Software Security - Essay Example

?Discussion Questions Answer No Software security refers to the protection of software from viruses using administrative and technical measures. With the advent of internet, software security has become a big concern. As Walker (n.d.) states, “as Internet usage continues to rise throughout the world, the threat of cyber crime also grows”. Hackers can harm the security of software by sending viruses and other harmful applications to computer systems of others through internet. Such viruses affect the working of software applications putting concerned people in trouble. However, use of antivirus applications, firewalls, and authentication system has made people able to secure their software and remove bugs effectively. Software testing refers to the ways people can use to test whether the software that they may have installed is fully secure or not considering the element of virus attacks. I personally believe that experience of dealing with software security issues does not always work in every situation because a number of new software security issues are coming up with the continuous advancement in the field of software technology. Therefore, users need to learn new ways to test the security of new software. One of the ways to check software security is to install the software in some other computer system and carry self-made virus and other malicious attacks on it. Using this way, one can know whether the software is able to work properly after the attacks or it has stopped working. Moreover, users can also expose the software to internet-based virus attacks that occur through emails. Using this approach, users can predict the protection level of the newly installed software. Another way to check the security of software is to risk-based approach. As Potter (n.d.) states, “testers must use a risk-based approach, grounded in both the system’s architectural reality and the attacker’s mindset, to gauge software security adequately”. This approach helps users identify security related risks in the software and create tests to measure the level of harm associated with those risks. Using this approach, users can identify those coding areas of the software where malicious attacks can be successful. These were some of the most useful ways to determine the level of security of any new software. Users can identify the level of software security and can take appropriate measure to manage associated risks. Answer No. 2 Selected Article: “Adoption of ISO 9000 quality assurance standards by South African agribusiness firms” by Christopher Turner, Gerald Ortmann, and Michael Lyne Discussion: The article focuses on the adoption of the ISO 9000 quality assurance standards for improving the performance of agribusiness firms. As Kietzman (2012) states, “quality assurance (QA) is a process-centered approach to ensuring that a company or organization is providing the best possible products or services”. If we study whole article, we also come to know that most of the respondent firms got administrative, economic, and production benefits due to adoption of ISO 9000 quality assurance standards. Quality assurance standards help agricultural firms get operational (waste reduction) benefits, as well as competitive advantage over other firms. According to Vinet (2010), quality assurance focuses on improving processes. It means that quality assurance does not deal with the results of the processes; rather it deals with enhancing the quality of manufacturing processes. In the article, the authors conducted a research on 92 agribusiness firms and came to know that nearly half of the firms were ISO 9000 cetified and many other firms were taking steps to improve the quality of their businesses using ISO 9000 quality assurance standards. Some of the benefits of adopting ISO 9000 quality assurance standards include improved customer satisfaction, reduced audits, as well as business expansion to other markets. About ISO 9000 quality assurance standards, the authors found that they are standards that are focused towards helping business firms know whether their businesses conform to the standards of quality or not. The authors also found that ISO 9000 quality assurance standards are the combination of systems made for the firms that are motivated towards bringing continuous improvement to their products, as well as towards improving operational efficiency. All of the firms explored by the authors of this article revealed that they have been using different quality assurance systems to reduce operational costs, as well as to improve the quality of products. The studies also showed that main adopters of such standards were large firms which manufactured agricultural products to export them to other countries. It means that large companies adopt ISO 9000 quality assurance standards because they know the potential benefits associated with following such standards. However, all other firms have also been using alternative quality assurance systems in order to reap somewhat similar benefits. Summing it up, we can say that quality assurance is one of the main functions of any manufacturing company whether it related to the business of agriculture or some other form of business. References Kietzman, S., 2012. What is Quality Assurance? Available at [Accessed 24 August 2012]. Potter, B., n.d. Software Security Testing. Available at [Accessed 24 August 2012]. Vinet, N., 2010. Quality Assurance Principles. Available at [Accessed 24 August 2012]. Walker, J., n.d. Different Types of Cyber Crimes. Available at [Accessed 24 August 2012]. Read More