“The OSI Model and You”

In George Platsis’ article, “The OSI Model and You,” the Open Systems Interconnection model and its layered framework is described in great detail. Aside from the general responsibilities and functionalities of each layer, potential vulnerabilities at each stage of networking and interconnection are outlined to Platsis’ audience. The information presented is useful to a wide range of audiences, from cybersecurity experts to everyday users of the Internet, as it supplies readers with essential knowledge of the specific types of cybersecurity threats present at every layer, along with general strategies to prevent or combat such attacks. This article has great significance in today’s increasingly technological age, where there are now a multitude of ways to share, save, and upload information, alongside a constantly increasing risk of having such personal information and data inappropriately accessed, misused, or stolen. Platsis makes readers aware of these risks while encouraging his audience to familiarize themselves with the OSI model and protective measures that can be taken at every layer, his message aligning with today’s spirit of encouraging cybersecurity related education among everyday users to reduce the overall frequency of data breaches and other forms of cyberattacks.

As described in the article, the seven layers of the OSI model include: the physical layer, data link layer, network layer, transport layer, session layer, presentation layer, and the application layer. Each layer is responsible for a specific part of the overall process in which data packets, representing some information, are transported between two nodes (source and end destinations) via a wireless connection. The physical layer encompasses all the physical components of a connection enabling the data to travel, it is vulnerable to external and natural threats, and it serves as a last resort for defense against a network attack since the physical equipment can simply be disconnected. The data link layer and its MAC and LLC sublayers are responsible for actually allowing data transmission, and seeking out errors in the process of this transmission. This layer can potentially be subject to manipulation of information in the data transmission by attackers, which can be prevented by encryption, disabling of ports, and MAC address filtering. Taking into account each layer, almost all of them are subject to exploitation by spoofing of some kind and DoS attacks, and almost every layer can be protected with encryption. With this in mind, Platsis’ audience of users and cybersecurity experts alike can take away the fact that their best defense against cyberattacks is the use of encryption and properly implemented firewalls, paired with a solid understanding of the OSI model.