INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

CHAPTER 5: TROUBLESHOOTING, SECURITY, AND ETHICS

LESSON 2 SECURITY AND ETHICS

Security
When we talk about security, it is more on protecting and securing. Like for
example in a bulding, they hire security guards and install security cameras to
protect and secure the premises from intruders and burglar. Computer
security is how we protect our computer systems including the data in it that
we use.

According to UCSC.edu, Computer Security is very important to learn

because it enables the people to carry out their jobs, education and research, it
supports critical business process and lastly it protect personal and sensitive
information.

There are several terminologies and key terms that we need to discuss in order
to further understand what Computer Security is all abou like Firewalls,
Encryptions, Antivirus and Network Security.

Firewalls, this are hardware or software that serve as protection for the inside
network. Same as to the concept of house firewalls, that prevents the fire from
coming in your house. Firewall also prevents unauthorized entry to ones
network.

According to Microsoft.com, Firewall is a software or a piece of hardware

that helps screen out hackers, viruses and worms that try to reach your
computer over the internet. Like what I have previously said, Firewalls can
be hardware or software. For the software type, typically Microsoft have their
own firewall software enabled in their systems. While for the Hardware, there
are different types: Packet Filters, Stateful Inspection and Proxies.

Figure 5.9 Firewall Hardware

Encryption is the process of converting a data or information into another

form also known as cipher text. Using encryption, hackers or attackers will
find hard time understanding the data or the information without the proper
cipher codes.

According to Webopedia.com, Encryption is the translation of data into a

secret code. Encryption is the most effective way to achieve data security. To
read an encrypted file, you must have access to a secret key or password that
enables you to decrypt it. Unencrypted data is called plain text, encrypted data
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
CHAPTER 5: TROUBLESHOOTING, SECURITY, AND ETHICS
LESSON 2 SECURITY AND ETHICS

is referred to as Cipher Text. There are two main types of encryption:

asymmetric encryption and symmetric encryption.

Antivirus as I previously discussed in the previous lesson is a software

application that scans your whole computers hard drives and folder for
possible malware or virus infections. There are several brands of Antivirus
and according to PCMag.com, here are the top 5 antivirus of 2015. 1) Bit
Defender Antivirus Plus 2015 2) Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2015 3) Malwarebytes
Anti-Malware 2.0 4) Norton Antivirus 2014 and 5) Panda Free Antivirus
2015.

And last but very important topic for this lesson is the network security.
Network Security, according to SANS.org, is the process of taking physical
and software preventative measures to protect the underlying networking
infrastructure from unauthorized access, misuse, malfunction, modification,
destruction, or improper disclosure, thereby creating a secure platform for
computers, users and programs to perform their permitted critical functions
within a secure environment. There are several terminologies that has relation
to Network Security like Honeypots and Honeynets.

Honey Pots is a clone system or clone server that is used to contain the
intruder or attackers into that system so that the Network Security Team will
have a chance to learn or gather information about that specific hacker.
According to SANS.org, Honey Pots can be setup inside, outsider or in the
DMZ of a firewall design or even in all of the locations although they are
most often deployed inside of a firewall for control purposes.

Figure 5.10 Honey Pots Implementation

Honey Pots have what we call the levels of tracking and the common tracking
levels include the firewall, system logs and some other sniffer-based tools.

Honeynet is somehow the same as Honeypot except to the fact that Honey Net
talks about the whole set-up of the network infrastructure that has intentional
vulnerabilities to attract hackers or intruders. Data gathered by Network
 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
CHAPTER 5: TROUBLESHOOTING, SECURITY, AND ETHICS
LESSON 2 SECURITY AND ETHICS

Security analyst from this Honey nets are used to correct the vulnerabilities of
the network system.

Ethics
According to Wikipedia.com, Computer Ethics is a part of practical
philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make
decision regarding professional and social conduct. This Computer ethics has
3 primary influences: 1) Individuals own personal code. 2) Any informal
code of ethical conduct that exists in the work place. 3) Exposure to formal
codes of ethics.

So, it only means that computer ethics is the norms or the behavior of a
computer professional or IT professional towards computing. There are
several terminologies that you as IT student should learn at this moment and it
is the Copyright and Plagiarisim.

Copyright is not only associated with computing but it is also applicable to

traditional prints and even books. Copyright, from the two words Copy and
right which protects the intellectual property right of an author or a publisher
for their work. Like for example, this book or course module Introduction to
Computing is binded under a copyright to its author and its publisher. And as
stated to the typical copyright statement, No parts of this book can be copied
and or reproduced in any manner without proper citation to its author and or
its publisher.

According to Wikipedia.com, Copyright is a legal right created by law of a

country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use
and distribution, usually for a limited time. The exclusive rights are not
absolute; they are limited by limitations and exception to copyright law,
including fair use.

And when we talk about Copyright, we should also be talking about

plagiarism. If copyright is the legal right of the author or the publisher,
Plagiarism is the act of violating the copyright.

According to Wikipedia.com, Plagiarism is the wrongful appropriation and

stealing and publication of another authors language, thoughts, ideas or
expressions and the representation of them as ones own original work. The
modern concepts of plagiarism as immoral and originality as an ideal emerged
in Europe only in the 18th century, particularly with the romatic movement.