Several types of engineers help make cyber networks safer, for example there are cybersecurity engineers and network security engineers. Cybersecurity engineers have a broad range of duties, while network security engineers are a specialized subset of cybersecurity.

A cybersecurity engineer, oftentimes referred to as an information security engineer, creates, implements, and monitors security systems. They contribute to making networks safer by configuring firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS). They also conduct network troubleshooting and maintenance.

A network security engineer provides a more focused role in network safety. They are responsible for creating, maintaining, implementing, and troubleshooting an organization’s computer networks. Network engineers install software like firewalls and data encryption programs. They use a variety of tools to make cyber networks safer; two examples are Nmap and Wireshark.

Network mapping (Nmap), is a free and open source network scanning tool for network discovery and security auditing. Wireshark is an open source network protocol analyzer also known as a packet sniffer. Wireshark allows network engineers to “put network interface controllers (NICs) into promiscuous mode to observe most traffic” (Breeden, 2022). 

Network security engineers may implement network segmentation to make cyber networks safer. Network segmentation divides a computer network into smaller parts to improve performance and security. There are many benefits to network segmentation. If an organization is employing segmentation it can limit how far a cyber attack could spread and stop harmful traffic from reaching vulnerable devices. 

Breeden, J. (2022, December 6). 12 killer (and free) tools for network engineers. Network World. https://www.networkworld.com/article/951130/interop-12-killer-and-free-tools-for-network-engineers.html