Network Security

    There are several security threats to those that jump on any network even when it isn’t connected to the internet. The number of computing devices out there can all be targeted and if these threats are not checked the damage can be very costly. The threats to one’s network, devices, and even information come in many forms. These threats are serious but there are a few tried and true methods to help avert them. This paper will cover two specific threats in detail as well as outline some protective measures to help.

           One of the threats that are very popular in the cyberworld is called phishing. Phishing is a scam that runs on the internet to try to exploit a user’s sensitive information (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017). These types of threats are mainly targeted at a specific user of a device that can connect to a network or internet. Once a breach has happened the user’s information can be used to abuse that user's accounts whether it be money or just to use their accounts to exploit others. There are several ways to protect against these types of attacks and most of those ways come to the user being more diligent in the way one navigates a network. Making sure links are from a legitimate source is crucial before clicking on them and providing information. These methods are not always perfect because the ones trying to do the phishing can mimic real links confusing the user into following the link. There is also a new proposed system that can help use various methods of authentication as well as various steps that are taken between user and server to help lower the probability of phishing (Alzuwaini & Yassin, 2021). These are just some of the methods that a user can use to avoid being compromised by a phishing scam. Being diligent and cautious is going to be the real deterrent in these types of threats and it starts with the user.

           The other threat that can compromise a user or device is password cracking. This type of threat is set out to get a user’s credentials to gain access to accounts or devices that were not available before. Once a device or users’ information is accessible by the threat it is at the will of the attacker and can be used for nefarious reasons. Some measures can be taken to try to prevent these threats from taking place and the most obvious one is using a more secure password that is not easily crack. This is becoming harder as these threats become more sophisticated and even having end-to-end encryption can be compromised at times. There are companies out there that are trying to do away with passwords altogether and use other means of authenticating a user (Hrusak, 2021). A secondary authentication method is harder to replicate because it uses something that is carried by a user trying to access an account or device. Another method used is biometric authentication which requires a user to scan a body part to access the account or device. As technology advances so will the methods to protect devices and users from various attacks.

 

References

Alzuwaini, M. H., & Yassin, A. A. (2021). An Efficient Mechanism to Prevent the Phishing Attacks. Iraqi Journal for Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 17(1), 125–135. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.37917/ijeee.17.1.15

Hrusak, J. (2021, September 15). Microsoft Now Offers the Option to (Mostly) Ditch Your Password. ExtremeTech. https://www.extremetech.com/computing/327037-microsoft-now-offers-the-option-to-mostly-ditch-your-password

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/