SWOT Analysis of Internet Security - Essay Example

Internet Security due: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive summary 3 Introduction 3 SWOT analysis of internet security 4 1. Strengths 4 2. Weaknesses 5 3. Opportunities 5 4. Threats 5 Ethical and legal concerns 6 Improvements in communication technology 7 Future of internet security 9 Conclusion 11 Appendix 13 Physical network diagram 13 References 14 Executive summary Technology is rapidly changing. Technology keeps on improving day by day. Moreover, it has much impact on our daily operations. The ever improving technology has produced tremendous changes in the communication. Institutions and governments have made good use of the technology to enhance their operations. Individuals have also not been left behind. Despite the many benefits of modern technology such as efficiency in operations, flaws have been witnessed. Opportunistic individuals have taken advantage of the flaws to carry out unethical behavior such as hacking and by-passing systems to carry out cyber-crimes. This has enabled hackers to rob banks right from the comfort of their houses. By launching of simple but accurate programs, hackers can infiltrate the system of the bank and give the bank managers a shock of their lifetime. A remedy will be attained by proper establishment of internet security, which forms the discussion topic in this paper. Analysis of internet security will be done in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, application opportunities and threats faced. Current ethical and legal concerns for internet security will also be investigated, in addition to improvements that can be made. The future of the internet will also be discussed, at both personal and commercial levels. Introduction Technology is advancing day by day. The advancement has produced many benefits in the daily operations in all human activities. The changing technology is also being used by criminals to carry out their activities. For instance, modern-day robbers have stopped robbing banks, shifting their target to big corporations and companies where they can carry out high profile robberies without stepping out of their houses. The internet has allowed the user to do anything while seated on the couch. Hackers have been able to do this by looking for internal and external loopholes in someone else’s system and taking advantage of it. The hackers normally have a good understanding of several programming languages and are fluent in UNIX (Dacey, 2004). To remedy these unethical behaviors, there has to be ways of controlling systems in the communications technology. Caution should be taken so as to avert the huge losses that may arise from such penetration into communication systems by intruders, some of whom do it just out of sheer malice. Access to information by unauthorized persons renders the information unreliable and poses significant risks to the security and operations of the company (Hawkins, Yen, & Chou, 2000). SWOT analysis of internet security 1. Strengths Internet is a primary tool in the modern communication technology. To avoid the several losses which can result from the internet usage, like hacking, internet security has to be considered. Internet security involves a number of precautions, which have to be considered by any internet user. However, internet communication remains the most used form of communication in the modern world. Governments, corporations, and several other institutions are currently carrying out communication exclusively via the internet. Internet communication has brought to an end to traditional forms of communication like the emails. The current interface is in the form of electronic mails (Great Britain, 2007). In e-commerce, the internet is very useful due to its capability to increase the velocity of trade and wealth creation. When people are active on the internet, many transactions are carried out over the internet (Great Britain, 2007). 2. Weaknesses Internet communication is faced with many challenges despite its extensive usage. One of the weaknesses is the challenge of containing the risks. For instance, individuals and organizations may eavesdrop or interfere with operations of other organizations via the internet. The interference may be out of mischievous or malicious reasons, which include fraud and sabotage. Government officials are concerned about the security of their communication and top secret information. Crime, terrorism, foreign intelligence collection and wars are currently being carried out over the internet posing a big risk to governments. Terrorists and transnational criminals are making use of information exploitation tools like computer viruses, Trojan horses, worms and logic bombs to destroy, intercept and degrade the integrity or deny the access to data. Internet communication is, therefore, faced with the weakness of increased information threats, threatening crucial national interests (Great Britain, 2007). 3. Opportunities Internet has offered many opportunities especially in digital marketing. Selling goods and services on the Web involves protection of the network, data, and customer information. To make maximum use of the internet marketing requires maintenance of an adequate security of the website used. Online technologies have provided numerous opportunities for online businesses, in addition to effective, efficient and fast communication. 