🔒 Secure Network Setup

📌 Overview

This project was conducted as part of a cybersecurity lab where I acted as an IT Subject Matter Expert to design and implement a secure IT network.
The setup involved deploying multiple Virtual Machines, configuring firewall rules, creating baseline security, and validating protections with penetration testing tools.

The goal was to upgrade IT systems by ensuring proper configuration of firewalls, servers, and user accounts, while documenting security posture through scanning and monitoring.

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📂 Project Structure

📂 secure-network-setup

├── configs/ # VM configs, firewall rules, OS settings

├── docs/ # Network diagrams, Wireshark captures, screenshots

└── README.md

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🛠️ Tasks Performed

• Installed VirtualBox and extensions to host lab VMs.
• Deployed:
  • Router-Firewall
  • Internal DNS Server
  • Internal Web Server
  • CEO PC
  • 3 Kali Linux Machines (attack/analysis hosts)
• Configured IP addresses (DHCP) and verified connectivity (CEO PC browsing www.seclab.net).
• Collected baseline system information (OS, IP, Subnet Mask, Gateway, DNS).
• Used FTP to transfer the Social-Media-Security-Policy file from Web Server → CEO PC.
• Created a new user account on the Web Server.
• Conducted Nmap scans from Kali Linux against DNS & Web Servers to identify open ports.
• Verified Trusted network protections from the Untrusted network.
• Captured FTP credentials in transit using Wireshark to demonstrate risks of plaintext protocols.

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🚀 How to Recreate

1. Install VirtualBox from VirtualBox Downloads.
2. Deploy VMs using the provided baseline configurations in configs/.
3. Configure network interfaces for:
   • Trusted Network
   • Untrusted Network
   • DMZ (for DNS & Web Servers)
4. Apply firewall rules to restrict traffic between zones.
5. Use Nmap to perform security scans and document results.
6. Use Wireshark to capture FTP traffic and analyze vulnerabilities.

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Virtualization: VirtualBox
• Operating Systems: Windows Server, Linux (Kali, Ubuntu)
• Tools:
  • Nmap (port scanning)
  • Wireshark (traffic capture)
  • FTP (file transfer test)

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📊 Results

• Successfully built a multi-VM secure network with firewall, DNS, and web server.
• Verified baseline system configurations and connectivity.
• Identified plaintext FTP vulnerability by capturing username/password via Wireshark.
• Created recommendations for hardening:
  • Replace FTP with SFTP/FTPS
  • Enforce stricter firewall rules
  • Apply password policies and user access controls

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This project was performed in a lab environment only. Tools and exploits should be used exclusively for authorized security testing.