What is Computer Security?

Computer security is the protection that is set up for computer systems and
keeps critical information from unauthorized access, theft, or misuse. There are
various practices in place that are widely in use, mainly for the protection of
computer systems and networks and preventing potential malicious activities.

While computer hardware is secured in the same way that sensitive equipment
such as lockers and doors are protected, critical information and system access
and authorization, on the other hand, are protected through complex security
tactics and practices.

That’s all for computer security definition. Let’s move on to the section of
security threats and issues.

Computer Security Threats, Issues, and Vulnerabilities

Computer security threats are potential risks that have the capability of
disrupting the normal functioning of computer systems. Cyber threats are on the
rise each day, especially with the digitization of the world. Let’s take a look at
all kinds of major computer security threats, issues, and vulnerabilities.

Viruses

A computer virus is a malicious program that is installed into a computer

without the knowledge of its user. This program can replicate itself and infect
all the programs and files that are in the system. These viruses make the
victim’s computer malfunction or, at the worst, completely unusable.

Computer Worm

A computer worm is a software program that can undergo replication from one
computer system to another without the need for human interaction. Computer
worms use up all of the hard disk space owing to their replication capability and
the speed of replication, which can wreak havoc on the system’s resources.
They can even modify or delete files and introduce other malicious programs
into the system. Computer worms are also capable of stealing information and
introducing a backdoor for hackers to gain unauthorized access and control to
the system.
Importance of Computer Security
If a computer security system is not put in place until a problem arises, it could
lead to major issues and concerns, and it will be too late to resolve them.
Especially in a data-driven world, it is imperative to keep all kinds of
information from malicious hackers and prevent vital information from falling
into the wrong hands for misuse.

Computer security helps keep valuable information protected and maintain the
health of a computer with no disruptive behaviour in its performance caused by
viruses and malware.

That’s all for the importance and need of computer security. Read on to learn
about different categories of computer security.

Types of Computer Security

Here are a few types of computer security tactics that are used widely for the
protection of software, hardware, electronic data, and network in computer
systems.

Application Security

Application security is the introduction of security features in applications

during their development process. This actively helps prevent potential cyber
threats such as data breaches, denial-of-service attacks (DoS), SQL injection,
and many others. Some examples of application security tools are antivirus
software, firewalls, web application firewalls, encryption, etc.
Information Security

Information security is a set of practices that aim to protect the confidentiality,

integrity, and availability of data from unauthorized access and misuse.

Network Security

Network security is any activity that aims to protect the integrity and usability
of a network and data. It consists of both hardware and software technologies
that are specifically designed to prevent unauthorized intrusion into computer
systems and networks.

Endpoint Security

End-users are increasingly becoming the biggest security risk unintentionally.

With no fault from their end, exempting the lack of awareness, the virtual gates
of an organization are open to hackers and attacks. Most of the end-users are
unaware of the ICT policy, and therefore, it is imperative that the users who
handle sensitive information on a regular basis understand and be
knowledgeable about all comprehensive security policies, protocols, and
procedures.

Internet Security

Internet security is one of the most important types of computer security that
come with a set of rules and protocols that focus on specific threats and
activities that happen online. It provides protection against hacking, DoS
attacks, computer viruses, and malware.

What is cryptography?
Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications
through the use of codes, so that only those for whom the information is
intended can read and process it.
In computer science, cryptography refers to secure information and
communication techniques derived from mathematical concepts and a set of
rule-based calculations called algorithms, to transform messages in ways that
are hard to decipher. These deterministic algorithms are used for cryptographic
key generation, digital signing, verification to protect data privacy, web
browsing on the internet and confidential communications such as credit card
transactions and email.

Modern cryptography concerns itself with the following four objectives:

1. Confidentiality. The information cannot be understood by anyone for whom

it was unintended.
2. Integrity. The information cannot be altered in storage or transit between
sender and intended receiver without the alteration being detected.
3. Non-repudiation. The creator/sender of the information cannot deny at a
later stage their intentions in the creation or transmission of the information.
4. Authentication. The sender and receiver can confirm each other's identity
and the origin/destination of the information.

What is a Digital Signature?

Digital signatures function similarly to digital “fingerprints.” The digital

signature, which takes the form of a coded message, securely links a signer
with a document in a recorded transaction. Digital signatures rely on a
universally accepted format known as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to
ensure enhanced security. They are a subset of electronic signature
technology (eSignature).

It is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of digital

messages or documents. It is a virtual fingerprint that is unique to a person
and is used to identify signers and secure data in digital documents. It is a
type of electronic signature that ensures compliance with legal regulations
by providing the validity and authenticity of a digital document and the
signer’s identity. Digital signatures can provide proof of origin, time,
 identity, and status of a digital document. A signature confirms that the data
emanated from the signer and has not been tampered with during transit.

