Personal Computer and Social Media Security Case Study

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Updated: Feb 21st, 2024

Case 1

Today, private users and businesses extensively use computers that are connected to networks for storing and sharing valuable data. Cybersecurity is now a concern of each individual as such data as private information, banking service access details, and information about accounts the person uses are the assets for attacks. Computers are vulnerable to the loss of data, so they should be protected by several means such as cryptography technology, password security policy, or network security technology. The suggested steps to personal computer security are firewall and antivirus protection, security settings on the browser, password management, two-factor authentification, and automatic updates. The lack of protection causes risks of virus or malware intrusion, hacker attack, or identity theft.

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Firewall protection is the first step to network security as its main aim is to prevent unauthorized access. According to Ming, Chen, and Guo (2019), it effectively controls and supervises access between different networks and automatically rejects data information that contains risk. The computer under discussion runs on Windows 10 OS, so it already has Windows Firewall, which gives the necessary protection. Still, system security can be compromised by a user’s activity, and once it happens, the firewall is no more useful.

That is why additional software for identifying and dealing with viruses and malware is required. Windows Defender is the most appropriate anti-virus in the discussed case as it suits the OS, and does not impact performance.

For the aim of preventing networks from collecting user information, browser security settings should be applied. However, Easttom (2016) argues that too strong browser security settings unable access to many pages, so they need to be moderate. For example, Google Chrome browser security settings include such functions as a “Do Not Track” request for browser traffic. Additionally, one may use browser extensions, such as VPN, that provide anonymous surfing.

The security of computers that use protective software can still be compromised as there are security flaws. Hackers try to identify them and create codes that target these flaws. However, the process goes both ways, and the developers are continually improving their software. To be able to have the newest and safest versions of the software, one should enable automatic updates, because outdated programs are extremely vulnerable. Encryption is another method of information protection and confidentiality. Free basic encryption solutions, such as VeraCrypt, are often sufficient for private users.

Login information is a frequent target of attackers, and its theft causes catastrophic outcomes. That is why the passwords for all the services should be secure. The main recommendations for the passwords are to make them long and complex. Uniqueness means that each service a person uses must have a different password. People who use one password for all accounts put their security at considerable risk. Picking it once, attackers can access any information from any account a person uses. It is especially dangerous when a user has the same password for e-mail as for other services. With this information, hackers can access all the accounts and change their passwords. Remembering all the passwords, especially when they are complicated, is not easy, so password managing services are recommended.

Access to banking services is probably the most valuable information for private users. Its protection requires all the mentioned means, such as password strength policy or antivirus. However, in case of loss or theft of the PC, smartphone, or credit card, two-factor authentification is recommended. This type of authentification implies that two devices are necessary for login. Even when all the security software is running, a user must pay attention to their behavior. One should know how to detect phishing on e-mail, and to be careful when downloading programs. Neglecting these simple rules threatens virus attack, identity theft, or information breaches.

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Case 2

In the USA, children at the age of 13 are allowed to create accounts on Facebook and several other social media services. If teenagers above this age want to use social networks, they should be supervised and adequately instructed about security issues. Full access to a child’s account and messages is unethical, especially without their consent, but it is recommended that adults check their privacy settings once in a while and teach them about online security.

Teenagers rarely have valuable information, such as banking account access details, but they are vulnerable to identity theft and online child predatory activity. Moreover, according to Schaik, Jansen, Onibokun, Camp, and Kusev (2018), teenagers are at risk of cyberbullying and the theft of information concerning their e-mail and phone number. That is why children’s safety on the internet is more about behavior guidance than technical solutions.

Basic privacy settings for such social networks as Facebook and Twitter include personal information and messaging activity protection. To avoid identity theft, the majority of the account content should be invisible to strangers. Facebook posts visibility settings should be switched to “Friends only” mode, and tweets have to be visible only for the approved users. Failing to do so may result in creating cloned pages that would act under one’s identity.

Other essential parameters of Facebook and Twitter settings are making one’s personal information private, disallowing location sharing, and creating a strong password. In addition to this, two-factor authentification is necessary to make sure that nobody else uses the account. If a user sees suspicious behavior from friends, asking to click on some links, it is recommended to use another way of communication, for example, a phone, to ask whether their account has not been hacked.

After checking for all the necessary security settings, adults should instruct teenagers in their behavior online, guiding texting, teaching them to identify cyberbullying, child predatory behavior, and identity theft. According to Easttom (2016), 19% of cyberstalking cases escalate to attacks in the real world. That is why clear safety rules must be presented to teenagers:

  • Do not accept any follow or friendship requests from strangers.
  • Do not send any of your photos or personal information to people you do not know offline.
  • Text only to people you know in real life.
  • In real life, never meet with anybody you do not know offline.
  • Never respond to cyberbullying.
  • Report identity theft through special forms.

To ensure that these rules are followed, they must be justified to teenagers. In other words, they must understand what threatens them if the security prescriptions are not followed. According to Kayes and Iamnitchi (2017), the most security and privacy risks are related to two types of threat – “attacks that exploit the implicit trust … attacks that harvest user’s personal information for ill-intended use” (p. 1). That is why the most severe outcome is child predatory behavior in the real world when children agree to meet with strangers. Secondly, information and page content may be used for identity theft online, causing cyberbullying and information misuse.

References

Easttom, C. (2016). Computer security fundamentals (3rd ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Pearson.

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Kayes, I., & Iamnitchi, A. (2017). Privacy and security in online social networks: A survey. Online Social Networks and Media, 3-4, 1–21. Web.

Ming, X., Chen, Y., & Guo, J. (2019). Analysis of computer network information security and protection strategy. MATEC Web of Conferences, 267, 02013. Web.

Schaik, P. V., Jansen, J., Onibokun, J., Camp, J., & Kusev, P. (2018). Security and privacy in online social networking: Risk perceptions and precautionary behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 78, 283-297. Web.

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IvyPanda. 2024. "Personal Computer and Social Media Security." February 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/personal-computer-and-social-media-security/.

1. IvyPanda. "Personal Computer and Social Media Security." February 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/personal-computer-and-social-media-security/.


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IvyPanda. "Personal Computer and Social Media Security." February 21, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/personal-computer-and-social-media-security/.

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