Security Analysis of Internet Protocols in Modern Network Environments

Abstract

Internet protocols underpin modern cloud, IoT, and enterprise communication, yet many were not designed for today’s hostile threat environment. This study evaluates the security of six core protocols—IP, TCP, HTTP, HTTPS, DNS, and TLS—using a three-dimensional framework spanning protocol design, implementation quality, and operational controls. Literature-based analysis is combined with two practical experiments: passive Wireshark packet capture and controlled adversarial testing (Kali Linux vs. Metasploitable2) across ten repeated trials per attack scenario. Results show that IP and HTTP carry the highest design-level risk, while DNS remains exposed due to its lack of native authentication. Controlled attacks captured plaintext credentials in 100% of trials against HTTP versus 0% against HTTPS, and DNS spoofing succeeded in 94% of trials without protective controls but 0% once DNS-over-TLS was enabled; Wireshark observations confirmed that 93.9% of HTTPS traffic remained fully encrypted. A root cause diagnostic analysis links each vulnerability to its originating dimension, showing that design-level weaknesses in IP, HTTP, and DNS require protocol-level remediation. In contrast, HTTPS and TLS 1.3 risks are largely operational. The findings confirm that no single defense mechanism is sufficient and that a multilayered, protocol-aware security strategy—combining encryption, secure configuration, and continuous monitoring—is essential for resilient modern networks.