Computer Security Risk for Home Users Essay Example for Free

Computer Security Risk for abode Users EssayThis memoir of information processing systems started long before it emerges in the 20th century. Computer was a man made device that acts as string from mechanical inventions and mathematical theories towards the modern concepts and machines formed a major academic ground and the radical that became a worldwide phenomenon.It is true that any great invention that is created to solve human lives exit forever have its negative side that will serve as a prey to embellish and pay back catastrophic impact in a perfect device. As computing machine became to replace human brains, barter partners, our media devices, our financial advisors, connection to the world and information processing system has likewise became our number one security threat.According to the single out textbook, A computer security assay is any even upt or action that could cause a loss of damage to computer hardw be, software, data, information, or processi ng capability. (Vermaat, 2010) some(a) of these security take chancess have caused users millions of dollars due to individualism stealth and at the same time computer has helped law enforcement agent captured convicted felons.Computer Security risk trick be classified into two main categories which are computer crimes and cybercrimes. Computer crime involves wittingly interfering with computer security which involves a deliberate act against the law and cyber crime is defined as Traditionally, crime has been defined as an intentional violation of the legal code that is punishable by the distinguish. (Vermaat, 2010) Cybercrime has become a serious crime and the FBI as include this into their top three priorities. The perpetrator of cybercrime and computer crimes has fall into seven basic categories which are hacker, cracker, Script Kiddie, corporate spy, unethical employee, cyber extortionist, and cyber terrorist. Home users are in the main exposed to security threats today be cause they do not have the financial means to value themselves and also denture users think their level of vulnerability is small.While the risks to standard home computer users are not as catastrophic in cost as those of small businesses and home office computer users, they are still substantial enough to not ignore. The cost in lost data, missed electronic mails, and possibly the theft of your identity all are significant enough to warrant consideration. (EITS, 2008) It is better to spend few dollars instantaneously to take proactive measures to protect your computer and its information will out weight the time it will take to recover from the losses you likely will suffer without an adequate protection. There are some(prenominal) typical technical issues and risks involving computer networks and computer users. One of which is a commonly used term called computer virus.A computer virus is potentially negative and damaging computer computer programs that affects or spoil a computer negatively by altering the way the computer works without the users knowledge or permission. Once the virus spoils the computer, it can spread throughout the computer and damage authorised programs and folders in the operating system. An another(prenominal) computer threat for home users is a worm. The book defines a worm as a program that copies itself repeatedly, for example in memory of on the network, using up resources and possibly shutting down the computer or network.The third computer threat for home users is a fifth column horse this type of attack is derived and named after the Greek myth and its define as a program that hides within or look like a legitimate program. A legitimate condition or action usually triggers the Trojan horse. Unlike a virus or worm, Trojan horse does not replicate itself to other computers. (Vermaat, 2010) The last known computer or network risk for home users is rootkit define as a program that hides in a computer and allows someone from a remote location to take full control of the computer. Once the rootkit is installed author can execute programs, smorgasbord setting, monitor activity and access files on the remote computer. (Vermaat, 2010) How to safeguard against Computer viruses and other MalwareHome users can take several precautions to help prevent intruders into their personal home computers and mobile devices from malicious infections. These programs can help mark problem that might affect home computers before they occur. Install a choice antivirus application such as, AVG, McAfee, Norton, and Avira antivirus programs are sufficient enough to protect a computer against virus and spyware infections. Some of these antivirus programs are provided for free, however whitethorn not be sufficient enough to protect a computer from virus and spyware infections Pro-grade antivirus programs update more frequently throughout the day thereby providing well timed(p) protection against fast-emerging vulnerabili ties, protect against a wider range of threats such as rootkits, and enable additional protective features such as system scans. Install real-time anti-spyware protection is a way to have a real time program on a computer that will help protect against the skyrocketing number of spyware threats on a timely manner.Free antivirus program do not provide a real-time protection against Trojan and other spyware and that is why a fully paid antivirus protection is recommended. This fully paid program can detect problems before it occurs. Keeping anti-malware applications occurrent is another way to protect a computer against viruses or malware. Antivirus and anti-spyware programs implore regular signature and database updates. Without these critical updates, anti-malware programs are unable to protect PCs from the latest threats. In early 2009, antivirus supplier AVG released statistics revealing that a lot of serious computer threats are secretive and fast-moving. Many of these infect ions are short-lived, further theyre estimated to infect as many as 100,000 to 300,000 untested Web sites a day.Computer users essential keep their antivirus and anti-spyware applications up to date. All Windows users must take measures to prevent license expiration, thereby ensuring that their anti-malware programs stay current and continue providing protection against the most recent threats. Those threats now spread with alarming speed, thanks to the popularity of such well-disposed media sites as Twitter, Facebook, and My Space (Eckel, 2009) Once an antivirus has been installed on a device it is crucial to perform a casual scans. This can be programmed directly by the owner to either perform a scan on a hourly bases, daily or monthly bases. The sheer number and volume of potential and new threats make it inevitable that particularly inventive infections will outsmart security software. In other cases, users may inadvertently instruct anti-malware software to allow a virus or spyware program to run. (Eckel, 2009)Dont retick on email links or attachments its a tune most either Windows user has heard repeatedly If an email link looks fishy, most likely it is, dont click it. Antivirus software will trigger a warning sign if a link appears to be unplayful to a computer system. Sometimes a distracted, trustful of friends or colleagues they know, or simply fooled by a crafty email message, many users forget to be wary of links and attachments included within email messages, regardless of the source. Simply clicking on an email link or attachment can, within minutes, corrupt Windows, infect other machines, and destroy critical data. Users should never click on email attachments without at least counterbalance scanning them for viruses using a business-class anti-malware application.As for clicking on links, users should access Web sites by opening a browser and manually navigating to the sites in question. (Eckel, 2009) The quote that says protection is be tter than cure makes perfect sense even in the computer work. The only way to protect a computer is by playing it safe. endow a little after a purchase of a PC by buying a powerful antivirus protection to protect the PC from intruders. It is also very important to be very lively of the type of programs you download or upload into the system. One of the advantages of having that extra protection for a PC is the motorcar scan option thats offered by the antivirus program. The software will automatically scan all the files or virus that might cause a negative impact on the computer.BibliographyEckel, E. (2009, June 19). 10 ways to exclude viruses and spyware. Retrieved November 6, 2012, from A ZDNet Web Site www.techrepublic.com EITS. (2008). Retrieved November 6, 2012, from entsols www.entsols.com Finnie, T., Petee, T., Javis, J. (2010, September 22). Future Challenges of Cybercrime. Volume 5 Proceedings of the Futures Working conclave , pp. 5-7. Vermaat, G. B. (2010). Discoveri ng Computers Microsoft Office 2010. Boston Course Technology Cengage Brain.