4. Threats Communication via the internet is faced with lots of challenges, ranging from internet viruses and spams to unauthorized individuals, the so-called hackers. The other major threat is financial fraud that has resulted in big losses for some companies to online robbers. This has called for serious measures to be taken so as to ensure trust and safety. Increased online fraud has rendered some people fear the internet even more than being mugged on the street. It is estimated that 21% people fear being robbed on the internet than being burgled. E-bay has employed 2,000 people to ensure the online safety (Great Britain, 2007). The other threat to internet security is the phishing that involves acquiring information like the usernames and passwords. The acquired passwords and usernames are used to access an electronic communication such as an email or the web. For instance, a phished email is disguised as an official email from an established bank. The sender of the email uses it to trick the innocent recipient. When convinced the email is genuine, the recipient will key in this or her confidential information that will be used by the sender for wrong intentions (Mishra & Nadkarni, 2003). Privacy infringement is another form of security threat that has been developed with the advancement in data mining technology. Personal information from social sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be obtained by an ordinary person. The obtained data can then be used to embarrass blackmail or damage the reputation of the owner (Mishra & Nadkarni, 2003). Ethical and legal concerns The current forms of communication such as internet-enabled phones have come with various ethical concerns. The concerns are from earlier technologies such as privacy, copyright and violence in computer games. Internet and the World Wide Web connect over 25% of the world’s population. The connection via the internet that is information technology has come with ethical concerns regarding cross-cultural communications. The cultural issues are further complicated by the distinctive characteristics of online communication. The legal issues accompanying cyberspace include employment, user, appropriation, and competition and contract issues. The legal issues have arisen from the nature of cyberspace and the conduct of business (Twomey & Jennings, 2013). Even though the legal issues are hard to be enforced as a result of the diversity of the internet, they have to be followed to the end. In line with the legal issues, the user may be restricted access to some sites on the internet, especially sites with indecent content. Unethical hacking is also another legitimate concern. However, the problem with hacking is the difficulty in tracing the hacker. The hackers usually operate as anonymous persons. They fully encrypt their codes and their IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, making it extremely hard to track them. Out of this anonymity, the hackers have continued to cause real trouble for many online users globally (Jung, Han, & Lee, 2001). The rationale for the above legal and ethical issues especially the problem of hacking would be to counter hack. It is however not permissible to carry out an unethical practice, so as to achieve something good. This renders counter hacking unjustifiable, though the excessive cyber-crimes necessitates it. Hacking back is necessary on ethical grounds. It is sometimes justifiable to hack back even though some harm could result from it, including hurting of innocent internet users. The ultimate goal of counter-hacking is to eliminate the wrong intentions of the hacker. As per now, there exists no clear resolution to the issue of hacking. Counter hacking is however considered ethical but should be carried out only when it is very necessary (Himma, 2006). Improvements in communication technology In the recent future, technology has improved to a great deal. The internet has formed a firm basis for today’s communication society. This has seen vast improvements in communication, especially in the mobile telephony. The mobile phones have been improved by enabling them with internet. The mobile phones have further been developed in terms of transmission of digital FM radio signals. Internet has, therefore, been the main booming technologies in communication. It has enhanced communication via all several other communication tools such as a wireless technology in portable phones. The wireless technology has enabled communication between computers without the use of any wire (Lee, 2014). Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Infrared and the Wi-Max are most used forms of wireless communication. Mobile banking has also not been left behind in terms of adopting internet usage in its operations. The mobile banking has offered channels for performing services online via mobile devices. The use of internet has also transformed the health industry in the recent past. There is use of mobile internet in m-Health systems, creating an adequate response time for health practitioners (Dowland, Furnell, & University of Plymouth, 2008). Shopping has also been made easier by use of internet. The online shopping has enabled shoppers to enjoy a convenient shopping method, which saves time (Dowland, Furnell, & University of Plymouth, 2008). Based on the current usage of the internet over for facilitation of communication, there is still room for improvements in the communications industry. With proper and adequate measures put in the security issue of the internet, it will achieve numerous achievements. For instance, if nations invest in enhancement of internet security to reduce the cases of cyberspace that is currently a major threat, then exchange of information will be fast, efficient and reliable. Credibility of information especially on the confidentiality aspect is an important consideration to be made as far as communication is concerned. To counteract the issue of system hackers, governments, and large corporations should devise ways of absorbing the hackers and transforming them into ethical hackers. Such a move will significantly reduce the cases of information eavesdropping and interception. Future of internet security The future of internet safety is solely based on human intervention and innovation. In order to cope with external attacks, measures such as hardware and software installations have to be taken. The installed software will be used to keep a constant monitoring of the network. There are also measures that have been established in the market lately to counteract insecurities of networks. An example of the latest technologies is the adaptive security, developed in Atlanta. The primary motivation behind development of adaptive security technology was to improve on Internet Security Systems (ISS). The technology enlists all the main infrastructure vendors such as Luent, Compaq, and 3Com to enable communication of their products with the Internet Security Systems’ intrusion detection monitors (Shoniregun, 2005). The system makes penetration into the network virtually impossible by diminishing the lag time between detection and prevention. It does this by establishing a communication between its monitor and the vendor’s products, which reconfigures the firewalls and switches in response to attempted break-ins. The future of the internet security will also be characterized by secure internet transmissions in the credit card companies. As a way of improving security between the businesses and their customers, the credit card companies have been working on the development of another standard known as a secure electronic transaction (SET) standard. Implementation of such a standard will positively impact on the security of internet transactions. The SET standard will focus on data confidentiality and authentication such that thieves will not be able to steal credit card numbers. The standard will also ensure the merchant does not see the number on the card but offering assurances that the card is valid. The transmission is passed to the credit card user, thus decrypting it and also the merchant’s account. Regulating and controlling the cyberspace poses a significant challenge to the governments out of the fact that internet goes beyond geographical boundaries. As in the UK, police have been allowed a broad access to emails and other forms of online communications. The move has been developed in an attempt to contain financial fraud that has been a serious problem. In the Information Age, financial fraud is a serious computer and internet crime. Widespread deployment of networked systems and intelligent sensor technologies is rapidly evolving promising a future of smart sensors and devices which will be able to interact freely. The interaction will not require human intervention. This will mean generation of an enormous amount of data, providing humans with information and control of events from remote physical environments. This type of communication technology will prove an advancement on the internet capable of producing several volumes of information. Despite the numerous opportunities, it will have, and the flipside of it is that it will pose serious challenges in handling and controlling it (Chen, 2012). At a personal level, communication over the internet will produce several advantages such as developing a global village where communication is at the click of a button. Travelling will only be made when necessary. The new trends in communication such as teleconferencing has made it possible for persons to converse one on one. However, the internet and the Web have democratized the way information flows with the effect being the circulation of relatively useless information. Extremist groups are also using the modern technologies to spread speeches and incitements (Rainie, Anderson & Fox, 2008). With such improved communication technologies, it will be possible for nations to further improve their economies. Information is power, and when relayed at the right time, enabled by the instant transmission via internet, desired results will be obtained. Security will also be enhanced by embracing the advanced technologies. Monitoring of the streets and highways is done by surveillance cameras, and the footage relayed instantly to the security personnel. The officers will act promptly in response to the monitoring images thus preventing the would-be crime. The research area also stands to gain a lot from making use of the internet. The researchers can access all the information they need from the internet, at the comfort of their study rooms. Travelling is no longer necessary. This also applies to the students and other scholars. The scholars need to connect to the internet to gain access to online scholarly materials. When working on the latest and improved high-speed computers, they will be able to process the information very fast thus saving time. Commercially, businesses will be able to operate online fully. Right from marketing to processing the transactions, they just need to be connected online. This will save corporations and companies the cost of employing sales persons and individual marketers. Instead, they will just place their advertisements on the internet, where the world can see. This way, the businesses will be able to cut on their operation costs since they will only require dispatch and delivery persons. Conclusion The internet has indeed revolutionized the day to day operations of the human activities. Communication has never been any better than at the current technological era. Communicating with relatives and friends thousands of miles away is just at the click of a button. This has seen corporations save a lot in terms of communication costs. The advancement in technology has however been used by terrorists and hackers to carry out their destructive missions. Security while using the internet has been compromised, rendering some of the information obtained incredible. Governments have been trying to achieve internet security, though it has not been easy. It can be seen that internet security is not a single person’s role. Internet security has to begin at the individual level. An online user should ensure he, or she has taken the required measures pertaining to the security of the information being exchanged. Nations also need to collaborate and enhance internet security as a team. All measures precautions should be taken to avert information leakage to hackers. Ultimately, internet has proved to offer the best forms of communication in terms of efficiency and speed. Appendix Physical network diagram Source: Networking diagram. (2014, January 1). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from https://www.google.com/search?q=networking diagrams created in Microsoft Visio&client=firefox-a&hs=Pdy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&imgil=YOO05KWsFh9mtM%3A%3BxKg4ZCoJ8TEm9M%3Bhttp%253A%25 References Chen, Y. K. (2012, January). Challenges and opportunities of internet of things. In Design Automation Conference (ASP-DAC), 2012 17th Asia and South Pacific (pp. 383-388). IEEE. Dacey, R. F. (2004). 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