles
                                  1. Static Routing
                                    1. Dynamic Routing
                                      1. Routing Metrics
                                      2. Subnetting
                                        1. Subnet Masks
                                          1. CIDR Notation
                                            1. Variable Length Subnet Masking
                                          2. Layer 4: Transport
                                            1. TCP vs. UDP
                                              1. Connection-Oriented vs. Connectionless
                                                1. Reliability Mechanisms
                                                  1. Performance Characteristics
                                                  2. Ports and Sockets
                                                    1. Port Numbers
                                                      1. Well-Known Ports
                                                        1. Socket Programming Concepts
                                                        2. Flow Control
                                                          1. Window-Based Flow Control
                                                            1. Congestion Control
                                                              1. Error Recovery
                                                            2. Layer 5: Session
                                                              1. Session Establishment and Termination
                                                                1. Session Initiation
                                                                  1. Session Maintenance
                                                                    1. Session Teardown
                                                                    2. Session Management Protocols
                                                                      1. NetBIOS
                                                                        1. RPC
                                                                          1. SQL Sessions
                                                                        2. Layer 6: Presentation
                                                                          1. Data Encoding and Encryption
                                                                            1. Character Encoding
                                                                              1. Data Formats
                                                                                1. Encryption Standards
                                                                                2. Data Compression
                                                                                  1. Compression Algorithms
                                                                                    1. Compression Ratios
                                                                                      1. Performance Impact
                                                                                    2. Layer 7: Application
                                                                                      1. Application Protocols
                                                                                        1. Protocol Categories
                                                                                          1. Protocol Standards
                                                                                            1. Protocol Evolution
                                                                                            2. User Interaction
                                                                                              1. User Interfaces
                                                                                                1. Application Programming Interfaces
                                                                                                  1. Service Interfaces
                                                                                              2. The TCP/IP Model
                                                                                                1. Network Interface Layer
                                                                                                  1. Ethernet Standards
                                                                                                    1. IEEE 802.3 Standards
                                                                                                      1. Ethernet Frame Formats
                                                                                                        1. Ethernet Switching
                                                                                                        2. Wireless Standards
                                                                                                          1. IEEE 802.11 Standards
                                                                                                            1. Wireless Frame Formats
                                                                                                              1. Wireless Security
                                                                                                            2. Internet Layer
                                                                                                              1. IP Routing
                                                                                                                1. Routing Tables
                                                                                                                  1. Routing Algorithms
                                                                                                                    1. Route Selection
                                                                                                                    2. Fragmentation and Reassembly
                                                                                                                      1. MTU Discovery
                                                                                                                        1. Fragment Handling
                                                                                                                          1. Reassembly Process
                                                                                                                          2. Internet Control Message Protocol
                                                                                                                            1. ICMP Message Types
                                                                                                                              1. Error Reporting
                                                                                                                                1. Network Diagnostics
                                                                                                                              2. Transport Layer
                                                                                                                                1. TCP Functions
                                                                                                                                  1. Connection Management
                                                                                                                                    1. Reliable Delivery
                                                                                                                                      1. Flow Control
                                                                                                                                      2. UDP Functions
                                                                                                                                        1. Datagram Delivery
                                                                                                                                          1. Minimal Overhead
                                                                                                                                            1. Real-Time Applications
                                                                                                                                          2. Application Layer
                                                                                                                                            1. Common Application Protocols
                                                                                                                                              1. Web Protocols
                                                                                                                                                1. Email Protocols
                                                                                                                                                  1. File Transfer Protocols
                                                                                                                                                    1. Network Management Protocols
                                                                                                                                                2. Key Network Components
                                                                                                                                                  1. Routers
                                                                                                                                                    1. Routing Table Management
                                                                                                                                                      1. Static Routes
                                                                                                                                                        1. Dynamic Routes
                                                                                                                                                          1. Route Redistribution
                                                                                                                                                          2. Packet Forwarding
                                                                                                                                                            1. Forwarding Process
                                                                                                                                                              1. Forwarding Tables
                                                                                                                                                                1. Quality of Service
                                                                                                                                                              2. Switches
                                                                                                                                                                1. MAC Address Tables
                                                                                                                                                                  1. Address Learning
                                                                                                                                                                    1. Aging Process
                                                                                                                                                                      1. Table Management
                                                                                                                                                                      2. VLAN Segmentation
                                                                                                                                                                        1. VLAN Configuration
