Computer Security Licensing - Essay Example

COMPUTER SCIENCES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ID, LAST A report on computer security licensing Computer sciences and information technology Name Student number Course code and title Date Executive Summary The report seeks to discuss computer security licensing as well as its contribution to technology to date. The report also attempts to study if the removal and elimination of the computer security measures lead to a step-down in the incidence of computer fraud. Similarly, the report discusses if it is ethical to teach solutions to the computer problems. The report stipulates that computer security licensing, is indeed an antisocial behavior that harbors social cohesion. However, it has contributed efficiently to reducing computer fraud over the years. The report also finds it ethical to teach the users the solutions to computer problems to prevent fraud, computer damage and information loss. Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………4 Software licensing and social cohesion…………………………………………………………..4 Is it ethical to teach solutions to computer problems?...................................................................4 Would the removal of computer security measures reduce incidences of computer fraud?..........6 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………..8 Introduction Software licensing refers to all legal measures that govern the dispersion of software. The licensing is undertaken to help protect and prevent the computers information and data from loss and fraud. Computer software licensing is essential in preventing the loss of data and thus should be an area of great concern. In addition, computer licensing is vital for the protection of others work from those who would want to benefit from it without undergoing the costs. Coming up with a software involves a lot to do with the brain, and it would be unfair if someone would just enjoy the use of such without paying for the same. Using this approach, we would say that computer licensing may or may not be antisocial. Software licensing and social cohesion Software licensing is antisocial given the fact that it can terribly damage social cohesion. A proposal to permit only one individual or only a group to use the program, while locking out the others, is divisive and should be unacceptable in a social community (Stallman 2010). Software is used to share information among others, but if they are licensed, then only a few people can get the rights to use them. As a result, the licensing of this software prevents information sharing that is largely reclusive. Software engineers and developers are also of the idea that personalities that do not exist in their inner cycles ought not to benefit from their hard earned sweat, and this further divides the society (Stallman 2010). Therefore, computer licensing in the computer savvy world is not so conducive for the development of a social setting in as much as computers are necessary. Is it ethical to teach solutions to computer problems? Yes, it is ethical and widely acknowledged learning the solutions to computer problems. People should be trained and taught about the computer problems so as to know what it is they should anticipate when using the devices (Tompsett 2009). Similarly, they should be taught these solutions to be suspicious of people who may attempt to prank and trick them into gifting out their personal details and so that they can quest for if, they intentionally give out personal details without license or permission. Computer users and must always be aware of the fraudsters around them and this is possible through teaching on how to detect such people. Teaching these computer problems are important in enabling the computer users to learn how to avoid the being involved in fraud. The learners learn why it is essential to use firm passwords - these are a number of characters and which possess a combination of capital and small letters, numbers and special keyboard characters such as the currency symbols and the asterisk. The users should also be informed the dangers of sending loathsome emails of peoples lifestyle and their private individual lives. Similarly, information processing system users should be instructed to snub emails that seem to come from the financial institutions and which inquire about their account data and credit card inside information. Likewise, it is ethical for the users to be informed the effects of reading and replying to spam emails. It is also important to teach solutions to computer problems so as to avoid the loss of information. The computer users should be aware of the importance of backing up information so as to prevent the loss of information and ensure the data stored is safe. Consequently, the users should be taught how to encrypt the software. Teaching the computer users about secure online habits and proactive defense is important. Educating the users on what is required of them and their effects is a more efficient strategy on tackling computer problems; rather than expecting the Information Technology security staff always to respond to end users defective decisions. It is a difficult task because the most difficult tasks is to protect end users against themselves. However, prevention is the best approach to handling data security. Would the removal of computer security measures reduce incidences of computer fraud? Computer security measures protect the computer and everything associated with it- your building, terminal, printers, cabling and disks. Most importantly, computer security protects the stored information in the system. The standard conception of computer security is that its only objective is secrecy. However, secrecy is an important aspect of computer security, but its not the only one. There are three aspects of computer security: confidentiality, accuracy and availability. A secure computer must not allow give data away, but should encourage the protection of private information, as well as sensitive data (Lehtinen & Gangemi 2006). Accuracy means that the computer must not corrupt the information or allow any malicious changes to it. Similarly, a computer must keep information available to its users. Software licensing fills a unique spot at the overlap of contracts, intellectual belongings, and commercial law philosophical programs (Kim 2008). Comparatively, computer licensing and provision of security is, therefore, important, and the removal of computer security measures will increase the cases of computer fraud. Notably enough, the computer security measures were introduced due to the increasing levels of computer fraud and cybercrimes. Instead, the removal of these security measures will promote fraud as the information in the system will be lacking information and therefore anyone can access and alter the contents of the already saved information. Secondly, the removal of these security measures will lead to the loss of information. Security measure prevents the alteration and erasing of information by unauthorized persons. Therefore, in case the security measures are done away with, anyone can access the information, whether authorized or not authorized and as well as make alterations to the information. The easy access by anyone, regardless of authorization or not can easily lead to loss of information as the individual can erase the information. Consequently, the elimination of these security measures will deprive the computer users of the secrecy and confidentiality of their information as anyone will be able to access the stored information and possibly edit to suit themselves. The removal of the security measures may also lead to corrupting of the information. Thirdly, the removal of the security measures, will promote the increase of hate crimes. Earlier, before enforcing security measures, there existed hate crimes tied to the geography of the region, but due to the coming of modern technologies such as internet, Face book, and Twitter, the proliferation has withstood boundaries. However, due to the computer security measures, many such sickening contents are done away with from Face book and the responsible accounts disabled and closed (Solomon 2009). Lastly, the security measures are imposed so as to protect the computer from the common threats that alter the way it operates. Therefore, the elimination of these security measures, will result possibly lead to the attack of the computer by a virus- that is perhaps the most common known computer threat. A computer virus denotes a program or a piece of software written to modify the way a computer runs; without the consent or information of the user and which replicates and executes itself, commonly causing damage to your computer. For instance, the virus may steal, corrupt or erase data on the computer. Conclusion Computer security measures aid in reducing fraud and the loss of information. However, much the security measures are antisocial; they should be used to aid in preventing information loss or deletion. In order to curb computer and cyber-crime, the computer security measures need to be adopted. Such measures should be employed to curb computers and all its components and to ensure that non-authorized users are not able to read or compromise information in private computers. As described above, the basic measures are encryption or the use of passwords. Both approaches have a ways of making sure that those who are familiar with the encryption or the passwords can only access computers. Computers protection is important in as much as information is: without protection; several ills are likely to be experienced within a societal make up where malicious personalities would be in a position to harm the innocent. Recommendation Computer users should be taught on the varied solutions to computer problems. This act will in the end help such individuals avoid situations of information loss or information being corrupted. Furthermore and because the use of computers is becoming part of the populations daily lives: it is only prudent that the computer users are as well equipped with the knowledge of how to protect such devices. Users should, therefore, be taught the various Computer security measures such as encryption of computer software to prevent and reduce fraud and fraud related acts. References Entrepreneur Media, 2014, 10 Data-Security Measures You Cant Do Without. Journal of technology online. Available from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217484 Kim, NS, 2008, The Software Licensing Dilemma, Brigham Young University Law Review. Lehtinen, R, & Gangemi, GT, 2006, Computer Security Basics. Solomon, J, 2009, Hate groups flood social networking sites, Retrieved on 26th June 2009 from http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/13/study-hate-groups-flood-social-networking-sites/ Stallman, RM, 2010, Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman, 2nd Edition. Free Software Foundation. Tompsett, B, 2009, Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching Computer and Internet Security Read More