SecurityLightning talk20min
Why layering matters in security
The talk explains how attacks operate at different network layers, from layer 2 to the application layer, and why single controls like firewalls aren’t enough. It helps developers identify where attacks happen, understand blind spots, and spot security gaps in their own systems.
talk.summaryAiDisclaimer
Chaima El-Achouri
A lot of teams think one good security control means they're covered. A firewall, some auth, HTTPS and that's it. Then something gets through, because the attack came in at a layer nobody was watching.
We'll go through a few attacks and where they actually live in the stack. ARP spoofing and VLAN hopping at layer 2 that your firewall doesn't even see, attacks at the IP layer, and the app level ones developers already know. The idea is the same each time. If an attacker gets past one layer, the only thing that saves you is having built the next one.
What you'll walk away with:
We'll go through a few attacks and where they actually live in the stack. ARP spoofing and VLAN hopping at layer 2 that your firewall doesn't even see, attacks at the IP layer, and the app level ones developers already know. The idea is the same each time. If an attacker gets past one layer, the only thing that saves you is having built the next one.
What you'll walk away with:
- How to tell which layer an attack is actually hitting
- Why the layer 2 stuff slips past tools that work higher up
- A way to spot the gaps in your own setup
Chaima El-Achouri
Network engineer who is curious about how things actually work under the hood. Somewhere between configs and broken topologies, I build stuff, fix stuff, and figure out why it broke in the first place.
I like making complex networking concepts feel less intimidating because nobody should have to suffer through a dry RFC to understand how their traffic flows.
I like making complex networking concepts feel less intimidating because nobody should have to suffer through a dry RFC to understand how their traffic flows.