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Information Security:
Main
Threats to Information
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Information is a very broad term and has many different
meanings. But in general we can say that information is an
ordered sequence of symbols or processed data. So then what
does �data� means? Data is again the plural of the word
�datum� and the term data refers to groups of information that
represent the qualitative or quantitative attributes of a
variable or set of variables.
In
simple, when it comes to computers and Information Technology,
we can say that data is what we enter in to a
computer/information system or a database and the processed
data as required by the user according to their needs given as
the output from a computer is information.
Whatever
the data or information we have in a computer can be either a
simple file or a database or it can even be a computerized
information system. Information is the most powerful tool and
weapon anyone can have. So information has a price and since
information will be derived from data, both data and
information should be properly stored and protected.
Therefore it is vital to understand the treats to information
and how to counter those threats in order to protect your
information. Mainly there can be two types of threats to
information.
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Unintentional:
These types of threats are actually not meant purposely
but may come as accidents. Few of the possibilities for
such threats are as follows; |
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Human
Errors:
A computer user might accidentally by mistake delete an
important file or a user might enter or edit incorrect
information by mistake.
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Environmental
Hazards:
An office or a computer might get caught in a fire, flood,
earthquake and the computer physically gets damaged. The
Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in 2004 is an ideal example.
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Computer
System Failures:
Due to hardware errors or technical issues a computer
getting corrupted and losing all the information is an
ideal scenario for such a situation.
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Intentional:
These types of threats are done purposefully to damage or
harm or acquire information. Few of the possible scenarios
are as follows; |
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Theft of
data:
Information or data can be stolen from a user or a
computer without the owner�s knowledge. Even peeking over
a monitor to look at information can be an example for
such a scenario.
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Inappropriate use/Deliberate manipulation of data:
Data can be manipulated purposefully to take advantages.
For an example for a payment detail a false value greater
than the original number can be entered.
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Theft of
equipment and/or program:
Rather than stealing information or data from a computer,
a computer, hard disk or a server itself can be stolen.
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Destruction
from viruses:
Computer viruses and other malware can be used to steal
and even to erase data/information as well as corrupting
or damaging a computer hard drive.
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So the
next time when you want to protect your valuable information,
be mindful about all the aspects and possibilities of the
threats. |
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Rangamini
Werawatta
Rangamini
employed at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies
(BCIS). He holds a Bachelor Science degree in Information
Technology (BSc-IT) from the Sri Lanka Institute of
Information Technology (SLIIT) and he is a Member of
the British Computer Society (MBCS), the Chartered Institute of
IT.
He is a columnist and a freelance journalist who
contributes to national newspapers and he is the author of the
book �Cyber Security: 01 Byte from the Cyberspace�; ISBN:
978-955-658-253-6.
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UK
Cyber Fraud Gang jailed For Selling Identity Theft Kits
Online |
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Excerpt: Six
members of a UK cyber fraud organization have been jailed
for selling identity theft kits online after pleading guilty
at Southwark crown court. The gang members, who provided
fake identities and documents to thousands of customers,
were jailed after a two-and-a-half-year investigation into
their multimillion-pound operation.
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Back
it Up ? Own Your LinkedIn Information |
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'....You've
taken great care in building your LinkedIn network of
connections because these are the folks you?ve known
throughout your career, those friends from school with whom
you?ve recently reconnected and professionals who are just
plain helpful and wise because they might be excellent
resources in the future.?Are you comfortable with all of
that information residing on a website over which you have
no control? What if you need to access contact information
for one of your connections and the LinkedIn site is down
temporarily? For many reasons, I strongly sugggest
periodically exporting and saving your connections. How
frequently you should do this depends on how often you add
new people to your network.
Exporting your
connections is easy. Let me walk you through this very
simple process......'
To read
the complete article see:
-
almostsavvy
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linkedin-makeover |
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World map of dominating websites |
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By Paul Jacionis
| 18 May 2012 |
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'....If you had to guess what website is dominating the
world, you would probably say it�s either Google or Facebook....' |
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2012 Olympics Scam May Lead Facebook Users to Malware |
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By:
Bianca Dima
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07 June, 2012 | Posted in: E-Threats, Social Networks |
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'...... With so many people yearning after an Olympics
ticket these days, criminal masterminds are working overtime
on Facebook scams to lure people to malicious websites........'
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Month in Brief
Facebook Incidents
Reported to Sri Lanka CERT|CC in
May
2012
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Fake +
Harassment |
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Hacked |
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Abuse |
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Other |
Genderwise
Statistics - Sri Lanka CERT|CC
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Alerts
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The threat
from Flamer
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ENISA
| Published 8 June 12 |
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'....ENISA has published a short analysis of the threat from
the Flamer spying virus. Flamer reminds us of the weaknesses
in our cyber defences and underlines why ENISA's work on
cyber security is so important.
Flamer is a stealthy information stealer hitting targeted
PCs across the Middle East. However, it should not be
dismissed on the grounds of geography or numbers affected.
Rather it should be seen as an opportunity to learn about
the threats we are facing and what we must do to heighten
cyber security across Europe.
ENISA's short analysis and collation of available
information about Flamer illustrates why the work that goes
on across the European Union to improve cyber security is so
important, and where we must come together to do more......' |
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The
problem with oversharing: why burglars like you using
Facebook |
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'....IT SEEMS harmless enough: announcing your holiday plans
on Facebook or uploading that dinner party photo to Twitter.
But according to cyber safety experts, such posts are a gift
to burglars and stalkers.
''Not only are you telling me where you are, you're telling
me where you're not,'' says cyber safety consultant and
former police officer Susan McLean. ''And I could get that
photo, run it through a program and find out exactly where
it was taken.''.....' |
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