Because the computer is used in so many ways than one nowadays, many crooks out to harm and gain from exploiting other individuals are finding more and more that a computer is an excellent platform to perform their crime. Computer security threats come from online as well as offline sources; all the more reason for computer users to be vigilant than ever to protect themselves and their properties.
Common computer security threats could come from a virus, worm, Trojan horse, time bomb, logic bomb, and even human error and malfunction. Crackers are another threat all by themselves causing havoc to as small as a single home computer as well as companies' computer system.
Viruses are harmful softwares that cling to other legitimate softwares much like a real biological virus does. They are made by people out to harm other people or institutions. It could come from instant messengers, emails, or from surfing websites that contain traces of them. They can replicate inside a machine in just a split second after infection and they can bring all sorts of harm to it. Viruses before only targets and destroys softwares but now, they can also destroy the hardware itself.
Worms are also malicious software, but unlike viruses, they can stand alone without the need to attach to softwares. They often replicate trough a network, instead of a single computer. Worms manifest trough several ways like a sudden slowing of the machine, that is to say slow to start and slow to operate. It can also manifest through unexplained crashing which will become frequent as time goes by and would later render your machine unusable.
Trojan horses got its inspiration from the famous wooden horse from an epic story. This is actually a worm or a virus just pretending to be a useful program. They are attached to a supposedly useful program that you willingly install in your machine but once they are in, they perform nasty functions instead. They are usually tools to send back information you hold in your computer to the perpetrators. Unlike viruses and worms which can self replicate, Trojan horses need the user's cooperation by installing the supposedly legitimate software.
Time bombs on the other hand are also viruses and worms that attached to a machine but would only activate after a certain date or time. While logic bombs are viruses and worms that can only be activated after certain conditions are met.
Human errors are another threat to computer security because as hardwares and softwares become complex as ever, operating them have become complicated too. Mistakes could happen that is potentially dangerous to the machine.
Hackers or now classified as crackers attack your machine by sending malicious softwares and from there they can control your machine without you noticing it.
The author is Mr. Sushil Raghav, CEO and President of
Rensoft Technosys Pvt Ltd, developing large scale of social networking portals and several other kind of web portals.
