Networking Basics - The Backbone of Cybersecurity

If you want to break into cybersecurity, one thing is non-negotiable:

you need to understand networking.

Networking is the circulatory system of the internet - without it, no emails, no cat videos, no data breaches (wait… maybe that last one wouldn’t be so bad ).

Let’s break it down 👇🏻

What Is a Network?

At its core, a network is just a group of computers or devices connected so they can exchange data.

These connections can be:

Wired – via Ethernet cables

Wireless – via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared, or even satellite signals

Meet Alice & Bob - A Networking Story 📖

Let’s make this fun with our two fictional friends - Alice and Bob.

They live less than a mile apart. One evening, Alice decides to send Bob a message:

“Hey Bob, I’m free you can meet me at 7 p.m.”

Here’s the journey of that simple message in the networking world:

1. Alice’s Device. .. . →.. . Router

Alice types the message on her phone. Her phone sends it to her router.

The router is like a local post office like it knows where to send things inside and outside the network.

2. Router → . . .Modem

The router hands the message to the modem. The modem is provided by her Internet Service Provider (ISP) (think Airtel, Jio, BSNL). Its job? Convert digital data from Alice’s network into a format that can travel through her ISP’s infrastructure.

3. Modem → ISP Network → Bob’s Modem

The message leaves Alice’s home, travels through “media” this could be:

Copper cables (electrical signals)

Fiber-optic cables (light pulses)

Wireless signals (radio waves)

Depending on the ISP’s infrastructure, your message might jump between multiple switches, routers, and transmission towers before reaching Bob’s modem.

4. Bob’s Modem → Bob’s Router → Bob’s Device

Once the message arrives at Bob’s modem, it gets converted back into digital data.

The modem passes it to Bob’s router, and finally, Bob’s phone lights up with a notification:

“Hey Bob, I’m free - you can meet me at 7 p.m.”

The Bigger Picture The LANs, WANs & The Internet

LAN (Local Area Network) – Alice’s home, Bob’s home, your office small, localized networks.

WAN (Wide Area Network) – Connects multiple LANs over larger distances.

The Internet is basically a giant network of networks (LANs + WANs) connected worldwide.

So,What did we learn here in this situation we learnt about routers modem network and internet

Router a part of network layer(consisting Ethernet ports and internet port for lan and wan based connections)

allows multiple networks to connect

Especially allows connecting devices in geographical condition ,allows devices on different network.Reads ip header, Connects internet server firewall all 3.

For example a computer connected to a router And a tablet connected to a router.The computer sends information to the router The router checks the address and shares the intended router from there to the tab.

Network is referred to as an infrastructure that allows communication between devices Network devices are Like vehicles are Networking devices.

Internet: an infrastructure of interconnected devices around the globe that transmit data to one another (group of network connected to each other)

Media: a medium through which data flows (the message ‘hi’)

A wireless access point sends and receives digital signals over radio waves creating a wireless network

Modem: Your ISP internet service provider .

Why Networking Matters in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity professionals need to understand networking because:

Threats travel over networks (malware, phishing links, DDoS attacks)

Security controls (firewalls, intrusion detection systems) sit inside networks

Incident response often requires tracing network paths to find vulnerabilities

If you understand how data moves, you can understand how to protect it.