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Computer Risks
Computer threats
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There are a vast amount of security threats to a personal computer. These security threats are harmful because if successfully activated an attacker can access personal information and use it for potential harm to you or your computer. These attacks can also potentially slow down your personal computer and may even cause it to crash. When a computer crashes and the information is not backed up somewhere else you won’t be able to retrieve your data. There are techniques that attackers use to access information on your system.
Connecting a personal computer to the internet enables others to use your computer and share your information. All who use the internet should take steps to protect their computer, as well as their private and financial information from possibly being compromised. There are computer hackers who have the knowledge and ability to access others computers. These attacks can be executed to break into your computer through the internet and steal your personal information.
Security threats are derived from people who create them purposely. These people are called hackers. Hackers can create security threats and viruses. Most hackers are computer programmers who use their knowledge of security threats and malware to victimize other people by breaking into their systems to steal or destroy information. This is known as cyber-terrorism. Use of the internet leaves a computer vulnerable to these hackers and predators. Hackers create things such as computer virus threats spyware, phishing, worms, rootkit, zombies and mousetrap pings. Of all these computers security threats the majority out there are computer viruses. A virus is a program that changes how a computer operates. A virus can replicate and execute itself causi...
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...hat uses a computer has some type of computer security related responsibility that we need to be aware of to protect our information from theft. There are numerous websites and publications available to keep users informed on how to keep their information safe from intrusion and how to better protect their computer from running slow, due to viruses and spyware. Keeping up with a good maintenance plan can ensure your computer is running at optimal speed as well as checking and quarantining any possible virus infections.
References
1) Computer Security Threats. Retrieved from
http://www.webroot.com/En_US/consumer/articles/computer-security-threats
2) Potter, Ned, September 3, 2009, Top 10 Computer Viruses and Worms, retrieved on August 3, 2013 from, http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/top-computer-viruses-worms-internet-history/story?id=8480794
The internet is a tremendously vast resource. Millions of people are on-line everyday. They write e-mails, they visit web sites, even make their own homepages. When an e-mail is sent your IP address is attached to it, no matter what you do. People can attach themselves to your connection, so they see whatever you do, They can even track your connection and find out where you live.
Internet can give out a lot of advantages and new things to learn and experience, but it carries a risk of personal information leakage. Even a simple browsing history can show our most private interests. Hence, there are laws and legislation made to protect the confidential information. It acts as the barrier and protector against any unwanted outflow of information to computer criminals.
Using the internet might compromise the safety of user data in some sites which means that the OS
Usually, hackers access the operating system or machine memory, like the 2017 "Wanna Cry" attack which exploited older versions of Windows and affected some 300,000 users in over 150 countries with devastating effect especially on businesses and organizations. The Spectre and Meltdown flaws are more dangerous as they can allow hackers to access the computer chip that makes the computer do what it has to do and, without which the computer would be nothing as it is considered to be the heart of the computer. Affected devices are from Apple iPhones to MacBooks, Android devices to large desktop personal computers, as well as internet servers. The process is to be so fundamental so that no log of the activity is created and no one would know if he or she has been hacked.
The protection of your network requires a level of network security. If you do not have security on your network, then you are capable of being hacked or receiving malware, spy, virus, and lots more. There are many programs or applications that can help detect and prevent strange activities on your computer, but there is also ways that you can help prevent anything from happening. Creating a password for your network is a good start toward protection of your computer. Try to make the password something only you would know, and maybe throw some numbers in there as well to maximize protection. It is good to know who all is on your network and internet; because if someone were to log on to your internet from a distance, they could plant viruses and other things into your files on the network. Quite a bit of problems occur in network when file sharing takes place in a work place to copy or manage files. Most of the time when this happens, no one sets the security setting up themselves,...
Computers are main technological features that allow criminals to step into unsuspecting victims lives. With a simple piggy-backing program hackers are able to track every keystroke made by the victim. One such program is called spyware, not to be confused with adware, which is often referred to interchangeably with spyware, but is potentially harmless (Louis 15). Spyware, hidden within downloaded software, implants itself deep within a computer’s hard drive, allowing it to track every move made by the user (Louis 16). Once inside a system, spyware can gather e-mail addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers.
