Network Security
Technology has made our
lives easier, but it has also made us more vulnerable to those that want to
take advantage of us. Anything users do on the internet can be tracked, and
users are often unaware of how that information can be uses. Sometimes it can
be used for beneficial purposes, but it can also cause great harm. Therefore,
it is crucial for both individuals and organizations to protect their
information.
Computer systems are
vulnerable to security holes because no matter how well-built the system,
hackers will be able to find a flaw in security. Hackers look for
vulnerabilities in operating systems, browser applications, office
applications, etc. to breach the security and share the vulnerabilities via
private websites visited by hackers. Computer viruses and email spam often rely
on operator error, at least to some extent. That is, these attacks typically rely
on fooling a human user into somehow installing malicious software. For
example, a phishing email will often include an urgent call to action to try to
bully a user into responding (Friedman, 2016). The user’s information could be
also compromised through passwords cracking by hackers or social engineering.
The “Ping of Death” is a
type of Denial of Service (DoS) attack where hackers bombard a server with ping
attempts. The great number of pings overloads the server and prevents it from
carrying out legitimate requests. Hackers will often use this method if they
wish to take a website offline. It can be very difficult to stop a DoS attack
when it occurs, but webservers can implement preventative measures such as
limiting the number of pings the server will accept in a given period of time.
Security holes, viruses,
and malware can all be used to access restricted information, or even take
control of a computer. Spam, phishing, password cracking, and social
engineering can be used to steal a user’s information and compromise their
accounts, such as online banking information, or access to restricted
information.
Security holes, viruses,
and malware attacks can often be averted by keeping your operating system up to
date. OS updates are typically used when new security issues are discovered.
Antivirus software is also important for detecting and deleting threats.
Different tools within apps also could help with identifying, filtering out,
and possibly stopping potentially harmful messages and attacks by hackers and
phishers.
For security issues like
phishing, password cracking, and social engineering, the best method of
prevention is education. A savvy user is difficult to fool and is capable of
identifying and avoiding threats. Nolan Garrett, writing for Forbes, says
“Security is all about taking it back to the basics. Train and develop your
team to think with a security-first mindset, changing the culture of what it
means to secure not only the front door of your business, but every endpoint
that offers access to the digital space as well (Garrett, 2019).” It is
important to keep up with researching about the new tactics a hacker may take
to protect self and organizations.
References:
Fredman, B. C. (2016, January 25). How to Protect Yourself
From Phishing. Consumer Reports. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from
https://www.consumerreports.org/money/how-to-protect-yourself-from-phishing/
Garrett, N. (2019, November 19). Rethinking Information
Security. Forbes. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/19/rethinking-information-security/?sh=770b5ab43816
Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.
Wilson, J. (2022, July 25). Scammers Are Cracking Today’s
More Secure Passwords — Here’s What You Can Do. Forbes Advisor. Retrieved
July 25, 2022, from
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