Network Security

 

      Advanced technology has shaped the way in which we communicate with others. Mobile technology has catapulted the norm in staying connected and has mainstreamed the idea of social voyeurism, broadcasting bits and pieces of one’s life to others around the world. With the great strides that have been made with technology one question that might arise is how secure is the information that is transmitted. In order to understand the possible vulnerability of information and system security we will explore the concepts of phishing and email spam including how a system can vulnerable, the damage that could arise from infiltration of information and recommendations on how to protect the information and system from being compromised.

      With technology being able to communicate knowledge and ideas swiftly it becomes very vital to discern what information is being consumed and researching the legitimacy of it. As mentioned by Vahid & Lysecky (2017), “the act of phishing refers to emails that are fraudulently sent asking users to provide sensitive account information by posing as legitimate companies” (Section 7.4). Phishing can cause detrimental effects to one’s information and their system. For example, if a fraudulent email was sent to a company posing as a vendor and provides links to collect information, if an employee were to click on the link or comply with the email this could result in two ways, the system could be compromised by giving unauthorized remote access, or, it could possibly lead to a loss of private information.

      In order to prevent phishing its important to implement a strategic plan to help protect the intellectual information of an organization. According to Miller, Miller, Zhang & Terwilliger (2020), a recommended approach to prevent phishing is to utilize one-time passwords, multi-level desktop barrier applications and behavior modification” (p.6). For example in the telecommunications industry in addition to requiring a federal or state ID or drivers license they also use one-time passwords so that users can gain access to their wireless account to make changes. Performing the extra measure of one-time passwords guarantees the safe keeping of personal information that way it does not get into the wrong hands.

     In addition to phishing another way information or computer systems could become compromised is through email spam. In the past decade the annual number of data breaches and exposed records has more than doubled leading us to believe that as technology becomes more complex it can also lead to ways in which information and systems can be vulnerable (Vahid & Lysecky, 2017, Section 8.1). Email spam could be very easy to discern based on the layout, content or syntax of the email in question. One big indicator of email scam is if there are grammatical and spelling errors indicating the lack of professionalism and the possibility of somebody posing as some other entity trying to gain access to organizational information. Employees in organizations go through a plethora of email daily, if one were to click on any link in a suspicious email it could potentially lead to loss of intellectual property and could amount to lawsuits resulting an organization to lose money (Bernard, 2018, p.37).

      Another detrimental consequence that could occur from email scamming is malware, leading to the accidental installation of malicious software into a computer system. This action can lead to disastrous consequences to an organization or user such as compromising of personal or business information and lead to unwanted items being installed without the users permission, leading to the monitoring and obtaining of information.

      In order to avoid email scam it is important to employ two methods, one is to make sure the content of any email is read thoroughly to see if there is anything suspicious in the grammar or spelling that could hint it being a email scam. Another tool to use is a email management tool or spyware that could catch any malware or spyware, helping information to stay intact and secure.                                                                                 

    In conclusion, phishing and email scam are two types of security incident that could happen to any user or organization. It is very imperative to be aware and knowledgeable about these two terms and to employ the necessary means in defense to this so that information is not compromised and that any system does not lose security due to any vulnerability.

Reference

Bernard, N. (2018). Reasonably Suspicious: Avoiding Targeted Email Scams. Utah Bar Journal, 31(4), 37–41.

Miller, B., Miller, K., Xihui Zhang, & Terwilliger, M. G. (2020). Prevention of Phishing Attacks: A Three-Pillared Approach. Issues in Information Systems, 21(2), 1–8.

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/