SECURRITY!!!! I NEED SECURRRRRITY!!!

No, seriously... you do!

     Companies and individuals primarily use computers to store confidential data. As we evolve in the way we use computers and store our personal information and data, network security becomes increasingly important. When security hacks and data breaches occur, they can slow or reduce access to websites and place personal information into the wrong hands. Data breaches occur often and can cost a company more than just money, it can cost them their reputation and the trust of current and future clients.

     Security hacks like Distributed Denial-of-service or "DDoS" attacks can reduce and even cut off access to a website. A DDoS attack is a type of attack that can be executed using ping commands. These attacks overwhelm a website’s server and slows access. Imagine you are at home watching Netflix when your movie starts buffering every 2 seconds. Or you’ve just added items to your Amazon cart and you’re checking out when the page freezes just after you’ve submitted your credit card information.

    This was the case in 2016 when a large DDoS attack was launched that affected some very large websites. On Friday, October 21, Amazon, Twitter, Netflix, PayPal, online newspapers and many other sites lurches and slowed to a crawl under a massive DDoS attack. The attack was directed at the Dyn servers, which route traffic between websites (Castelluccio, M., 2017). The interesting thing about this attack was that it did not come from an army of malware – compromised computers. This attack came from a network of bots, made up of IoT (Internet of Things) devices. IoT devices consist of your smart home devices, wearable technology (iWatch & Fitbit) and online security cameras just to name a few.

     Computer viruses and password cracking are security instances that can create data breaches. A virus can come from receiving and email with a subject suggesting and email error. Upon clicking the attachment, the virus is installed and searches your computer files for email addresses and resends the same email to those addresses. 

It's like when you shake a stranger's hand that just finished wiping his nose after a sneeze then you shake all your friends hands with that same infected hand. 

This is a major reason why it’s so important to maintain adequate virus protection on all your computers.

Get those flu shots kids!

     Password cracking is done when a hacker obtains or guesses a user’s password. We use passwords to secure our online accounts. It is very easy for a hacker to gain access to multiple online accounts when a person uses the same password across all their accounts or uses a low strength password. Examples of low-strength passwords are phrases with common words and sequential numbers like “happy123”. I highly suggest using different high-strength passwords that incorporate capital and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters and changing your password at least every 3-4 months.

     As a user with multiple accounts and security access to personal information for work, I have a lot of passwords I must remember. But I would rather have the peace of mind in knowing that my information as well as my client’s information is secure than to be the cause of myself or my company losing money.  

-The Stealth Nerd Girlfriend, They never see me coming!

Castelluccio, M. (2017). The Most Notorious Hacks of 2016. Strategic Finance, 55–56. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsh&AN=120541241&site=eds-live&scope=site