SEC 280 Week 4 Case Study

Computer security is not an issue for organizations alone. Anyone whose personal computer is connected to a network or the Internet faces a potential risk of attack. Identify all the potential security threats on a personal computer. Identify some of the techniques an attacker might employ to access information on the system. Home computing has security issues quite different from yet includes all of the ones we face at work. At work Network Administrators secure everything for us and limit what we can access. Many people are not aware of what should be done or how to do it at home to assure the same level of security. One of the most basic things we need to do at home is to setup a router and firewall. Many people are not aware of the security risks of not using a firewall at home. Firewalls act as shields from unwanted traffic and intrusion. There are many types of packets that a well setup firewall can defend us from without our even knowing. Securing the router with passwords was also something that for a number of years in the early days of home computing that not many people were aware of. As a consequence home networks were left wide open for anyone to connect to and explore. Once inside they will have access to any machine also on that network. Another risk is spoofed attacks. Many people fall victims to banner ads on the internet that trick unknowing users into clicking on them and installing what they think is an essential software update to legitimate software. Often times however it may actually be some type of virus, malware, or root kit. A root kit is the most dangerous of those possibilities. Once installed a root kit can do any manner of things to your system. They can turn off all antivirus software they may be installed, or simply prevent that software from updating itself. They can even go as far as to render your system totally useless. The best way to avoid this is by going directly to the software developer’s website to get