With the use of computers becoming indispensable for communication and information storage, computer security assumes paramount importance and there is now a compelling necessity to protect computers from loss and abuse of data.
It is a fact that today many people are completely dependent on computers to communicate, store information and do most of their work. As such Computer security assumes a lot of importance although sadly, many computer users are still unaware of the risks and fail to secure the computers from possible threats like virus, trojans, adware, malware and hackers. The unfortunate aspect is users spend tons of money on computer software but pay scant attention to computer and Internet security.
Need for computer security
There is a basic necessity to protect the computer from loss of data, misuse and abuse of personal information. It is important for businesses to take security measures to keep computers secure so that hackers do not access any sensitive or confidential information related to their business. Individual users should also make sure that the credit card numbers and personal financial information are secure when getting transactions done online.
During earlier times, hackers tried to breach computer security more for playing pranks or for the sheer thrill of it. But today hacking systems is done for nefarious purposes and hackers are paid big money. These hackers are all the time trying to steal user passwords, credit card details, and personal financial information. Businesses hire hackers to destroy, delete or steal competitor information. The hackers are extraordinarily proficient with network skills and make a living by committing cyber crimes.
Nature of security threats
A deliberate breach of computer security is known as computer crime whereas a cyber crime is an illegal act committed in the world of connectivity through internet. Since most of the security threats come via internet, the word Cyber-crime becomes dominantly important in computer security.There are several distinct or well defined categories for cyber-criminals, but mostly they are known as hackers or cyber terrorist. A hacker, simply stated, is a person who tries to access any network system illegally with an intention of unlawful acts.
A corporate hacker, who is also known as corporate spy, is hired to break into a computer network or hack the network configuration of any computer system to gain some highly sensitive information and abuse data incorporation. A cyber terrorist, on the other hand, is a person with political intents and accesses a computer network to destroy the system to conduct evil political offences. The cyber terrorist may also misuse email facility to send email messages conveying death threats, or to blackmail users they will release some confidential information.
Preventive measures
To ascertain if the computer is vulnerable to a computer risk the user can always avail any online security service which is a website that checks the computer for possible email and Internet threats. The company will then give some pointers on how to correct these susceptibilities.
There are several options available to protect the system with tools that are easy to operate. A bulk of the effective computer security software could be freeware programs if only the user invests time online searching for these programs. One of the assured ways to protect the computer from outside intrusions is by the use of a firewall. A firewall, to those who are less familiar, is a piece of software cum isolation tool that shields unwanted data entering your computer through internet. It scans all data that enters or leaves a computer and lets through harmless data and blocks all suspicious data. Installation of firewall almost de-links the computer from the outside world, thereby preventing hackers from gaining entry.