Network Security

 

Having a secure network is more important today than ever before. With virtually everything we do becoming more digital every day, it is paramount that we ensure we are safe in doing so. There are many avenues that we must maintain in order to be safe. I am going to talk about a couple ways where network security can be breached.

The first way is computer viruses. Now, we all have heard of viruses, but do you actually know what they do? According to (What Harm Can Computer Viruses Cause?, n.d.) “A computer virus is a malicious code or a program written for specific objectives such as alter a program or spread itself from one system to another.  They are used to cause harm when transferred to a technological device. A computer virus can be used to steal data or destroy a device” With the vast amount of websites that exist today, it is really important that we understand the risks and make ourselves knowledgeable in order to take the right steps to make sure we do not go to the wrong sites or click the wrong links. Another step to reduce the risks of viruses is install an antivirus software that will detect them before you make that mistake.

The other way our network security can be breached is through the form of password cracking. According to (Gillis, n.d.) “Password cracking is the process of using an application program to identify an unknown or forgotten password to a computer or network resource. It can also be used to help a threat actor obtain unauthorized access to resources.” As I stated in the beginning, our entire lives are stored digitally these days. This includes everything from personal photos, to banking information, and everything in between. Password cracking allows a hacker to gain access to all of those things which can cause great harm. There are many ways to avoid password cracking, one being not using personal information. Its easy to want to use important dates such as birthdays however, those are easily cracked. Another method is to simply use longer passwords. While this may be a pain for you, it will be worth it in the long run as using longer passwords makes it much harder to be cracked.

            At the end the day, there are many ways that network security can be breached, and with the direction technology is heading, there is just going to be more and more. It is important that we make ourselves aware of all the risks and to understand what we can do to avoid the risks.