Computer security

Computer security, cybersecurity or information technology security is the protection of computer systems and networks from the theft of or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.

Computer Security and its types

• Information Security is securing information from unauthorized access, modification & deletion

• Application Security is securing an application by building security features to prevent from Cyber Threats such as SQL injection, DoS attacks, data breaches and etc.

• Computer Security means securing a standalone machine by keeping it updated and patched

• Network Security is by securing both the software and hardware technologies

• Cyber Security is defined as protecting computer systems, which communicate over the computer networks

Why is Computer Security Important?

In this digital era, we all want to keep our computers and our personal information secure and hence computer security is important to keep our personal information protected. It is also important to maintain our computer security and its overall health by preventing viruses and malware which would impact on the system performance.

Computer Security Practices

Computer security threats are becoming relentlessly inventive these days. There is much need for one to arm oneself with information and resources to safeguard against these complex and growing computer security threats and stay safe online. Some preventive steps you can take include:

• Secure your computer physically by:
  • Installing reliable, reputable security and anti-virus software
  • Activating your firewall, because a firewall acts as a security guard between the internet and your local area network 
• Stay up-to-date on the latest software and news surrounding your devices and perform software updates as soon as they become available
• Avoid clicking on email attachments unless you know the source 
• Change passwords regularly, using a unique combination of numbers, letters and case types
• Use the internet with caution and ignore pop-ups, drive-by downloads while surfing
• Taking the time to research the basic aspects of computer security and educate yourself on evolving cyber-threats
• Perform daily full system scans and create a periodic system backup schedule to ensure your data is retrievable should something happen to your computer.

Computer security threats

Comupter Security Threats are possible dangers that can possibly hamper the normal functioning of your computer. In the present age, cyber threats are constantly increasing as the world is going digital. The most harmful types of computer security are:

Viruses

A computer virus is a malicious program which is loaded into the user’s computer without user’s knowledge. It replicates itself and infects the files and programs on the user’s PC. The ultimate goal of a virus is to ensure that the victim’s computer will never be able to operate properly or even at all. 

Computer Worm

A computer worm is a software program that can copy itself from one computer to another, without human interaction. The potential risk here is that it will use up your computer hard disk space because a worm can replicate in greate volume and with great speed.

Phishing

Disguising as a trustworthy person or business, phishers attempt to steal sensitive financial or personal information through fraudulent email or instant messages. Phishing in unfortunately very easy to execute. You are deluded into thinking it’s the legitimate mail and you may enter your personal information.

Botnet

A botnet is a group of computers connected to the internet, that have been compromised by a hacker using a computer virus. An individual computer is called ‘zombie computer’. The result of this threat is the victim’s computer, which is the bot will be used for malicious activities and for a larger scale attack like DDoS.

Rootkit

A rootkit is a computer program designed to provide continued privileged access to a computer while actively hiding its presence. Once a rootkit has been installed, the controller of the rootkit will be able to remotely execute files and change system configurations on the host machine.

Keylogger

Also known as a keystroke logger, keyloggers can track the real-time activity of a user on his computer. It keeps a record of all the keystrokes made by user keyboard. Keylogger is also a very powerful threat to steal people’s login credential such as username and password.