Essay on Threats to Personal Computer Users

Trojan’s are one threat it is a type of malware designed to provide unauthorized, remote access to a user’s computer. Trojan horses do not have the ability to replicate themselves like viruses; however, they can lead to viruses being installed on a machine since they allow the computer to be controlled by the Trojan creator.

Generally, the horse of Trojans is coded programs coded for the purpose of harming the computer devices which appears to be harm free, but when the code is executed by users, the data & file systems are corrupted leading to damaging the computer devices.

The article called, The End of Privacy by Adam L. Penenberg, demonstrates the easy access an intruder can have to someone’s private information in today’s digital world with just a few taps on the keyboard, and a phone. Making your private information unprotected and defenseless. Penenberg also describes transition from mainframe computers to desktop PCs making private information vulnerable. He also reveals that marketers and busybodies have more customer data than ever. He also illustrates the advances of search methods that cyber criminals have up their sleeve, how the misrepresent themselves in order to puncture through the credit bureaus, and the Federal reserve database, spilling out all of your financial information, social security,

With our dependency on technology and computers growing in just about every aspect of our lives, from at home to business, we are leaving our information out there for anyone who has the desire to try to get that information. When computers were first used by business and the government it was easy to secure the information stored on the room sized machines. It was as simple as securing the building and rooms that they were in. Now after the invention of the World Wide Web and how we are connected through a series of networks from Personal Area Networks to Wide Area Networks, Any criminal that has the computer skills can potentially gain access any information they desire. Securing our information on our computers and over the networks we use

The new form of criminals that sit behind a desk in slipper and being able to steal personal information by using malware. It may seem unbelievable that your identity can be easily stole from you owe personal computer. One of the best ways to avoid a computer from being infected from a malware is to avoid opening any unfamiliar documents on your computer. Any emails that is unknown delete and do not open.

In today’s digital world, most Americans leave long electronic trails of private information wherever they go. But too often, that data is compromised. When they shop—whether online or at brick and mortar stores—retailers gain access to their credit card numbers. Medical institutions maintain patient records, which are increasingly electronic. Corporations store copious customer lists and employee Social Security numbers. These types of data frequently get loose. Hackers gain entry to improperly protected networks, thieves steal employee laptops or disgruntled workers pilfer company information.

Many users are subject of Security and Privacy on the Internet issue. The term "information" now is more used when defining a special product or article of trade which could be bought, sold, exchanged, etc. Often the price of information is higher many times than the cost of the very computers and technologies where it is functioning. Naturally it raises the need of protecting information from unauthorized access, theft, destruction, and other crimes. However, many users do not realize that they risk their security and privacy online.

Private information in the digital world seems to be more easily obtained as technology furthers. The idea that digital information is as safe as ever might be a very unrealistic concept. The web is filled with hackers and virus’s designed to steal a person’s personal information. The idea that streets could have facial recognition could follow someone throughout someone’s whole day. A person could learn all about them from watching them, where the victim’s kids go to school, where they work, and where the individual sleeps. That information could come with a price to many corrupt people. On another idea, hackers could hack into these systems and again, sell information or use it for one’s own personal

Camp, a director of Security Informatics program, assistant professor of Telecommunication and computer science in Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, argues how the United States has put into a lot of effort to assure the right to privacy, yet there is no certainty that it is protecting people browsing the internet. The article continues, stating that internet browsing has no legal protection in the United States, making it easy for people to spy on each other’s lives and steal personal information. The article questions the value of privacy and confidentially when it comes to the internet. For example, when people research something or create an account in the internet that includes providing personal information to the site such as your birthdate, occupation, and interests that personal information is distributed and accessed to companies or third parties to use at their advantage. In some case the information is often used to personalize advertisements when you are on the internet or in other situations the information is used to steal one’s identity. In this article we are able to see how technology is powerful by itself without the control of government regulations. The article encourages the readers to question existing laws that protect our privacy and security as there is no boundaries in the internet to prevent people from hacking into your personal

Throughout time, privacy and security have been two heavily debated topics. There has always been a struggle to find middle ground between a private environment and a secure environment, but the dawn of technology and the Internet has made this struggle even more difficult. The Internet has drastically decreased the expectation of privacy of any and all individuals that have ever used it. Technology in general can pose a threat to an individual’s physical and virtual security. The Internet has also brought forth a sense of anonymity to those looking to conceal their true identities, some of which plan to commit horrific crimes. Privacy and security go hand in hand, however security is by far the most important.

These can harbor behind-the-scenes computer viruses or open a “back door” giving others access to your computer without your knowledge.

Malware, short for malicious (or malevolent) software, is software used or created by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. It can appear in the form of code, scripts, active content, and other software. 'Malware' is a general term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software. This malware will operate invisibly, often without displaying itself in your Task Manager. To top it off, malware usually refuses to be uninstalled through your control panel, and requires special tools to delete them from your drive. Yes, this is a direct cousin to viruses, but with a broader portfolio of wicked intentions.

Crackers use viruses for their destructive ways. Crackers are people who go out of their way to cause damage to other peoples systems through the use of viruses and direct hacking. Crackers are not hackers. Calling a Cracker a hacker is like comparing a red delicious apple to a golden delicious apple. Hackers are computer enthuses that hack, break in to, systems in order to learn about the system. Hackers as a rule do not do any damage to the system. Crackers are the ones to give hackers bad repartitions. Crackers use virus

Hacking of personal important data, network outages, computer viruses and other cyber related threats affect our lives that range from minor inconvenience to serious incidents. Cyber threats can be caused due to negligence and vulnerabilities, or unintentional accidents. Nevertheless, they can also be planned or intentional, like hacking or access by unauthorized users. The main objectives of such type of system attackers or hackers are to steal confidential information, to make illegal monetary transactions, to destroy or to change data and the like. System attackers can be terrorists, crackers or recreational hackers. They have a variety of tools that can harm or infect the computer; usually they use malicious logic or virus to gain unauthorized access to a computer. Opening email attachments that carry the virus, clicking malicious links or

There are special viruses that creates different types of malicious problems on a network or computer, for instance it will create or open programs to perform tasks. Viruses is also used for denial of service attacks, password cracking and many more. This can be fought against by having a reliable protection service; it is safer if this is taken from the provider itself.