Throughout
this course and through the recently posted topics on the TEC101 blog, we were
introduced to the topic of Network Security and the importance of it both as an
individual and as an institution. In an increasingly digital world, more and
more applications and devices are able to connect to the internet. With nearly
everything in your life connected to the internet, it is crucial for you to
take the step required to properly safeguard your personal information. There
is no shortage of people who will try to lie, cheat, and exploit technology for
nefarious reasons which means continuous learning and evolving is a critical
component of our future with technology. Experian, a major analytics and credit
reporting agency, reports that fraud incidents relating to identity theft
amounted to over 6 billion dollars in losses in 2021 (Akin, 2022). While phone
calls and text messages were the top two mediums for these types of fraud,
closely following were emails, websites, and applications. Network security
will continue to be a primary focus for individuals and businesses alike.
To
better understand the importance of network security in today’s society, we
first must take a look back at the history of computers. One could say that “security”
is at the core of what computers were largely used for back in the early days
of its creation since early computers were often used for military purposes
like code breaking during WWII and calculating bomb paths (Vahid et al., 2019).
Since its inception, computers have been one of man greatest tools ever
created. Information can be accessed around the globe in seconds on nearly
anything you can think of. Today, nearly everyone has a computer in their
pocket with cell phones and billions more at home with personal computers and
laptops. With everything connected to the internet, it’s increasingly easy to
fall prey to one of the countless fraudulent technological activities. With
great power comes great responsibility.
Some
of the most common types of security issues come in the form of social
engineering. Nefarious individuals pretend to be employees of a company and get
other employees to give them access to information or clearance they wouldn’t
otherwise have. Phishing is another common type of fraudulent activity that
preys on vulnerability of humans to gain access to their computers, either by
having unsuspecting users input personal data into a fake website or form or by
tricking users into clicking links to websites that can spread viruses and
malware. Once someone has access to your computer there is no telling just how
much harm can possibly come from a cyber-attack. Once inside your system,
viruses and other malwares can be used to perform a myriad of actions. Someone
could hold your hard drives, your computer’s hardware that stores data even
when powered off, hostage and demand payment for its release of your files. Someone
could gain illicit access to entire databases of information and the amount of damage
possible can be insurmountable.
Each
of these viruses or malware are programs and applications that are programmed
by someone. Viruses are written in a variety of programming languages just like
all other programs and applications. The core principles behind creating
something great for the computer are the same as creating something
devastating. For every person trying to use a computer for good, there is
undoubtedly someone out there trying to use the computer for bad. Luckily for
us, there are ways to help protect yourself and your information. There are
free and paid for anti-virus software available and these applications are a
good step in ensuring your network safety. Do your diligence and find the
solution that is best for you as sometimes even commercial antivirus software
fail to deliver on their promises (Jardine, 2020). Just as quickly as
vulnerabilities are patched new ones are discovered so it’s important to always
stay updated and vigilant.
For
all these reasons and more, security should be a top priority for everyone. Some
steps are easy to do while others may take a little bit of knowhow, but still
entirely achievable by novice to intermediate computer users. Even in 2006, people were highlighting network
security and some easy ways to help stay secure such as: changing passwords,
changing SSID settings, allowing only certain computers to access the network,
limiting the number of devices able to be connected, and more (Peterson, et
al., 2006). The writers go on to say that a valuable part of network security is
common sense, which I couldn’t agree with more. Understand that so many people
out there have bad intentions and it’s especially easy to fall victim to one of
the millions of fraudulent activities out there. Having a secure network helps
with one part of things, but common sense will always be a common factor that
allows many to take advantage.
References
Akin,
J. (2022, October 11). Identity Theft Is on the Rise, Both in Incidents and
Losses. Experian. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/identity-theft-statistics/#:~:text=to%20the%20FTC.-,Fraud%20Statistics,identity%20theft%20and%20other%20complaints
Jardine,
E. (2020). The Case against Commercial Antivirus Software: Risk Homeostasis and
Information Problems in Cybersecurity. Risk Analysis: An International Journal,
40(8), 1571–1588. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13534
Peterson, B. H., Heninger, W. G., Lindstrom, C. J., & Romney, M. B. (2006, February 1). How secure is your wireless network? Six basic steps can enhance security in environments where electronic data roams the airwaves. Internal Auditor, 63(1). https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=edsbig&AN=edsbig.A142875113&site=eds-live&scope=site
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