The Breach Sources of Data Security
Cyberspace is a dangerous web of concealed threats. It is no longer the harmless information superhighway it was once intended to be. As millions of individuals and institutions go online, a number of vital information and privacy of varying degrees end up left behind on the internet. Most of these users are unaware of the trail of private information they leave behind.
One source for this security breach is the misconfiguration of the host network. Certain program utilities and operating systems are set at default options which allow serious external intrusions into the host computer. Although these risks may be easily remedied by simple reconfiguration of utility settings, in order to do so, the administrator or host user must first be aware of their state.
But just how much technical skill does the average computer user today really have? Casual users who make up a large part of the internet lack the basic security knowledge to correct this simple configuration. The most common of these utilities include but are not limited to network printing, file sharing, default passwords and sample networking programs. Simply turning off these features or reconfiguring them can minimize external intrusion into your computer. Default passwords should be changed as soon as it's first use.
Most operating systems have built in security utilities which are very effective. However, their effectiveness may never be activated if the administrator or user does not know they even exist. This lack of basic technical knowledge reflects the prevalence of unnoticed sources of security breaches.
Still, this lack of end user knowledge is just the tip of the iceberg when talking about sources of data security breach. The dangers of lack of user awareness may be compounded through manufacturing system flaws. Software bugs and other system flaws may allow external exploitation of the weakness in the program, which is why even the most sophisticated operating system as well as the most rudimentary computer program requires upgrades to fix these security flaws.
Other times though, these flaws may have been unrelated to data security. Programmers are traditionally more concerned of the functionality of the program, not security. They have to choose usability over practical security measures. But with the sophistication of today's hackers, programmers need to balance the risks of practicality versus implementing basic security.
The average computer user is generally unaware that they are part of the security of any computer or network. By implementing basic security policies at home or in the workplace, your data security stance will drastically improve.