Computer Security - Components and Methods

Computer Security - Components and Methods

Computer security, also known as cyber security or IT security, is branch of information technology, which is intended to protect computers from any personal (both social and economical) harm. It simply deals with the protection of a computer system and data they store.

Methods to Provide Protection
System Access Control
It ensures that unauthorized user do not get into the system by encouraging authorized users to more conscious. For example, by changing their passwords on regular intervals.

Data Access Control
It monitors who can access the data and for what purpose. The system can grant access to the data on the basis of access rules defined.

System and Security Administration
It performs offline security operations that makes or breaks the security ssystem.

System Design
With the help of system design, one can take advantage of basic hardware and software security capabilities to secure the system. For example, using an architecture to segment and isolate process from others.

Components of Computer Security
Basic components of computer security are
1. Confidentiality: No data accessed by an unauthorized person.
2. Access Control: Ensures the access to the resources that are allowed to access for them.
3. Non-repudiation: Ensures that originator of the message cannot deny that they are not originator of the message.
4. Authentication: Ensures that users are the same person that they are claimed to be.
5. Integrity: Ensures information is not altered by any unauthorized person in such a way, it is not detectable to any authorized person.
6. Availability: Ensures that the system work properly and services are not denied to the authorized users.
7. Privacy: Ensures the user have full privacy while using information.
8. Cryptography: It helps to hide information from plain sight by recoding the information into some tangible form, only understood by system. It helps in protecting data while transmission and also data stored on a disk.

Computer Attack
It is useful to learn what kind of activities can make your computer vulnerable to computer hackers (people who attack computer to steal their information in order to harm them socially and economically). Computer programs and cracked softwares downloaded from unauthorized sites are one of the most common source of attack. A hacker usually attach a malware with these program to sneak into your computer. Some of other sources of malware attacks are

1. Downloadable Program
2. Cracked Softwares
3. E-mail Attachments
4. Booting from Unknown CD
5. Internet (Spoofing, Phishing, Adware and so on)
6. Unsecured Flash/Pen Drives
7. Not Running the Latest Update.