Information Technology - Essay Example

Running Head: Internet security Security: Introduction Internet security has become one of the most discussed issues in this era of information technology. The Internet has become a tool of business and more people are warming up to e-commerce. It is approximated that about 30 million people all over the world use Internet to transact business. The figure is expected to double by 2016 and triple by 2025 (Schneider, 2000). Internet use has come to be embraced even from unlikely quarters with government adopting concepts such e-governance. The growth in the use of Internet has however presented enormous challenges. Like all other systems in the society, Internet is required to operate within the precincts of law. There are very few laws that govern Internet use and especially the conduct of e-commerce. Different countries have laws and policies on information and also the industry has its governing rules and regulations that are seen as measures to protect users and ensure that Internet is a mutual medium of doing business. Internet presents many challenges to security in that the Internet has become an avenue or tool of war. From infringement of privacy, to cyber crime and defrauding, Internet is causing economies losses in terms of risks and challenges. However of all challenges facing the Internet sector nothing threatens the half a century old communication technology than cyber crimes. Other security threats such as virus threats, software threats and hacking are rampant, have become very rampant and cost business billions of dollars. Viruses are one of the earliest forms of security intrusions. To curb these viruses many anti-virus software have been designed to overcome the problem with software being designed that are capable of detecting virus and cleansing the system of the viruses before the virus can attack and meddle with the system. The anti-virus software is capable of even blocking the computers from spy wares that have also become a rampant form of Internet insecurity. There have also been inventions in form of software that are installed in computers to protect the system from malicious people who are interested in stealing sensitive data such as bank information. Overall such software are security measures geared at protecting the computer system from worms, spy wares, Trojan horses, and identify identity theft software. There is a continuous need in the industry for a continuous study of the vulnerabilities the industry is exposed to, a need for constant upgrading of the network systems to stay ahead of hackers and other forms of security threats to internet, continuous research aimed at developed view forms of technologies, which are less vulnerable to security threats. To improve security there is a need for system designers, system administrators and decision makes to come up with tough policies and security related procedures which should make it very hard for hackers and cyber criminals to penetrate computer systems. Designers should aim at producing strategies that will effectively put under control the Internet use. Such measures can include invention of effective Internet monitoring tools, increased use of security analysis tools as well as an increased use of hard-to-crack passwords and firewalls (Flynn, 2001). It is a fact that Internet is a world wide connection of networks makes it accessible to users regardless of national, regional and geographical boundaries (Flynn, 2001). Therefore this increasing freedom to access information and data has presented the greatest headache to lawmakers, governments, and regulatory bodies. It is clear that the battle against cyber crime and all other forms of Internet insecurity is being won. Therefore it is most unlikely that Internet will be brought to heels. There is optimism that long lasting solutions will be found to ensure that e-commerce, and indeed all other forms of online transactions do not fail as a result of a few crooks, criminals and syndicates who are keen on destabilizing the environment for selfish reasons. However to overcome the numerous challenges Internet industry is facing thee is a need for international co-operation, commitment of resources to fright cyber crimes, as well as a need for internationally recognized laws which will bind all Internet players into abiding by them. With standardized laws, what that means is that cyber criminals, hackers, Internet fraudsters and all other offenders will be brought to justice no matter where they are. The fact that the developing world does not have stringent measures to fright Internet crime is a course of concern in that syndicates of criminals may choose to base their crime activities in such countries where laws governing Internet crime is not strict enough and therefore crime can thrive there. All laws governing Internet use should be aimed at achieving integrity, confidentiality as well as availability to all (Smith, 1996). If the above is achieved, order can be realized and it will become enjoyable for everyone to use Internet services. Internet offenders until recently were rarely punished despite the many losses they caused businesses and individuals alike. For some strange reasons, it still remains very difficult to arrest cyber criminals, although as discussed above laxity of law enforcement agencies all over the world is largely to blame for the appalling situation. NAIROBI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL NBNHFNHH HHBHRHRG OF KHNFHGGH HNFFH RN Cyber crime, security and Privacy have become synonymous with internet use. This scenario although common all over the world is more rampant and pronounced in the developing world where by many institutions do not have the necessary resources required to effectively fight the vice. Rarely can any one think of doing online transactions without first worrying about the twin issues of security, and privacy. Internet security is particularly a tricky and complex phenomenon because of the lack of universality in implementation of various security policies and acts. Secondly, the advent of internet as well as its ever rising relevancy and popularity has caught many stakeholders including governments, software companies as well as regulatory agencies by surprise. At first few would imagine that internet could be used negatively. However this has in recent times become a reality and cyber crime can authoritatively be termed as one of the most dangerous crimes acing globalization efforts and the business world in particular. What makes cyber crime particularly dangerous and therefore puts it in a class of its own is the fact that, it can cover a wide area in terms of geographical scope. In terms of efficiency, it is very fast as well as reliable. Thirdly it takes and requires enormous resources to detect. Only the most sophisticated software, expertise and technology can detect cyber crime, leave alone thwarting it. Cyber crime is not very easy to deal with because data and information on the extent of the crime is not available. In most cases only some countries especially America, European and Asian countries seem to gather and store cyber crime related data. This has made the war against cyber crime a challenge (Robertson, 1999).This situation is considered a disadvantage in the fight against cyber crime in the sense that, it is often difficult and in some cases impossible to fight a crime whose causes and manifestations are not clear. However as (Smith, Byron 1996), notes, there is no need for pessimism as already major international companies have adjusted