Advantages of digital signatures

 Saves time
you no longer have to wait for your manager to return from a holiday or
conference for that signature. Digital signatures ensure that businesses save on
cost and time with documents and contracts signed off with a click of a button.
There are huge savings in cost and time especially when the person required to
sign is in a geographically different area. Documents can be signed off almost
instantly, from anywhere. Be it a tablet, phone or computer, digital signatures
can seamlessly ensure this otherwise tedious task is wrapped up in minutes.

 Cost savings
many companies also see significant cost savings, with little or no expense in
ink, paper, printing, scanning, shipping/delivery, or travel expenses. There are
also savings in other indirect costs such as filing, rekeying data, archiving, or
tracking.

 Workflow efficiency
with lesser delays, digital signatures ensure better efficiency in workflow.
Managing and tracking documents are made easier, with lesser effort and time
involved. Many features of digital signatures help speed up the work process.
For instance, email notifications help remind the person to sign, while status
tracking, help to know at which stage the document is at.

 Better customer experience

Digital signatures provide the convenience of signing important documents
where ever a customer or the person to sign is located. Salespersons do not have
to wait for the customer to come to the bank or office. Documents can be signed
off at the doorstep. This is ideal, especially in remote areas and smaller
townships providing improved and personalized services. The customer has the
 freedom to be anywhere, and engage with a company, making services and
businesses far more easy, quick, and user–friendly.

 Security
when it comes to signatures, authenticity, and security are a priority. Digital
signatures reduce the risk of duplication or alteration of the document itself.
Digital signatures ensure that signatures are verified, authentic and legitimate.
Signers are provided with PINs, passwords, and codes that can authenticate and
verify their identity and approve their signatures. Time stamping provides the
date and time of the signature and thus provides a track of the document,
minimizing any risk of tampering or fraud. Security features embedded in
digital signatures ensure that documents have not been altered without
authorization.

 Legal validity
Digital signatures provide authenticity and ensure that the signature is verified.
This can stand in any court of law like any other signed paper document. Time
stamping and the ability to track and easily archive documents improve and
simplify audit and compliance.

Introduction of Firewall in Computer Network

A firewall is a network security device, either hardware or software-based,
which monitors all incoming and outgoing traffic and based on a defined set of
security rules it accepts, rejects or drops that specific traffic.
Accept: allow the traffic
Reject: block the traffic but reply with an “unreachable error”
Drop: block the traffic with no reply
A firewall establishes a barrier between secured internal networks and outside
untrusted network, such as the Internet.
What is an Intrusion Detection System?
An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a device or software application that
monitors a network for malicious activity or policy violations. Any malicious
activity or violation is typically reported or collected centrally using a security
information and event management system. Some IDS’s are capable of
responding to detected intrusion upon discovery. These are classified as
intrusion prevention systems (IPS).

IDS Detection Types

There is a wide array of IDS, ranging from antivirus software to tiered

monitoring systems that follow the traffic of an entire network. The most
common classifications are:

 Network intrusion detection systems (NIDS): A system that analyzes

incoming network traffic.
 Host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS): A system that monitors
important operating system files.
There is also subset of IDS types. The most common variants are based on
signature detection and anomaly detection.

 Signature-based: Signature-based IDS detects possible threats by looking

for specific patterns, such as byte sequences in network traffic, or known
malicious instruction sequences used by malware. This terminology
originates from antivirus software, which refers to these detected patterns
as signatures. Although signature-based IDS can easily detect known
attacks, it is impossible to detect new attacks, for which no pattern is
available.
 Anomaly-based: a newer technology designed to detect and adapt to
unknown attacks, primarily due to the explosion of malware. This
detection method uses machine learning to create a defined model of
trustworthy activity, and then compare new behavior against this trust
model. While this approach enables the detection of previously unknown
attacks, it can suffer from false positives: previously unknown legitimate
activity can accidentally be classified as malicious.

IDS Usage in Networks

When placed at a strategic point or points within a network to monitor traffic to

and from all devices on the network, an IDS will perform an analysis of passing
traffic, and match the traffic that is passed on the subnets to the library of
known attacks. Once an attack is identified, or abnormal behaviour is sensed,
the alert can be sent to the administrator.

Computer security policy

A computer security policy defines the goals and elements of an organization's
computer systems. The definition can be highly formal or informal. Security
policies are enforced by organizational policies or security mechanisms. A
technical implementation defines whether a computer system
is secure or insecure. These formal policy models can be categorized into the
core security principles of Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Role of the Security Policy in Setting up Protocols

Following are some pointers which help in setting u protocols for the security
policy of an organization.
 Who should have access to the system?
 How it should be configured?
  How to communicate with third parties or systems?
Policies are divided in two categories −
 User policies
 IT policies.
User policies generally define the limit of the users towards the computer
resources in a workplace. For example, what are they allowed to install in their
computer, if they can use removable storages.

Types of Policies
In this section we will see the most important types of policies.
 Permissive Policy
 Prudent Policy
 Acceptance User Policy
 User Account Policy
 Information Protection Policy
 Remote Access
 Firewall Management
 Special Access Policy
 Network Policy
 Email Usage Policy
 Software Security Policy