Computer hacking refers to the practice of modifying or altering computer software and hardware to accomplish a goal that is considered to be outside of the creators original objective. Those individuals who engage in computer hacking activities are typically reffered to as hackers. A computer hacker is some one who develops, changes, or attempts to circumvent computer sercurity hardware or software. This can be for positive or negative reasons. computer hackers tend to target home anf office computers connected to the internet.
I. Imagine how you would feel if someone was tracking everything you did on the Internet, including recording your passwords and credit card numbers. II. A type of software known as spyware can install itself on your computer without your knowledge and harvest this sensitive information. III.
There will be some defective functionality, where the spyware will keep track of the steps the user takes without the user’s knowledge of it. There is also a loss of privacy when spyware has infected a computer. The spyware can send private user information back to the Internet vendor; therefore it reduces the user privacy. There may also be an increased amount of pop-up advertisements on the computer screen while connected to the Inte... ... middle of paper ... ... Anti-Spyware programs. Although spyware is a major problem for computer owners today, the advance of anti-spyware programs from software companies, along with help from the users, will ultimately aid in the termination of spyware altogether.
2.0 Potential Security Threats on a Personal Computer Apparently, there are numerous security threats that an individual on a personal computer is exposed to, provided they are connected through a local network or the internet (Barrett, 2009; Gregg, 2006). This is because information is crucial; hence, people and organizations are in constant search for it both for legitimate and illegitimate purposes. It is, therefore, necessary that an individual establishes a sufficient level of security on his or her personal com... ... middle of paper ... ...ly, there will be no direct communication between PC programs and the outside world, which will eliminate potential cases of installing Trojans into the system. The firewall is also effective in barring system hackers; hence, there will be limited chances of getting an attack. In addition, McDowell (2006) asserts that it is crucial to have an antivirus program to detect Trojans, or viruses that bypass the firewall, which also protect against leakage of secret information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Tools such as the free reCAPTCHA can be used to require the user to enter a word or solve a simple math problem to ensure the user is, in fact, a person. This technique is effective, but has accessibility concerns and affects usability of the site. Malicious insider: The computer-security enterprise is acquainted with the concept of a Malicious Insider. However, a malicious insider in the cloud may have get access to an unmatched quantity of information and on a far more bigger scale. An insider attack is a malicious assault perpetrated on a network or PC by someone with legal system access.
What is Spyware What exactly is Spyware? Spyware is computer software that is installed on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the user’s informed consent (Wikipedia). Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the internet (where it is sometimes called spybot or tracking software), Spyware is programming that is put in someone’s computer secretly gathering information about the user and relaying it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.
Through the infection of computer viruses and hacking, the computer’s operating system can malfunction and data’s security becomes vulnerable to loss or theft by hackers. As explained in Catherine LaBerta’s Computers Are Your Future textbook, the operating system (OS) is a “set of programs designed to manage and control the resources of a computer” (Laberta 111). A virus infection can impede operating system from properly function. This usually occurs when the virus is preventing the OS from opening any antivirus software. People often confuse viruses for another type of malware or program such as worms and Trojan horses.
Rather than simply wanting to cause trouble and inconvenience for a user, these threats have the purpose of stealing confidential information from the target computer, including things like passwords, keys for reading encrypted messages, or even recording keystrokes (Martin 18). Known commonly as spyware, these programs often are used to track the Web sites that a user visits, so as to gather marketing information. But there is less benign spyware that is able to change browser settings, scan files on a hard drive, or install programs without the user knowing. A user may unwittingly download a spyware program along with games, media players, peer-to-peer programs, or other utilities. In some cases, the user unknowingly agrees to the spyware installation by clicking “yes” to a user agreement without reading it through first.
Furthermore, computer security is software applied in computers and World Wide Web when we want to access web site in World Wide Web we will get variety of viruses. This is because, viruses will damage our important data in computers that cause we could not work smoothly. Besides that, computer security also is our finance protector. This is because, many criminals cases also regarding bank account be stolen. So we need by way of computer security to safeguard our will not get pecuniary loss.
Attackers use various hacking techniques to compromise a website or a computer. The most common ones are Trojan horse programs, Denial of Service, unprotected windows shares, mobile code, cross-site scripting and packet sniffing. This paper will discuss in details how attackers use these hacking techniques to compromise a system, how attackers gather information from a victim via their e-mail communication and how to prevent the attacks. Trojan horse programs are a common way for intruders to trick a user into installing back door programs. According to Armor2net, these programs can allow intruders easy access to a computer without the user's knowledge, change the system configurations, or infect the computer with a computer virus.