The gaming network described herein includes network security features, host security features, audit protocols, and design architecture approaches to reduce the possibility of network attacks. The gaming network provides for traffic confidentiality, encryption, message authentication, secure authentication mechanisms, anti-replay protection of traffic, key management mechanisms, robust network availability, misrouting and redirection protection and prevention, rejection of external traffic, and a high entry-barrier to device addition to the network. The host protection and security includes secure host initialization, disabling unneeded components, download verification, disabling of unused IP ports, discarding traffic, strong passwords, dynamic one-time passwords for remote login, disabling default accounts, and appropriate “least-level” device privileges. Audit requirements include integrity protection of audit logs, appropriate definition of auditable events, auditing of anomalous behavior, chain of evidence preservation, shutdown if audit disabled, full log entry audit, personal ID and time access audit trail, and auditing of internal user actions.