What is Layer 7 Network Security?
Layer seven refers to a layer of security built into the open systems interconnect model. This is the highest level of security in the application level that supports end-user applications and processes. This layer of access is required in almost every application that we access, every webpage that we use and every cloud computing solution that we access every day.
Data processing occurs just below the surface in any software application and the responses and requests that are used within the applications that we access every day are included in these layer 7 event’s. The reason that layer 7 is so important to network security is because the majority of DDoS attacks are associated as a layer 7 attacks at the application level of a business or in the software. DDoS attacks will commonly take place within layer 7 but they can also target layers three and four of the OSI model.
Layer 7 is defined under the open systems interconnection model and this model breaks down the various functions of networking systems and applications into an abstract of seven layers. The seventh layer is referred to as the application layer and this is the end product that we will often see when we are looking into the systems that keep your business up and running. The human computer interaction layer is the application such as your project management software, your storage software, your website and the applications that your business needs to maintain its day-to-day operations. IT professionals when facing a security threat will need to pinpoint the exact layer in which the processes of network communication are being disrupted or remotely controlled.
A focus on layer 7 security help to protect the crucial applications that are required for your customers as well as for your day-to-day operations. If there are crucial elements to your business that need protecting, we can introduce layer 7 security that will implement instant action if you face a security threat.
