network security and firewalls
In our age of decaying morals, we find the need for security in every aspect of life. There are far to many people that are willing and able to take anything they can that doesn't belong to them. We have security everywhere we look. There are armed guards in our stores and even schools. Police officers patrol the streets trying to keep people safe. We have people to provide security in a world where things are physical, but what to we do in a computer world, where what we want to keep safe is information? This is where computer security comes into play. We need to define computer security and discuss how computer systems are kept safe. Security is defined as the combination of all mechanisms which allow only authorized people to use the resources they are supposed to. These can be locks, people or physical barriers that stand in the way of a desired location or object. Computer security uses much of the same utilities. Passwords take the place of keys, security analysts take the place of guards, and firewalls take the place of physical barriers. Passwords and firewalls are the two most common ways to secure a computer system. Passwords are the most common forms of computer and net
We have been discussing the security of computers that are used in a corporation setting. But computer security can affect any computer user. We can be affected by security even in our own homes. "Any computer running Microsoft Windows that has a persistent Internet connection is vulnerable" (Gov. Computer, 1). Computer users that have programs like "Back Orifice" are capable of finding computers with a permanent Internet connection and trace the line backwards and get into your computer. From that point on they can get your account information if you have a checkbook balancer, for example. I myself am guilty, if that is the correct term, of running this security no-no. There are, however, several free software programs that can be added to your computer to keep basic backdoor programs from infiltrating your computer (Gov. Computer, 2). Just having these security programs installed on your computer is not always enough. More precautions should be done to protect your home computer. People's inherent nature is to pick a password that is close to them. They usually will choose a password that they can easily remember and that ends up being something that is easy to guess. One professional took a sample of 13,797 accounts and was able to successfully crack 3340 passwords. The bulk of the passwords cracked were either lists, common names, account names, patterns and machine names (Net Security, 3). These were easily guessed passwords, but they can be changed. There are many passwords that should not be used. These include passwords based on the account name, one's that match a dictionary word exactly, strings of numbers (including social security numbers, phone numbers or addresses), or patterns on the keyboard such as "aaaaa", "asdfg", and "qwert". The passwords chosen should also be longer than 5-6 characters. The best passwords are those consisting of nonsense words, using capital and lower case letters, and a number or two thrown in for good measure. A computer user with a good password can do wonders for computer security. Network Security Planning http://www.reliable.net/security.htm Agencies say security is a bigger task than Y2K The Network Guys Network Security http://www.networkguys.com/
Some common words found in the essay are:
Net Security, Security Firewalls, Gov Computer, Instruments Inc, FBI CIA, Government Computer, Week Jan, Week March, computer security, Computer August, Computer April, network security, government computer, password system, computer user, 1999 v18, physical barriers, home computer, computer 10 1999, packet filters, internet connection, computer network security, 10 1999 v18, 1999 v18 13, government computer 10,
Approximate Word count = 1853
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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