Tuesday, March 17, 2009

(Latest) Form 4: 1.3.3.1 - Select appropriate security measures to overcome the identified computer threats.

SECURITY MEASURES

Today, people rely on computers to create, store and manage critical information. It is important that the computer and the data they store are accessible and available when needed. It is also important that users take measures to protect their computers and data from lost, damage and misused.

Security measures mean the precautionary measures taken toward possible danger or damage. There are 6 type of security measures.


1.3.3.2 - Apply the correct security procedures.

-- Antivirus

- Anti-Spyware

- Cryptography

- Firewall

- Data backup


1) DATA BACKUP

Data Backup is a program of file duplication. Backups of data applications are necessary so that they can be recovered in case of an emergency.

Depending on the importance of the information, daily, weekly or biweekly backups from a hard disk can be performed.


2) CRYPTOGRAPHY

Cryptography is a process of hiding information by altering the actual information into different representation, for example, an APA can be

written as I? X.

Almost all cryptosystems depend on a key such as a

password like the numbers or a phrase that can be used to encrypt or decrypt a message.

The traditional type of cryptosystem used on a computer network is called a symmetric secret key system.


3) ANTIVIRUS

An antivirus program protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing any computer viruses found in the computer memory, on

storage media or incoming e-mail files.

An antivirus program scans for programs that attempt to modify the boot program, the operating system and other programs that normally are read from but not modified.

IDENTIFYING VIRUS

Two technique are used to identify the virus:


a) VIRUS SIGNATURE

Also called a virus definition is a specific pattern of the virus code.


b) INOCULATING A PROGRAM FILE

The antivirus program recordsinformation such as the file size and file creation date in a separate inoculation file.

The antivirus program then uses this information to detect if a virus tampers with the data describing the inoculated program file.


If an antivirus program identifies an infected file, it attempts to remove its virus, worm or Trojan horse. If the antivirus program cannot remove the infection, it often quarantines the infected file. Quarantine is a separate

area of a hard disk that holds the infected file until the infection can be removed. This step ensures other files will not become infected. Patents for inventions Utility, design or plant patents that protect inventions and improvements to existing inventions


4) ANTI-SPYWARE

Spyware is a program placed on a computer without the user’s knowledge. It secretly collects information about the user.

The spyware program communicates information to

the outside source.

An anti-spyware application program sometime called tracking software or a spybot is used to remove spyware.

Among of the popular anti-spyware programs are:

Spybot Search and Destroy

Ad-aware

Spyware Blaster


5) FIREWALL

Firewall is a piece of hardware or software which functions in a networked environment to prevent some communications forbidden by the security

policy.

Firewall implement a security policy. It might permit limited access from in or outside the network perimeters or from certain user or for certain activities.


6) HUMAN ASPECTS OF SECURITY MEASURES

Human aspects refer to the user and also the intruder of a computer system.

It is one of the hardest aspects to give protection to.

The most common problem is the lack of achieving a good information security procedure.