Network Security

 Importance of information and system security for individuals and organizations

  System security is critical for both individuals and organizations. Strong data security measures are essential to protect against cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and data breaches. As highlighted in our reading, “An individual may suffer tremendous trouble, stress, and financial loss if a personal computer or company account is compromised. A single person can now inflict much greater harm on a company through hacking than in the past. Countries increasingly engage in espionage and conduct warfare against each other not through physical force, but via computers. Consequently, the demand for computer security professionals is on the rise” (zyBooks, section 8.1).

Computer viruses/ Password Cracking

A computer virus is a program that runs on a user's computer without permission and spreads to other computers, often via email. A computer that is infected by a virus can have its information compromised. The purposes of a computer virus may include using the computer for illicit tasks, stealing information such as credit card numbers or passwords, and causing harm by deleting data. In most cases, hackers will send an employee of a company an email; once the recipient opens the email or clicks on a link, the virus can grant the hacker complete access to the company's or individual's information. Computer viruses exploit user vulnerability, as many users inadvertently access them by clicking on suspicious links or using unsecured networks. Additionally, users may make their computers more vulnerable by not implementing proper security measures to protect their systems. Computer systems are vulnerable to password cracking due to a combination of factors related to human behavior, technical weaknesses, and system design. Computer systems are vulnerable to hackers due to the passwords being too easy, for example, passwords like (123). Also, if a person's system is older usually, they are easier to hack because of the older system.

Symptoms and Damage

Once a hacker has infected a computer system, it may show little to no signs of being compromised. One possible indication of an infection is that the computer may run slower than usual or show activity even when it is not being used. Antivirus software is designed to detect known viruses and work to disable them by scanning the hard drive and monitoring visited websites and downloaded files. Some company websites, such as drive.google.com, check for viruses on their servers before allowing a file to be downloaded. Users can prevent these issues by using antivirus software or enabling two-factor authentication for their passwords.