Cyber Security

By,
Veena Sawant

What is cyber security?
Cyber security, is also referred to as information technology security, focuses on protecting networks, computers, programs and data from unintended or unauthorized access, change or destruction.

   

Why is cyber security important?
Governments, military, corporations, financial institutions, hospitals and other businesses collect, process and stores a great deal of confidential information on computers and transmit that data across networks to other computers. With the growing volume and sophistication of cyber-attacks, ongoing attention is required to protect sensitive business and personal information  and also to safeguard national security.

Cyber security is also called as computer security. It is the protection of your data or information from theft or damage to the hardware, the software. To secure a computer system, it is important to understand the attacks that can be made against it, and these threats can typically be classified into one of the categories below:


1 . Eavesdropping : Eavesdropping is hiddenly listening to a private conversation, typically between hosts on a network. Even machines that operate as a closed system can be eavesdropped via monitoring the faint electro-magnetic transmissions generated by the hardware.

2 . Backdoor: A backdoor in a computer system is any secret method of bypassing normal authentication or security controls. They may exist for number of reasons, including by original design or from poor configuration.

3 . Direct-access attacks: Common consumer devices that can be used to transfer data surreptitiously. An unauthorized user gaining physical access to a computer is most likely, able to directly download data from it. They may also compromise security by making operating system modifications, installing software worms, key loggers.

4 . Phishing: Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as username, password, and credit card details directly from users. Phishing is typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging.

5 . Social engineering and Trojans: Social engineering aims to convince a user to disclose secrets such as passwords, card numbers, etc. for example, impersonating a bank, a contractor, or a customer.


Role of government:
The role of  government is to make regulations to force companies and organizations to protect their systems, infrastructure and information from any cyber-attack.