The Threat of Online Security: How Safe is Our Data?

Nowadays, online service plays a pretty important role in human’s daily lives. Internet users can access information through the websites, to correspond with faraway friends through email, to meet people through online messenger, and to discuss their interests with like-minded people through forum. Furthermore, people can advertise and sell their products through the Internet. However, there are some new risks while using the Internet, among them are the risks that the important information will be lost, stolen, corrupted, or misused.

Computer virus is one of the threats to the online security, the safety or our data may be doubted if data is infected by virus. A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without consent and knowledge of the computer users. Viruses can either spread from one computer to another through CD or USB drive, or spread through network services such as instant messaging or file sharing program.

Spyware is another program that threatens the security and safety of our data. It is computer software that is installed secretly on a personal computer to monitor or control over the user’s interaction with the computer, without the permission of the user. Spyware can change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet of other programs. It can even install additional computer settings, redirect Web browser activity, or access websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses without the knowledge of the user.

Hacking is an activity specializing in obtaining unauthorized access to systems through skills, tactics and detailed knowledge. These days, the mass media often uses the term “hacker” as synonymous with a computer intruder. There are several recurring tools of the trade and techniques used by the computer criminals such as spoofing and sniffing attack, denial of service (DoS) attack, identity theft, vulnerability scanner, and etc. Our data may not be safe if our computers are hacked by hackers.

We cannot determine how safe our data is if there are some threats in the online security. What we can do is try our best to protect our data from leaking out. However, online security system should be improved from time to time so that the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our data and information can be retained and maintained.