INTRODUCTION Computer security is now an important area for any network administrator, systems analyst, information technology technician, databases administrator to the computer scientist. Although this list shows the professionals dabbling in Information Technology, it should not be misconstrued that the average computer user at home should not be concerned about computer security. A computer, be it a personal computer, a laptop or a simple netbook, is one of the features that adorn any home. Mobile phones too should not be excluded whenever the issue of computer security crops up since they are the latest targets for cyber criminals (SANS Institute). Inevitably, this has the led to the development and growth of a complex industry centered on Computer security. The actual threats to computer security are many. These threats emanate from the state of technology of today’s computer, computer users who are ignorant of the ways to secure their computer machines, the current trend of data distribution without any restraints, and the advent of the mobile office (Vacca, J., 2009, 3-4). Firstly, the modern PC today has evolved from the Abacus, an implement that was used for simple mathematical calculations (Sadiku and Obiozor) to a powerful machine that can store and manipulate data (Vacca. J., 2009, 3). Sadiku and Obiothor’s work shows the evolution of the computer starting from the Abacus, to the machines made by such inventors as Blaise Pascal, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, Charles Babbage and Thomas of Colmar, to the electromechanical computer using punched cards, right through to the first digital computer using Integrated Circuits. It is the latter development, more so in the manufacturing of the Integrated Circuits, which has... ... middle of paper ... ...rity Trends of the Coming Year”. Retrieved from http://www.sans.org/security-resources/10_security_trends.pdf This is an electronic book prepared by a leading professionsl body for computer security professionals. The main reason for choosing this source is that it is the product of a survey carried out by the organization on computer security trends. The participants in this survey were the professionals in the computer security industry. Vacca, J. R. (2009). “Computer and information security handbook”. Burlington: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. This book contains information on how to identify loopholes in any network and contains insightful tips on how to patch these loopholes. The main interest for choosing this book is that it has a good introduction that shows the main causes of computer insecurity and the general misconceptions that surround computer security.
Sabu M. Thampi, Pradeep K. Atrey, Chun I. Fan, Gregorio Martinez Perez (Eds.), Security in Computing and Communications: International Symposium, SSCC 2013, Mysore, India, August 22-24, 2013. Proceedings (Communications in Computer and Information Science) (p. 418). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
Cichonski P., Grance T., Millar T., & Scarfone K. (2012). Computer Security Incident Handling Guide. Retrieved February 15, 2014 from http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-61rev2/SP800-61rev2.pdf
Privacy and security issues have become one of the top concerns among computer users in today’s market. It has become a game of survival of the fittest in protection of your security. The only true way to defend yourself is knowledge. You should prepare your self against hackers, spammers and potential system crashing viruses and web bugs. Lets focus on how you can protect yourselves from the would be thieves.
Diffie, Whitfield. (2008). Information Security: 50 Years Behind, 50 Years Ahead. Communications of the ACM. 51(1), 55-57.
President Obama has realized the seriousness of the upcoming threats and turned the government focus more toward defending the information and communications infrastructure and In May 2009, he issued a request from top to bottom review of the current situation. The report titled the Cyberspace Policy Review includes strategy, policy, and standards regarding the security of and operations in cyberspace. According the white house’s cybersecurity foreign policy, the Cyberspace Policy Review highlighted two objectives and ten near-term actions to support the cybersecurity strategy.
Homeland Security is one of the most important departments in the United States. The United States Department of Homeland Security job is to reduce our vulnerability to terrorism and lead a national effort to help prevent terrorist attacks on our nation (Computer Concept, pg. 50). As technology evolves over the course of time, computers end up playing a crucial role in homeland security.
