Analyzing Operating Systems and Small Office/Home Office Networks Part 1: Service and Infrastructure Discovery SOHO networks

Small Office Home Office (SOHO) networks and other networks contain various network nodes that make them mixed networks. For example, SOHO networks could contain printers, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops, routers, VoIP phones, switches, routers, and DHCP servers (Kavalaris & Serrelis, 2015). Larger office networks could contain more devices, including IP cameras, biometric devices, and network storage devices. Though all those network devices are found in a single network, they could be running on different operating systems. For example, tablets could be running on Windows 8, laptops on MAC OS, PCs on Linux, smartphones on iOS, and routers on Linux.

The mix in operating systems is mainly based on usability and security (Kavalaris & Serrelis, 2015). Windows is largely used because it is easy to understand and maneuver. Linux and Apple OS are better than Windows in terms of security. Also, Linux is free and open-source. Programmers prefer the open-source feature because they can customize their working environments. Small businesses prefer using Linux because it is free software, unlike Windows and Apple OS, where purchasing a license is required. Therefore, it is likely to find basic computer users on a Windows PC in a small business office and technical staff on a Linux PC.

All network nodes should be configured accurately, and security measures for each device activated to boost security on SOHO networks (Kavalaris & Serrelis, 2015). For example, a Linux SOHO router should be used and configured appropriately on a SOHO network. This would include firewall configurations such as Access Control Lists. Other network nodes such as Windows PC should be configured for users to work on non-administrator accounts. When a user uses a Windows PC with administrator rights, it is easy for malware to use the same account to execute malicious software. Therefore, administrator rights should be avoided and requested when users require them. Linux operating systems are configured to request root access only when needed. Therefore, users are automatically on non-administrator rights. However, it is unlikely to have all network nodes on a SOHO network running on Linux. A SOHO network’s security would also be improved by disallowing unsafe devices. For example, android rooted devices could easily be exploited, hence, compromising the network. It is expected that Android phones would be part of a SOHO network because they are easy to use and are cheaper than iOS phones.

Relation between Unix/Linux and Apple OS X

Both Linux and Apple OS X are operating systems used on PCs and Laptops (Adekotujo et al., 2020). Their major difference is that Linux is open source, hence, free, while Apple OS X is not. Linux and Apple OS X are hard to infest with viruses compared to Windows (Adekotujo et al., 2020). This is because Linux is open source and Apple OS X is not largely used compared to Windows (Adekotujo et al., 2020). Therefore, Windows is targeted more by hackers and other malicious persons. On compatibility, Linux and Apple OS X support fewer programs than Windows. For example, Windows can run a wide range of computer games compared to Linux and Apple OS X (Adekotujo et al., 2020). A Graphical User Interface is used in Linux and Apple OS X (Adekotujo et al., 2020). However, Windows GUI is reported to be more user-friendly than Linux and Apple OS X (Hasnain & Rafi, 2019). PowerPC computer architecture is used in Linux and Apple OS X (Adekotujo et al., 2020). Both Apple OS X and Linux use bash shell terminals. Monolithic modules kernel type is used in Linux and Apple OS X (Adekotujo et al., 2020)

Linux and Apple OS X have more differences than similarities (Hasnain & Rafi, 2019). Despite both being operating systems, their functionalities are preferred by different professionals. For example, graphic designers prefer using Apple OS X while programmers and other skilled IT persons prefer Linux (Hasnain & Rafi, 2019). The cost of acquiring Apple OS X is higher than acquiring Windows. While acquiring Linux is free. Linux is used on servers, while Apple OS X is hardly used on servers (Adekotujo et al., 2020). On reliability, Linux is more stable compared to Apple OS X.

Zenmap Scanner

Zenmap is a tool used to scan a network and perform penetration testing (Kumar & Tlhagadikgora, 2018). Zenmap can illustrate loopholes on a network through pen tests by printing out a report on the vulnerabilities found. For example, the report could contain information on all open ports and what they are being used for (Kumar & Tlhagadikgora, 2018). It can also contain information on all network nodes on a network. This is important in identifying network node intruders in a network and their activities. Information provided by a Zenmap penetration test i