Internet Security – An Overview And Glossary

Defining Threats

A defining threat is any unsafe activity that may cause damage to the business network. Factors that are normally used to identify such threats include the following:-

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1. Alerts and decisions of senior management

2. Emissions from a network.

3. Non-execution of policy etc.

4. Parental involvement

5. Activity while on the premises

6. Outside activities

All of the above activities are considered as potential threats which may cause damage to the network.

This can be further broken down into two categories as below:-

1. Viruses and Worms

2. Trojans and Worms

Worms and Trojan are the commonest form of malicious software which is commonly used to damage ones computer system. Viruses are known to cause immense damage to the computer system. It can be from infecting the computer system by downloading an attachment with its file to your address on the internet. Or by installing itself through software that is downloaded from the internet.

Trojan horses are the application which acts like a plug socket which can activate itself and then manifests itself. The particular sign of a Trojan horse is that the program is identified and renamed following the recommendation of anti-virus program. Trojan horses differ from viruses and are not as dangerous.

All together now, we have seen a brief description of the threats and software that we may face on the internet. Now I will explain each individually.

1. Worms

Worms are most likely to bring down a computer system through extensive spam emails. These generate a lot of nuisance and interfere with the normal working of a computer.

2. Trojans

A Trojan is a program which has many uncanny features. It appears to be a genuine software but actually contains malicious codes which can damage computers.

3. Malicious software

These are programs which are harmful to your computer but manages to do so without your knowledge. Malicious software can be slipped into your computer through legitimate files, CD/DVD etc. They sometimes, however, have a file which is executable which can steal information from your computer.

4. Spyware

Spyware is often talked about as a virus but it is not a virus. Spyware is a programs which secretly monitors the user’s activities on the computer and transmits this vital information to a third party.

5. Trojan Horse

A Trojan Horse is a malicious program which masquerades as a software application. The software initially appears to perform a certain purpose but when it is executed, that purpose is accomplished without the user’s knowledge.

6. Virus

A virus is a program which has the ability to replicates itself and use itself to do damage to other programs on your computer. It can also encode files and delete data from your computer. In order to prevent damage to your computer, you should use antivirus software. This software will keep your computer safe from virus threats.

7. Worm

Worms are non-replicating programs which use a network to send copies of themselves to other computers on the Internet. Damage to files or networks can cause disastrous effects to your operating system and website.

8. Trojan Horse

A Trojan Horse is a malicious program which appears to be a software application but actually contains malicious codes which masquerades as legitimate software. Once it is installed on your computer, you cannot remove it. Typically, you will not be able to remove it manually. Problems in removing it may also cause problems with your computer’s stability.

9. Other

Other malware include viruses, spyware and adware. This list is not all-inclusive and is likely to change as more threats are discovered.

10. Website

A website is any web-based computer facility available via the Internet. Surfers coming to a website set up a temporary file that will download malware programs to your computer.

You should install an antivirus and antispyware software for your personal computer.

It is also very important to open all files sent or received via email or opened files in a text editor for possible malicious programs.

Sharing of personal information is prohibited.

Do not click on any suspicious links.

If you are unsure about the website, the best way to check is to visit it using a search engine. You will find comments posted by others about how well known the website is or whether it is a safe website.

Update your antivirus and antispyware software regularly.

Only visit trusted sites for information and integrate it into your routine.

Let your antivirus and antispyware software run at all times.

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