Friends ,Computers are practically in every aspect of our lives these
days and our reliance on them is heavy.They are used as tools for work
, data storage , schoolwork , shopping , and entertainment . Because so
much information is typically stored on our computers we must always
make sure they are protected from that loss of information . Businesses
have to secure information on their computers to protect it from
exploitation by hackers . And the home computer user is no exception to
the requirement to protect computer information because there can be
credit card numbers , social security numbers , and other sensitive
personal information stored on their computer or transmitted when doing
online shopping . There is a term used for this and it is "computer
security risk ." This term refers to the likelihood that some action
could cause the loss of information , computer hardware , or denial of
service .
When computer security is put at risk intentionally ,
it becomes criminal in nature or we call this a computer crime .
Another relative of the computer crime is the cybercrime . The FBI pays
especially close attention to cybercrimes and there are other types of
crimes related to them such as corporate spying , unethical computer
activity , cyberterrorism , hacking , cracking , and cyberextortion .
Hacking at one time had a positive meaning to it but since computer
crimes were introduced , it falls in the bucket with the rest of them .
The hacker is the person who gains access to a computer network
illegally . They sometimes use the excuse that they were only trying to
break a network's security so as to make the administrator aware of any
security deficiencies .
Closely related to the hacker is the
cracker . But the cracker never has been viewed in a positive light .
The cracker always has had the intent to gain access to computer and its
network to do harm to it or commit a crime like stealing information
stored on it . The cracker , like the hacker , has to know what he or
she is doing so advanced computer skills are needed in order to pull
these crimes off .
Then there are the cyberterrorists and
cyberextortionists . The cyberterrorist has a political motive behind
his or her activities and it is to do harm to computers to adversely
affect a political system . Cyberterrorism requires extensive planning ,
skilled people to carry it out , and money to fund it . It is much like
the classic terrorist attack .
The cyberextortionist is the
one who commits the crime of extortion via email . They will hold a
company hostage by threatening to release sensitive company information
or harm a company's computers and network if not given some confidential
information and/or money . Sometimes these criminals are aware of
security leaks that will allow them to exploit the computer . It is much
like classic extortion except carried out through computers .
Then there is the employee who wants to get revenge on his or her
company because of some perceived wrong done to them or they want to pad
their pockets . These people are known as the unethical employees and
what makes them so dangerous is that they many times know how to get
into the system .
Not everyone has the computer skills
required to be a cracker or hacker so there is another classification
known as the "script kiddie ." This person is usually is a teenager
attempts to harm a computer system but cannot do much because he or she
does not know much . This person will use canned programs and scripts to
attempt to do the hacks and cracks .
Some unethical
businesses try to gain an unfair advantage on their competition through
an illegal activity known as corporate espionage . The same unethical
businesses will hire a corporate spy who is highly-proficient in
computers and technology to break into the target corporation's
computers . The corporate spy will then steal information or even
sabotage the target computer .
It is imperative that home and
business computer users take action to shield their computer from these
threats to their security . Computer security methods are not 100%
foolproof but they do decrease the risk to computers significantly . As
soon as a solution is found to protect against one threat , someone
figures out a new way to gain unauthorized access to them . Computer
users on home networks are more at risk to have information stolen than
are computers on business networks mostly because of the more advanced
security on the latter . And the internet is a network even more
susceptible and at risk when it comes to security . Another problem with
security on the internet is that there is not one centralized point to
manage security and safety on the information highway .
You
are probably wondering now if your computer is secure from threats such
as these . There are ways you can get your system evaluated . You can
find sites on the internet that offer services that will access your
computer and report to you any security vulnerabilities found either
through internet browsing or the e-mail . These same companies many
times offer tips and suggestions of ways to protect against the
vulnerabilities . Another resource in the fight against computer
security threat is the Computer Emergency Response Team ( CERT )
Coordination Center which also offers suggestions .
Security
attacks against computers usually involve things like worms , viruses ,
denial of service , Trojan horses , and spoofing . All of these , the
computer virus is the most famous . A computer virus is basically
software that is designed to do damage to the files on your computer
once it gets installed on it . All if it is done without the user giving
permission and without the user's knowledge at first . A computer virus
, once it gets in your computer , will spread and cause more damage .
It will do things like delete files and corrupt your computer's
operating system and render it inoperable . Thus it was tagged with the
term "virus" because it acts much the same way as human virus does : it
gets in and spreads throughout the body and causes illness or damage in
some cases . Protection against viruses is available through anti-virus
software .
An offshoot of the computer virus is the computer
worm . A computer worm is much like a virus with the exception that it
will find some perfectly valid executable program on your computer and
attach itself to that program . When the user runs the program , the
computer worm will attack . Computer worms can consume a lot of network
bandwidth while they replicate across a corporate network .
And now for the famous Trojan horse computer threat that derives its
name from the famous story in Greek mythology . What a Trojan horse does
is hide itself in a program that looks like a valid program but in
reality it is not . Trojan horse programs do not replicate like the
viruses and worms do .
All these different types of threat
software are known as malware which is term used to refer to
malicious-logic programs . Malware , as the name implies , does damage
to your computer . There are other variations of worms , viruses , and
Trojan horses but we are just discussing these three for this article .
And you should know how to suspect you have been attacked by one or more
these malicious programs . You should be suspicious that you have been
attacked if your computer shows one or more of these signs :
Programs you use suddenly don't work like they used to :
Files are missing or corrupted
Strange music or sounds are heard on your computer
You start running out of memory for no apparent reason
Strange files show up on your system
System properties begin to change
Popup windows with odd messages and/or images display
The ways in which these malicious programs do their damage or drop their "bombs" can be one any one of the following :
A user runs a program infected with the virus . This is why virus
scanning software that checks a program before running it is so
important .
A user boots a computer and the virus is installed on
the boot sector . It is recommended that you remove all media files when
you shut down your computer .
A user connects to a computer that
is not protected against viruses on the network ( such as accessing a
shared drive ) . So the user opens a virus-infected file on a shared
drive and now the user's client computer has the virus .
A user
opens up an email attachment that contains an executable file with a
virus . This is why it is so important to not open up executable email
attachments unless you know the sender and the attachment has been
scanned by anti-virus software .
And another big problem with
malicious logic programs is that new ways to implement them are
discovered every day . Security websites try to stay on top of each new
malware implementation so that users can be alert for them . Take basic
safety measures to protect your computer such as installing a good
anti-virus package that gets updated with new malware detection logic
automatically . Never open up suspicious email attachments . Be careful
of the internet sites you visit (don't visit Warez sites ) ,
and run anti-spyware programs . Take the media out of any alternate boot
devices you have so that a virus cannot get stored on it and be
introduced at boot time . Finally , stay informed from security websites
as to the latest threats and what to look out for