There is constant concern about different kinds of devices and tools because of their vulnerability: laptops; personal computers in the home; libraries and public workstations; USB Flash Drives and email, to name a few. These items are easily accessible for those attempting to breach security.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Ever since day one, people have been developing and creating all sorts of new methods and machines to help better everyday life in one way or another. Who can forget the invention of the ever-wondrous telephone? And we can’t forget how innovative and life-changing computers have been. However, while all machines have their positive uses, there can also be many negatives depending on how one uses said machines, wiretapping in on phone conversations, using spyware to quietly survey every keystroke and click one makes, and many other methods of unwanted snooping have arisen. As a result, laws have been made to make sure these negative uses are not taken advantage of by anyone.
During the beginning stages of the Internet, many websites, programs, and computer software’s remained unprotected and extremely vulnerable. Although enacted in 1984, according to Rouse and Cole (n.d.), “the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) of 1986 is United States legislation that made it a federal crime to access a protected computer without proper authorization” (para. 1). At the same time, it was easy for high-school level programmers and hackers to essentially hack into websites due to the the level of needed-protection being so low. However, when the CFAA went into effect, Pfleeger, C., Pfleeger, S., and Margulies (2015) report that the CFAA prohibited “unauthorized access to a
With our world today, technology has become a huge part of our lives. We use it from the simple tasks we do to the most complex and important ones. For this reason, we should take measures into making sure that our files and information are safe. To do this, we could simply start with creating complex and different passwords for each website we use. Next, we could back up our data in case of an attack from a hacker or a virus. Lastly, we need to remind ourselves to update the software we use and most especially our antivirus. These simple steps are what are needed for a better protection in the world of our growing technology.
Computers; they are a part of or in millions of homes; they are an intricate part of just about every if not all successful businesses, the government, and the military. Computers have become common place in today’s society and the lives of the people who live in it. They have crossed every national, racial, cultural, educational, and financial barrier, which consequently ushered in the information age. A computer is a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve and process data, and they come in all shapes, and sizes. They can be used for and in just about anything. As stated before, they are used in just about every aspect of modern society. They are so fundamental to modern society that it would be disastrous to society without them. As stated before, there are many areas in modern society that are run by computers. They play an intricate part of millions of homes in the world. Office workers in business, government and the military may use them to write letters, keep rosters, create budgets, find information, manage projects, communicate with workers, and so on. They are used in education, medicine, music, law enforcement, and unfortunately crime. Because computers have become such a part of the world and how it operates, there is a tremendous responsibility for those who are in control of these computers and the vital information that they carry, to manage and protect them properly. This is management and protection is vital because any loss or damage could be disastrous for the affected entity. For example, a mistake or intentional alteration of a personal credit file could affect ones ability to buy a car or home, or can lead to legal actions against the affected person until the mistake or intentional alteration has been corrected. Therefore, with the advent of computers in the information age, and all of the intentional and unintentional violations against them, comes the need to safeguard them and the information they carry with strong systems and policies of computer security.
While the conventional desktop PC will still continue to serve important functions at both consumer and professional levels, there is an expectation that mobile devices will become the predominant form for accessing both personal and professional content; it is understandable that cyber criminals have begun focusing on mobile devices which have at the same time grown their user base while substantially consolidating the operating system variants which makes the surface area for a potential attack substantially larger (Juniper Networks, n.d.).... ... middle of paper ... ... Mobile Device Security: A Survey of Mobile Device Threats, Vulnerabilities and their Defensive Mechanism. International Journal of Computer Applications.
In today’s society technology is used for everything. With the invention of computers and the internet this open doors to the cyber world. Today you can do almost anything without having to leave your home. The internet gives us the opportunity of shopping online, ordering food online, working from home and video chatting with friends and family across the world. Everyone has a computer and internet access in their homes. While the internet is really convenient it also opens doors for cybercrimes, loss of privacy and the need for computer security.
capacity and performance. However, as networks enable more and more applications and are available to more and more users, they become ever more vulnerable to a wider range of security threats. To combat those threats and ensure that e-business transactions are not compromised, security technology must play a major role in today's networks.
“In India, we went straight from no telephones to the latest in mobile technology. Andthe same with internet-connected computers. They came in all of a sudden and no onewas taught even the basic facts about cyber security,...