                                                                                                                                                                          1. Inter-VLAN Routing
                                                                                                                                                                            1. VLAN Trunking
                                                                                                                                                                            2. Spanning Tree Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                              1. Loop Prevention
                                                                                                                                                                                1. Root Bridge Selection
                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Port States
                                                                                                                                                                                2. Firewalls
                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Packet Filtering
                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Access Control Lists
                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Rule Processing
                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Default Policies
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Stateful Inspection
                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Connection Tracking
                                                                                                                                                                                            1. State Tables
                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Dynamic Rules
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Next-Generation Firewalls
                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Application Awareness
                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Intrusion Prevention
                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Deep Packet Inspection
                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Load Balancers
                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Traffic Distribution Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Round Robin
                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Least Connections
                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Weighted Algorithms
                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Health Checks
                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Active Health Checks
                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Passive Health Checks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Failover Mechanisms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Session Persistence
                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Sticky Sessions
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Session Affinity
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Load Balancing Algorithms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Forward Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Client-Side Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Transparent Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Authentication Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Reverse Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Server-Side Proxies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. SSL Termination
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Content Caching
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Caching and Filtering
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Content Caching
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. URL Filtering
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Content Filtering
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Core Network Protocols
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Internet Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. IPv4 vs. IPv6
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Address Structure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. IPv4 Address Format
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. IPv6 Address Format
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Address Notation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Header Differences
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. IPv4 Header Fields
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. IPv6 Header Fields
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Extension Headers
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Transition Mechanisms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Dual Stack
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Tunneling
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Translation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. IP Addressing and Subnetting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Subnet Masks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Fixed-Length Subnetting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Variable-Length Subnetting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Subnet Calculations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. CIDR Notation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. CIDR Blocks
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Supernetting
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Route Aggregation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Transmission Control Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Three-Way Handshake
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. SYN Packet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. SYN-ACK Packet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. ACK Packet
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. TCP Flags
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. SYN Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. ACK Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. FIN Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. RST Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. PSH Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. URG Flag
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Flow Control and Congestion Control
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Window Size
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Receive Window
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Congestion Window
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Window Scaling
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Retransmissions
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Timeout Mechanisms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Fast Retransmit
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Selective Acknowledgment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. User Datagram Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Connectionless Communication
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Datagram Structure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. No Connection State
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Minimal Protocol Overhead
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. Use Cases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Real-Time Applications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. DNS Queries
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. DHCP Communications
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Streaming Media
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Address Resolution Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. ARP Requests and Replies
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. ARP Request Process
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. ARP Reply Process
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. ARP Cache Management
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. ARP Spoofing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Attack Mechanisms
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Detection Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Prevention Techniques
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Domain Name System
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. DNS Resolution Process
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Recursive Queries
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. Iterative Queries
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. DNS Hierarchy
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. DNS Record Types
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. A Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. AAAA Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. CNAME Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. MX Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. NS Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. PTR Records
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Lease Process
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. DHCP Discover
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. DHCP Offer
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. DHCP Request
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. DHCP Acknowledge
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. DHCP Options
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Standard Options
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Vendor-Specific Options
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Option Configuration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            2. Hypertext Transfer Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. HTTP Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. GET Method
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. POST Method
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. PUT Method
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. DELETE Method
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. HEAD Method
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        2. HTTP Status Codes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. 1xx Informational
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. 2xx Success
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. 3xx Redirection
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. 4xx Client Error
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. 5xx Server Error
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. SSL/TLS Handshake
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Certificate Exchange
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Key Exchange
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Cipher Negotiation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      2. File Transfer Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Active vs. Passive Modes
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Active Mode Operation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Passive Mode Operation
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Firewall Considerations
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Authentication
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Anonymous FTP
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1. User Authentication
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Secure FTP Variants
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Email Transmission Process
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1. SMTP Commands
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Message Format
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Relay Process
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2. SMTP Authentication
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            1. Authentication Methods
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Security Extensions
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1. Encrypted SMTP

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          1. Introduction to Network Traffic Monitoring

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          3. Data Sources and Collection Methods