their security in terms of internet safety and given privacy and security a priority in terms of budget allocations. Contrary to the above statement, the amount of money and companies reported to be involved in cyber crimes have continued to increases significantly (Jeff, 2000). This clearly points to a problem worthy investigating. Thanks to advanced security software, the willingness of companies and government security agencies to share information, the threat of cyber crime is a battle that can be won. There are numerous categories of cyber crimes all of which will have a bearing to this research. Due to the fact that, such portend serious threats to internet security and privacy, such are discussed in the following sections in depth. As noted by (Jeff, 2000), the reasons for internet attacks differs significantly just as the repercussions do. Hacking refers to the access to and use of a program to access another program or system to which the attacker is not authorized (McClure, Scambray, & Kurtz, 2003). Although the term hacking is not a very old terminology, it has gained ground amongst the internet users. According to (John, 2000), hacking has become one of the greatest security threats to e-business. Reasons for hacking have been cited as retaliation, as well as in some cases politically motivated reasons (McClure, Scambray, & Kurtz, 2003). Hacking could also involve physical vandalism of a system's physical components. Use of malicious codes has become a common security breach in the recent years (Northcutt, & Novak, 2000). The attackers in this case have a mission of inflicting heavy financial losses to their victims. Usually the attacks involve the use of worms which victims may mistake for Microsoft security updates (Piller, 1998). These programs once infiltrated into a victim's computer network end up deleting important files something which results into loss of valuable data. Fraud involves defrauding online and as more and more people turn to payment online, the threat of fraud over the internet is continually becoming very real. According to (Merkow, & Mark, 2002), victims of internet fraud are enticed by the promise of high returns for investment. Therefore, they commit themselves into paying huge sums of money through the internet. This form of cyber crime has financial motives as the key reason for the attacks. Vulnerability refers to a form of cyber crime whereby attackers capitalize on weaknesses of the simple network management protocol (Schneider, 2000). Such vulnerability exposes a company's intranet to attackers. Although (Flynn, 2001), notes that this is not a very common type of cyber crime, attackers could cause major damages where they to infiltrate a company's system using the vulnerability. This is a form of a security breach in which an attacker blocks the authentic persons from accessing their own system (Escamilla, 1998). Although it is the easiest form of cyber crime to detect (Dieter, 1999), it usually has far reaching effects once executed as it leads to failure of systems to function normally leading to interruptions of business. According to (Plunkett, 2000 ), such attacks are designed to either put victims out of business by interfering with their web pages or preventing end users from accessing and communicating with the target victim and are common in developing countries. This century has been rightly dumped the information age1. Internet and in general information technology has virtually changed the way every thing is done from distance learning to e-conferencing to e-commerce. However it has not been a smooth transition as challenges such as privacy and security issues keep emerging. Solutions range from installation of computer aided programs to ensure safe transactions of business online to severe punishments to the offenders. This paper discusses internet as a tool of business highlighting how business is transacted online as well as emerging issues such as privacy, security, and management control issues. Finally the future of ecommerce is described. Ecommerce can be defined as all transactions utilizing information technology for carrying out business regardless of distance or geographical position (Flynn, 2001). E-commerce relies on information technology, interconnectivity and currency compatibility. E-commerce can be looked at as the aspect of business which utilizes information technology to make profits. Surveys have shown that, ecommerce is very prevalent in the developed countries whereby online shopping, electronic money transfer as well as use of electronic money as opposed to paper money is widely acceptable. Surveys have further indicated that, in Africa as well as other developing countries, the concept of e-commerce has been picked slowly. Ecommerce sometimes involve parties which have never had any physical contact in the past. Therefore as is the nature of humankind, trust plays a very big role when it comes to business. Therefore trust must always be maintained for if lost the relationship is also lost. The concept of file sharing has made it very easy to misuse information over the Internet. Availing files to many users although well intended has been misused and abused by some users who continue to hack confidential information. With many being involved in downloading of illegal files, file sharing is raising eyebrows and making it hard for law enforcers to curb the crime wholly and effectively. File sharing however if well utilized has been known to benefit people especially artistes who benefit a lot when it comes to online music selling which depends on file downloading. As Plunkett, (2000) notes the importance of file sharing is being appreciated even by copyright holders as more people start to realize the commercial benefits of legal file sharing. The growing popularity of iTunes is bringing a new hope for online transactions as it continues to become popular in most European countries. Although it has faced opposition iTunes continue to become popular day after day something that is worth celebrating as a step forward for e-commerce. Digital Rights Management (DRM) has also dominated Internet debate. Proponents of DRM argue that it is the best strategy to prevent and protect illegal copying of authentic works. Conclusion. Ecommerce has changed the concept of business and helped overcome geographical as well as other challenges in business, but as to whether it shall over-come the security and privacy threats is another case. As challenges emerge, solutions for such are bound to be found and therefore stakeholders need to find long-lasting solutions to the problem of cyber crime. REFERENCES: Dieter, G,. (1999) Computer Security. Wiley & Sons. New York, NY. Escamilla, T. Intrusion Detection: Network Security Beyond the Firewall. John Wiley & Sons (1998), New York, NY. Flynn, N (2001). The E-Policy Handbook: Designing and Implementing Effective E-Mail, Internet and Software Policies. New York: AMACOM. Jeff, S, (2000) .Windows 2000 Security Handbook. Que, Indianapolis. John, H, (2000) .Windows 2000 Security Technical Reference. Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA. Magid, Lawrence (1998), J. High-Speed Internet Access Gets Cheaper, Thanks To Technology, Los Angeles Times. McClure, S., Scambray, J. Kurtz, G (2003). Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets and Solutions, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill. Merkow, Mark, S. (2002) The E-privacy Imperative: Protect your Company's survival in the Electronic Age. New York, AMACOM. 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