Posted: February 9th, 2022

Current Topics in Digital Security

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Current Topics in Digital Security

Topic Number:3: MalwareTopic:My Computer has the Flu: Viruses, Worms, and MalwareDefinition & Summary:Worms and viruses refer to a category of malicious programs or malwares and they tend to be categorized based on how they infect a computer. According to Edge, Barker, Hunter, and Sullivan (2010) The difference between a virus and a worm is that while worms can be stand-alone malicious programs capable of self-replicating, viruses require active programs to act as their hosts for them to run and cause damage on a computer. Malwares tend to spread from one computer to another through emails, portable devices, internet downloads, and other mediums such as social media links. In order to get rid of a computer virus or safeguard a computer from contacting the virus, antimalware applications should be installed. Moreover, the installed antimalware applications should be updated regularly because they will help protect against any new viruses or malware definitions (Edge, Barker, Hunter & Sullivan, 2010). Personal Response:Today almost all operations are being undertaken online especially now that the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic. With more operations going online, it means that cyber criminals will seek to exploit any weak network systems to infect computers with malware and steal sensitive information. In addition, new viruses and malwares are being created on a daily basis with the aim of beating the existing defense mechanisms. As such, I think that more effort should be made to enhance computer security by ensuring that antimalware applications are updated regularly. Ensuring that new antivirus and antimalware definitions are put in and also updated regularly will strengthen the existing computer network security. Links and Captions to Web Images:Malware Steal Your Sensitive Information-
https://consoltech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Malware-steals-your-information-214×136.jpg
Links and Captions to Web Media:Malware Infection Symptoms – https://enterprise.comodo.com/images/malware-infection.png

Topic Number:9: Mobile ComputersTopic:Computers on the GoDefinition & Summary:Shoulder surfing referring to the use of various direct observation techniques like looking over the shoulder of a person seated next to you to acquire vital information from the computer such as passwords (Goucher, 2018). This technique is often an effective method of acquiring information especially in clouded places because it presents an easy opportunity to stand close to someone and watch them enter a pin number or fill out a certain form (Goucher, 2018). In some cases, shoulder surfing is also done in long distance where vision enhancing devices such as binoculars are used. Experts suggest that shoulder surfing can be prevented by shielding the keypad with your body or cupping it using the hand (Goucher, 2018). Personal Response:I think that computing in public places is not a safe idea because there are so many risks of losing valuable information such as with the case of shoulder surfing. Cyber criminals and other attacks can take advantage of this technique to steal valuable information from an individual using their computers in public places. As such, I would discourage against using computer in public places especially in clouded areas unless it must be used under unavoidable circumstance. In situations where a computer has to be used in public places, then it would be advisable to be aware of various shoulder surfing techniques and ensure that the recommended guidelines are followed. Links and Captions to Web Images:Shoulder Surfing- https://mikeechols.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/secure-cyber-life.jpg
Links and Captions to Web Media:Shoulder Surfing – How To Avoid It – https://www.octopus-office.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/shoulder-surfing.jpg

Topic Number:15: EmailTopic:You’ve Got Mail!Definition & Summary:Although emails have become widely acceptable and universal today, IM and SMS look to push it out as one of the popular mode of communication in future. Emails have often been criticized for lacking the person touch that exists between communicating parties and in some cases they can be seem to be even intrusive. For instance, emails are known for having a high malware spread probability and in some cases a long emails with too much information can be considered by some people to be too noisy or invaluable to a customer in a business marketing scenario (Dimbylow, 2009). However, with IM and SMS messaging, users seem to have more control over the notifications and messages they receive on their mobile phones. Personal Response:My prediction is that a soon a new communication channel is likely to replace emails in near future. Already there are clear signs that most business are gradually moving away from using emails as their main type of digital communication. With advances in communication and communication technology, so many alternatives to emails as a mode of business communication have come up. In addition, popular brands now prefer to engage their customers directly over social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter with direct messages being the preferred mode of sending private message. This emerging development clearly supports my hypothesis that soon a new communication channel is likely to replace emails as a primary mode of business communication. Links and Captions to Web Images:Gmail with self-destructing messages – https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/tourdegmail.gif
Links and Captions to Web Media:Push Notifications- https://lvivity.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/push.jpg

Topic Number:31: PrivacyTopic:Privacy in the digital ageDefinition & Summary:Although advances in technology have brought about numerous benefits, there are also some serious concerns that cannot be ignored, such as information security and privacy. For example, the Internet of Things has connected most smart devices together through the internet and other available networks. This development means that today it has become easy to control most devices remotely through the help of the IoT (Friedewald, 2016). However, these devices often send information to services providers detailing a user’s activities. In situations where network security is weak, it could lead to serious security and privacy breach on the user. These facts clearly demonstrate that unless these issues are addressed there will be no data privacy in the future. Personal Response:I think that there is very little privacy in the digital age because there is too much data available to internet companies and cloud services providers. These companies tend to have too much data about their users to an extent that they are able to predict their habits, which means that they are likely to know more about their user in future especially with advances in technology. For example, already such companies are already leveraging on artificial intelligence to send customized advertisements which can be bugging (Friedewald, 2016). Based on these examples, it is quite clear that privacy is an area of great concern in todays and future digital age.Links and Captions to Web Images:Privacy in the digital age – https://www.thestatesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/privacy-1024×683.jpg
Links and Captions to Web Media:The digital age is killing privacy- https://s27389.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AdobeStock_185658467-1024×576.jpeg

References
Dimbylow, J. (2009). Email-SMS-MMS – By Carmen Frehner. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(4), 772-773. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00994_3.x
Edge, C., Barker, W., Hunter, B., & Sullivan, G. (2010). Malware security: Combating viruses, worms, and root kits. Enterprise Mac Security, 213-232. doi:10.1007/978-1-4302-2731-1_8
Friedewald, M. (2016). Privacy and security in the digital age. doi:10.4324/9781315766645
Goucher, W. (2018). Know your enemy: Shoulder surfing. ITNOW, 60(4), 32-33. doi:10.1093/itnow/bwy097

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