SECURITY ISSUES OF THE 21ST CENTURY (COMPUTER 6

Security Issues of the 21st Century (Computer Technology)

James Hicks

December 01, 2014

SECURITY ISSUES OF THE 21ST CENTURY (COMPUTER 6

Abstract

There are many security issues in the 21st century that can affect society in catastrophic ways. One of the most serious acts of security violations occurs in the computer technology. As we enter an age of technology computers are now one of the biggest security issues we face. The reason computers are being attacked can be contributed to the fact that we keep so must information such as financial and personal. With this being said, since computers are a product of the 21st century we must strive to educate ourselves. We must realize that computer security is one of the most important aspects of owning a computer, without security nothing is safe from intruders with ambitions of entering your device and either destroying your computer or taking vital information out. “We use computers for everything from banking and investing to shopping and communicating with others through email or chat programs.”(www.cert.org, 2001)

As we enter the beginning of a new century we must realize that this is the age of technology, security should be approached from a perspective that security in this 21st century is no longer armored trucks and buildings, security cameras, and security guards. Instead the generic thieves have been replaced with hackers who would love to take over your computer or network so they can use it as a front to attack other computer’s, they basically take your identity and profit from it financially. Another aspect of attack that these intruders can implement consists of changing your settings and re-configuring settings and programs. They look for mistakes in your system or even holes where they can enter. It is a computers job applying updates and its anti-virus programs systems job to take these holes and patch them before these hackers find ways to enter because the computer lack efficient updates. Many of us use are computers for communication and business such as sending emails and going online to conduct business. With many new technologies in the 21st century being invented the ways you are vulnerable are catastrophic. “When you open the attachment, it will launch the virus and the virus will use the target computer to send the same email with the same attachment to other computer.”(Pcsndreams.com, 20100)

There are many types of attacks that these hackers use such as worms which are programs that do not need to attach themselves to your computer they just make copies of themselves over and over taking up bandwidth which makes your computer really slow. Another type of attack that hackers use is called a zombie attack in which they enter through a back door on your computer using your computer to attack others or even commit crimes. Sometimes they can take your computer and sell your computers hacking to others so they can also do the same. Email viruses are another familiar way they can attack your computer, recently I received some emails from friends and even a teacher at DeVry with an attachment that contained a link for a virus. When I contacted my friends I asked them if they had sent me an email containing this link and they all denied knowledge of it. “It can also find files containing email addresses in the target computer and send the same email containing the virus to the email addresses that it found.”(Pcsndreams.com, 2010)

Other forms of attacks are spyware and adware, which basically install themselves on your computer so that the hacker can access financial or personal information and use it for their advantage. There are many different ways to protect you from these attacks, these security protocols consist of Firewalls and anti-virus protection programs which can help secure your network and computer from hackers and viruses.”A firewall can block malware that could otherwise scan your computer for vulnerabilities and then try to break in at a weak point. (Firewallguide.com, 2010) These will help secure your computer and keep malware, spyware, adware, zombies, and email viruses off your computer and make sure they stay off of your computer. It helps alert you of their presence before they can attack or attach themselves to your network or computer hard drive. Some viruses once attached can send your information out to others via mal ware; anti-virus programs will notify you before these actions taking place. “The problem with users is that they do not know where their software originated from and what may be hidden inside it.”(Davis, 2004) So you must be careful when entering the internet or downloading unknown emails or programs.

In Conclusion, security in the 21st century is important because crimes no longer are committed physically but with use of technology. Thieves are no longer bandit crooks with as little as ill content and a weapon. Instead the thieves are hackers and other forms of attackers who wish to violate the security of your information. Your system security is a very serious job you must always protect your computer from these outside security threats. There are many attacks that these hackers will try so you must make the proper decisions when it comes to the type of information you allow on your computer. You must protect your system by keeping it protected and safe when you are not using it, and never use unsafe computers to access personal material online. As long as you have proper protections on your computer such a firewall and anti-virus programs as well as keeping your computer updated and locked when you are not using it you should be just fine. It is not guaranteed that these 21st century thieves known as hackers will not try to find other ways to enter your computer and succeed, however, being cautious and secure never hurt anyone.

References

Cert.org. (2001). Home Network Security. Retrieved from cert.org: www.cert.org

Davis, R. L., Williams, D., & Cothern, C. (2004). Principles of Computer Security. [Security and Beyond]. Retrieved from

Home PC Firewall Guide. (2010). Retrieved from www.Firewallguide.com

Pcsndreams.com. (2010). Ten Computer Security Threats That Can Cost You A New PC. Retrieved from www.pcsndreams.com: www.pcsndreams.com

SECURITY ISSUES OF THE 21ST CENTURY (COMPUTER 6

Security Issues of the 21st Century (Computer Technology)