Core network services

There are several fundamental network services that quietly support our daily digital interactions. DNS (Domain Name System) works like your phone's contact list, it translates easy to remember names into specific phone numbers in this case what it is translating is website names such as google.com into IP addresses (this is googles IP address 74.125.135.113), see how annoying that would be to have to remember that series of numbers and then type it into your URL (Uniform Resorce Locator), that is why DNS exsis so all you have to remember is the name of the website. But your devices use IP addresses and can recognize and connect to the website. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) automatically assigns IP addresses to devices joining the network, it is similar to a teacher assigning specific seats to students in a classroom. NTP (Network Time Protocol) synchronizes the internal clocks of all devices on a network, much like a synchronized school bell system ensuring every class starts and ends precisely on time.

So if your contacts app were suddenly scrambled, matching incorrect names to numbers, or if your teacher changed seating randomly each day, chaos and confusion would be an understatement. So disruptions or malicious interference with DNS, DHCP, or NTP can severely impact network communication and security. Cybersecurity professionals must deeply understand and protect these critical services from disruption, making sure network reliability and safety.