ABSTRACT
The transport layer is responsible for the end-to-end transfer of user data [1-3]. The transport layer is the common programming interface for application developers. The transport layer provides error control and is responsible for reliable data transfer. The transport layer protocol can be complex and is subject to a wide range of security threats. As we will see, the vulnerabilities of the transport layer are often coupled with the vulnerabilities of the physical network layer and the IP layer. In this chapter we will examine the common transport protocol used in the Internet. We will also examine a connectionless transport protocol, and we will look at the protocol that is responsible for converting names into IP addresses. Additionally, we will look at common countermeasures that can be used to mitigate the threats against the transport layer protocols.
