Security Threats | Network Attacks | How to Protect yourself from Security Threats?

Security Threats 

Computer Security threats can be a computer program, an event, or a person that violates computer security. It may cause loss of data and stealing of information. It may also affect the working of the computer. Different security threats are as follows:

Hacker & Network Attacks

A Person who accesses a computer, network, and resources illegally is known as a hacker. Hackers are computer experts and use their computer knowledge for a negative purpose. They often hack computers for no criminal reason and are sometimes even carried by companies needing to test their safety.

Hardware Theft & Vandalism

Hardware theft and vandalism is another computer security threat. Hardware theft is a process of stealing the hardware equipment such as hard disk or monitor etc. Hardware vandalism is a process of defacing the hardware equipment. For example, an employee in an organization may damage the keyboard or cut the wires, etc.

Software Theft

Software theft means that a person can steal software media, erase software program, or copy it without permission. For example, someone can steal the CD-ROM that contains the software program. An angry employee may delete the installed software from the computer.

Information Theft & How to Protect yourself from Security Threats? 

Information theft is another critical security threat. It is a Process of stealing personal or confidential information without permission. The stolen information can be further used for illegal activities. For example, someone may steal the credit number of another person and use it to buy things online.

System Failure

System failure is also an important security threat. It occurs when the system does not function properly for a longer time. System failure may cause further loss of data, software and hardware, etc. it occurs due to various reasons including the following:

·        Obsolete hardware

·        Natural disaster such as flood, fire or storm

·        Fluctuation in power supply etc

What is Virus?

Computer virus is one of the most familiar forms of risk to computer security. A virus attaches itself to files stored on floppy disks, email attachments, and hard disks. It may cause many damages to computer systems. A virus can:

·        Damage data or software on the computer

·        Delete some or all files on the computer systems

·        Destroy all data by formatting hard drive

·        Display a political or false message every few times

Denial of Service Attack

A Denial of service attack (DoS) attack slows down a computer system or network. It floods a computer or network with respect to information or data. The most common targets of this attack are internet service providers (ISPs) and certain websites. The server under the attack receives so many requests that it cannot respond to legitimate users.