Online Security Issues - Solutions, Reasons and Counterarguments - Essay Example

Essay Online Security Issues Internet/ Online Security Internet security is a part of computer security that is specifically related to the internet and involves aspects such as browser security and network security (applies to applications or operating systems); typically, the objective behind online or internet security is establishing rules and measures to use against attacks over the internet. Most people are not aware that the internet is a true representation of an insecure channel where a lot of information is exchanged leading to a high risk of intrusion or fraud; however, the issues have been increasing with the advancement in technology and the most common today affect money transactions, social websites, corporate security and personal privacy. Money Transactions When it comes to conducting money transactions online the main challenge is based on password management where the passwords that most people put in place are likely to be broken or hacked easy. However, this is not only an educational challenge but also an administrative one since the company under which a person is doing their transaction should be able to counter this (Bortz, 1). The common issue is that when the transaction is being conducted there is no sure way to determine if it is really that person doing it; additionally, with current authentication standards, often people take on faith that theyre being contacted by the "real" sender the message claims. Social Websites Concurrently, with social websites becoming more popular day after day, the chances and issues of insecurity continue to pile up too in terms of information and privacy concerns all over the world. Malevolent people have been attracted by the tome and easy access of user’s personal information available on social networking sites; surprisingly, the same technologies that attract users to participate also make the sites prone to infectious malware that can shut down an organizations networks or even steal credentials (Pelgrin 1). Common risks on social websites include phishing, spoofing and web application attacks that attempt to steal a person’s identity; the attacks are often successful due to the assumption of being in a trusting environment social networks create and the more information a person posts, the more information becomes available for a potential compromise by those with malicious intentions. Corporate Security It’s very advantageous conducting business online since it offers entrepreneurs a variety of recompenses and to be more convenient than other methods; despite the advantages, however, there are also some problems that can arise when doing business online. One may still be predisposed to deceitful hackers that infiltrate their system and steal customer’s private information even when there are deterrents such as creating a protected payment page for customer purchases and other money transactions (Joseph, 1). The information illegally acquired can be used to drain customer’s bank accounts or steal their identities hence putting the service provider to a disadvantage since most people fear this and don’t trust making purchases online; additionally, due to the pervasive nature of the Internet, issues such as copyright infringement are difficult to control. Personal Privacy Today, being completely anonymous online is nearly possible with the increase in the number of websites and people being involved; collectively, many internet users have experienced problems because others stole their personal information or otherwise took advantage of their visibility online. When a person is online they provide information to others almost every step of the way which in some instances needs to be connected and combined before a picture is revealed or a complete profile is made. Additionally, though it might not seem like a person is giving away much information, when one is browsing on the internet they are relaying personal information to the websites since the browser provides a person’s IP address to the site operators, which they use to track and identify them. By and large, most people use search engines to navigate the internet that astoundingly have and use the ability to track each and every of a person searches; moreover, they can also record ones IP address, the search items they used, the time of the search and other related information that they state in the privacy policy (Pelgrin 1). Solutions, Reasons and Counterarguments When it comes to money transactions and corporate security, one can take extra precautions to increase security; some of these provisions include; having a PIN on the device (cellphone or laptop) that one is using which adds an extra layer of protection, use an app that issues an immediate electronic receipt to track one’s behavior of spending money or choose a method that give a person at least a two factor authentication such as multiple passwords (Bortz, 1). Additionally, one can always request for reconcile statements regularly to match them up with the data they have on their phone or laptop; however, the best way to avoid these issues is reporting security and payment problems right away as recommended by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Joseph 1). Generally, it is advisable that a person read the privacy policy first before registering with any social website or business corporation to ensure that their information will not be sold to others. The second measure is never giving out password or user ID information online unless one knows who they are dealing with and why they need it for personal privacy purposes and others that would be used to set a person up for a cybercrime (Obringer 1). It is also for the best that a person keeps records of all their internet transactions, only use credit cards for all online purchases and if there are any purchases made check for confirmation e-mails or other communications on the same. Other solutions and precautions of enhancing online security measures are ensuring that the computer used to connect to the internet has proper security measures and use caution when clicking a link to another page or running an online application. Passwords used online should be unique and the idea of using the same password on all accounts increases the vulnerability of these accounts; furthermore, for social websites one should be careful who they add as a friend or the pages that they join. One should also use discretion before posting information or commenting for content or communications on government-related social networking pages may be considered public records; besides all that, one should configure settings since some of the default settings for sites may allow anyone to see a person’s information or post information to their page. Works Cited Bortz, Daniel. How Safe are Online Payments: Money Rankings and Advice. 2012. Web. September 15, 2014 < http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2012/05/02/how-safe-are-mobile-payments > Joseph, Chris. Problems of Doing Business on the Internet: Business Technology and Customer Support. 2014. Web. September 15, 2014 < http://smallbusiness.chron.com/problems-doing-business-internet-328.html > Obringer, Ann. How Identity Thief Works: Internet Transactions. 2014. Web. September 15, 2014 < http://money.howstuffworks.com/identity-theft4.htm > Pelgrin, William. Security and Privacy on Social Networking Sites: Information Sharing and Analysis Centre. 2010. Web. September 15, 2014 < http://msisac.cisecurity.org/newsletters/2010-03.cfm > Read More