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.
In the early days, many hackers were individuals, looking out for their own personal gains. Student hackers were able to expand computers, and they to made them play music and video games. In 1971, the programmer John Draper discovered that a little whistle that comes in a Captain Crunch cereal box had the same frequency as Phone Company’s used to send calls. His findings allowed him to make free phone calls anywhere in the world. (Clemmit, 767) When the 1980s began, younger hackers actually became professionals in breaching computer networks, this started and uproar of cyber crime incidents in the 1990s. From the 1990s to the 2000s, hackers started to really be recognized as a threat as they hacked into many federal government websites and large companies. This brought great controversy about what approach to take in stopping computer crimes. In the 2000s, hackers managed to make a huge name for themselves and became a main attraction to the public they were able to shut down a nuclear power plant in Ohio by unleashing a worm that disabled important safety systems. (Clemmit, 767)
The first of these threats is phishing. According to Riva Richmond, phishing is a ploy to gain personal information that will help people steal your identity. Hackers will send you fake e-mails that appear to be sent from a credible source. They then use these e-mails in order to trick you into handing over important personal information to them. The second threat is spyware and malware.
White-collar crime, specifically computer crime, is becoming more popular as computers become more readily available. Crimes using computers and crimes against computers are usually committed without fear of being caught, due to the detachment of the offender from the victim.
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.
Protecting your personal information, both on your personal computer and in other places such as your bank or your job, has become more difficult with the massive growth of the internet and the expertise of some unsavory characters called hackers, crackers or phreakers. Whatever they choose to call themselves, they are theives, plain and simple. Some people still question whether or not hacking should be illegal. I think it's obvious that what hackers do is illegal. A personal computer is personal and the information on it is private. When a hacker invades that privacy, he/she is trespassing and when they take your personal information they're committing a form of thievery (Ludlow). In addition to hackers, we now have marketers invading our privacy through the use of cookies (Rodger).
Hello and welcome to another issue of Personal Protection Program. In this March edition I will be discussing the issue of computer safety and in particular, file extensions, viruses, social networking safety and protecting your online identity.
The Internet is a connection of computers across the world through a network. Its origin dates back to the 1960s when the U.S Military used it for research, but it became more available to the public from the late 1980s. The World Wide Web was created in 1989 and browsers began appearing in the early 1990s. Over the last 24 years, the Internet has enabled people to shop, play, do research, communicate and conduct business online. It has also become cheaper and faster in performing different tasks. As much as the Internet has done immeasurable good to society, it has also dominated people’s lives and brought with it an array of cybercrimes. According to Nicholas Carr in his book The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way we Think, Read and Remember (Carr, 2010). He debates on whether the Internet has done more harm than good. People use the Internet daily to exchange accurate information and constantly personal data such as credit cards, passwords and Social Security numbers are travelling through the network from one computer to another. With security measures put in place on the Internet, personal information remains confidential. But unfortunately, criminals have adapted to innovations in technology, and today, more people are increasingly becoming victims of cybercrime. The Internet has had profound effects on the public, both positive and negative. In this paper we will examine how access to personal information has led to an increase in online and offline crimes. The essay will particularly focus on ecommerce and hacking.
The invention of the computer was revolutionary and the start of something big in society. In 1982, TIME magazine named the computer to be the “Machine of the Year” and expected hundreds of computers to be sold to businesses and regular consumers. Now it is estimated that over two billion personal computers will be in use by the year 2015; something so amazing and modern does come with its risks for everyone (Hyman, P. 2013). The more computers are being purchased and the more people are using the internet, the more victims are becoming at risk of cyber crimes. Being on the internet is not always safe, whether it may be purchasing a shirt online or checking your emails; people fall under the traps and become a victim of cyber crimes causing such an inconvenience and even ruining certain people’s lives. Cybercrimes are when crimes are conducted through the Internet in which a perpetrator intentionally acts with a computer and gains from the victim’s suffering. There are numerous cybercrimes such as electronic embezzlement and financial theft, computer hacking, malicious sabotage (such as creating and distributing viruses), internet scams and the utilization of computers and its networks for purposes of personal, commercial, or international espionage (Rosoff, S. M., & Pontell, H. N. 2013).