Security Strengths and Weaknesses of the Internet - Essay Example

Security Strengths and Weaknesses of the Internet Before going into the discussion regarding security strengths and weaknesses of the internet, let us get a better understanding of what internet security actually is. Internet security is a type of security related to the internet. The main purpose behind implementing internet security measures are to reduce the occurrence of risks and threats related to transfer of information over the internet. Internet security provides various significant benefits to the internet users. Internet security is very important for a person who keeps or sends important data over the network. “A basic knowledge of internet security is essential for anyone who uses the web for tasks such as email, networking and shopping” (Paul). Importance of Internet Privacy Internet security has become one of the main concerns for every individual connected to the internet for any purpose. It is because there are a number of hackers present on the internet continuously trying to break into other computers in order to steal important data or to destroy the important data. Hacking has become so common in today’s world that almost every person who uses internet is a target of hackers. “Hacking is the process in which a system is tested before it goes into the market for direct use by the customers” (Douglas). Any individual, whether using internet for communication purposes or for information sharing, needs to ensure premium level internet security because hackers not only try to break into such computers which contain highly critical information but also they try to gain control of such computers which although do not contain any important information but can be used to hack other computers. There are many security measures, which an individual can take to reduce the chances of internet attacks. “Internet security fundamentals are designed to protect individual Internet users from security risks which accompany use of the Internet” (Smith). Some of the easiest and most effective security measures include regularly changing the login passwords, setting difficult passwords, downloading a personal firewall, setting encryption standards, and installing up to date antivirus software. One can never deny the significance of internet security in today’s world. Internet privacy is one of the biggest concerns for any individual doing any kind of work on the internet. The issue of internet security or privacy is not just limited to big organizations and companies; rather it has become a need for any individual having online presence. “It is a common misconception that Internet security plays a large role only in organizations, or when people have sensitive information on their computers” (Sundaram). For online businesses, maintaining internet security is of extreme importance. Some of the key steps which every company should take while going online include registering an anonymous domain name, taking steps to protect online communications, making use of e-currency payment solutions, and ensuring local security along with online security. Implementing internet security measures is very important for any individual for many reasons. Some of the most significant reasons include keeping privacy of important information, not letting strangers to view personal information, being online with no fear, protecting personal and business emails, and doing business activities with optimum security. A very important question related to internet security is that what can happen if a person does not care about internet security or why a person needs to implement effective internet security measures. The answer to the question is that if a person does not take steps to ensure internet security, he/she is likely to face many problems, such as, loss of important data, misuse of data, misuse of computer identity, receiving fake emails, receiving hazardous links, and loss of important files. Therefore, maintaining optimum internet security is very important for any individual having any sort of online presence. Let us now discuss some of the core strengths and weaknesses of the internet with respect to its security and privacy in order to get a better understanding of what we have and what we need to improve regarding internet security. Strengths of Internet Security Internet security provides a number of benefits to the internet users, such as, help in protection of data, help in dealing with fake emails and hazardous web links, help in making the communication protected, and help in dealing with spyware, malware, viruses, Trogens, and worms. Moreover, internet security mechanisms also help us survive from phishing frauds. “Many people are victims of phishing, a type of scam in which the victim is contacted by someone who is claiming to represent someone else” (Smith).This assistance makes internet security essential for every internet user of the today’s world. Protection of files and data is of critical value for every internet user. Internet security mechanisms include effective procedures to deal with all sorts of risks related to the use of internet. It is true that internet provides a number of considerable benefits to the users. However, the number of viruses, threats, and attacks associated with the use of the internet is also very high. Therefore, computer science professionals have developed some appropriate mechanisms, which really help the internet users in reducing the occurrence of threats and making the computers and internet usage safe and secure. Some of the most common effective measures towards internet security include installation of antivirus applications, and firewalls. Antivirus and Antispyware Antivirus applications are the most commonly used mechanisms for ensuring computer safety. It is one of the main strong points regarding internet security. Antivirus applications scan the computers for malware and viruses making the data stored in the computers safe and secure. When a person uses internet for any specific purpose, transfer of viruses can take place from the internet to the computer system. “A virus is nothing but a malicious computer program written to muck up the workings of your computer by corrupting your hard disc and data files” (Ryan). These viruses can harm the data either by destroying it or by making it useless for the owner of the computer system. Antivirus applications are developed in such a way that they constantly look for viruses and malware, which try to reside into the computer system. Antivirus applications finds them out and remove them from the computer system ensuring protection of data stored in the computer. Antivirus applications not only look for viruses and malware but also they are geared towards catching Trojans and worms. However, antivirus applications are not very reliable for catching malware; therefore, the experts have developed antispyware, which can deal with malware much better than antivirus applications. “Antispyware picks up on malware hidden deep within freeware, usually masquerading as something else” (Sundaram). Some internet users download freeware, which increases the chance of malware attacks on the computer systems. Antispyware applications look for malware and spyware, which reside in the computer systems and take appropriate actions to limit their adverse effects. Firewalls Computer experts have developed firewalls with the purpose to prevent unauthorized accesses to the computer systems. Firewalls judge all sorts of unauthorized accesses and stop them from doing anything to the computer systems on which firewalls are enabled. One can set the settings for the firewall from low to high depending on the types and number of threats to the computer system. “Firewall will prevent unauthorized access to your computer from any external source, and the settings can be varied from low security to high” (Ryan). Firewalls not only prevent unauthorized people or viruses from accessing the computer systems but also generate a log file, which contains details of all connections that try to access those computer systems. Therefore, firewalls are the security mechanisms that provide good security to the computers by stopping all sorts of unauthorized accesses. Weaknesses of Internet Security Along with a number of significant benefits of implementing internet security measures, there also exist some weaknesses related to internet security. Some of the major weaknesses include unreliability of some antivirus applications, strong programming of viruses, and threats associated with downloading of anonymous files. These weaknesses still make internet security a common concern for many people. Moreover, there also exist some weaknesses in the security provided by internet explorer and Mozilla firefox. If we talk about the security issues related to internet explorers, we can say that almost all versions of internet explorer have some internet security issues, which need to be dealt effectively by the computer science professionals. Some issues are related to the flaws in the java scripting whereas others are related to the design flaws. These flaws provide ways to viruses and hackers to reach the computer systems through different versions of internet explorers. There also exist some weaknesses in Mozilla firefox, which increase the chance of hackers’ attacks. Hackers can carry out Denial of Service attacks on the internet users who use Mozilla firefox. We cannot say that explorers are full with flaws or they cannot provide internet usage safety to the users, rather the fact is that there are just a small number of flaws in these explorers, which create internet safety issues for the users. Computer experts and information technology professionals need to resolve all issues related to internet security in order to provide bug free and reliable explorers to the internet users. Works Cited Douglas, Tina. “Importance of Internet Security.” Ezinearticles.com, 03 Jun. 2011. Web. 22 May 2011. Paul, Alex. “What Are the Best Tips for Internet Security?.” Wisegeek.com, n.d. Web. 22 May 2011. Ryan, Joseph. “Best Internet Security.” Ezinearticles.com, 10 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 May 2011. Sundaram, Karishma. “Understanding Internet Security.” Brighthub.com, 29 Apr. 2010. Web. 22 May 2011. Smith, S. “What are Some Internet Security Fundamentals?.” Wisegeek.com n.d. Web. 22 May 2011. Read More