Post 8: Chapter 8

Security issues with our latest technology have become a serious concern. Security problems within the field of education can have especially devastating effects. There are computer security risks and computer crimes. Risks are simply any action or event that has the potential to cause some kind of detrimental loss in the computer system, where a crime is an illegal, deliberate act involving a computer. Viruses are one common type of computer crime. Viruses are potentially damaging computer programs designed to negatively and unknowingly affect your computer by altering the way it works. The viruses payload is the specific symptom(s) or damage(s) that virus causes you. There are countless numbers of types and kinds of viruses which include the boot, sector virus, file virus, macro virus, worm, Trojan horse, logic bombs, and time bombs. These viruses differ in their payloads and severity.
Luckily, there are effective measures we can take to enhance our network security and help prevent ourselves from viruses and other threats. Antivirus programs, also known as vaccines, can detect and cure computer viruses, as well as prevent you from acquiring them. Rescue discs can save your computer if you are infected with a boot virus. Passwords and user ID's have greatly reduced the amount of hackers and unauthorized use. Firewalls are larger, more complex systems that prevent unauthorized usage on a network. Proxy servers are often utilized throughout all means of communication within a school system. Personal firewalls are an inexpensive yet still very effective way to protect your own personal computers. Backing up your computer is probably the best preventive measure you can take to ensure that you do not lose important files and data.
Since my last post, I learned a lot about computer viruses. I had heard a number of stories about them, and had heard of "boots", "worms" and "Trojan horses", but I never really knew exactly what these viruses are all about. By reading chapter 8, I learned that a boot sector virus replaces the whole entire boot program with an infected version, a worm repeatedly copies itself onto the memory, and a Trojan horse disguises itself either s a harmless program or embeds within an existing program. By having this knowledge, I have a much better idea of how to diagnose possible problems with my computer, as well as be prepared with some satisfactory solutions. Furthermore, my dad is a computer analyst and spends most of his time setting up, modifying, and repairing firewalls. This chapter gave me concrete yet easy to understand definitions for "firewall", "proxy server" and other terms I had heard my dad say, but was never quite sure what he was talking about! now, I not only better understand these important concepts, but I have a better understanding of my dad's profession! (Awww!)