Security

=Social and Ethical Issues: Security= toc

From the ITGS Guide:
Security refers to the protection of hardware, software, machines and networks from unauthorized access, alteration or destruction. Security measures include restricted access to machines and networks and encryptions of information. The degree of security of information systems determines society’s confidence in the information contained in the systems.

Security Issues
Computer security is concerned with taking care of hardware, software and data. Data is only as secure as the system that it is held on and data security is concerned with keeping the data safe from the various hazards that could destroy it. There are a number of ways that system administrators can protect data. >
 * Physical Security: Protection from theft, fire, flood, dust and extremes of temperature. Important computers are placed in secure rooms, sometimes with devices such as biometric scanners, to limit physical access.
 * Password Security: Access to a computer or a network of computers requires a password to be present, usually with a username specific to the person attempting to gain access to the network. Levels of access can be attached to the username allowing a junior member of staff to be restricted to a lower level of data than senior management through the principles of “groups”.
 * Software security: Viruses are numerous and often contaminate and destroy software and files. Anti-virus software can be used to scan a computer’s memory and files downloaded from the Internet.
 * Encryption – a “key” is used to encode the data in such a way that the data cannot be viewed again without the key.
 * Backing up data: This means taking a copy of the data and keeping it in a different location in a secure place.

In the end though, no computer system is totally foolproof and breaches do happen. This is usually due to the carelessness of users or the system administrator but can sometimes be caused by the use of utilities by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities or to crack passwords.

**Tasks:**
> > >> I have found a video on Myspace.com, in which Princetown students explain how it is possible to hack an electronic voting machine. I think that it's a bad idea to put this online since people can get ideas to hack the machines, but then again it proves that it is possible to do so and people can hopefully fix the problems. It is a very interesting video and everything is explained clearly. Click [|here] to see the video.
 * Find a news item regarding successful hacking of a government computer system
 * Outline and evaluate the news item in your own words
 * Security of data at ISD: Meeting with IT Manager: o
 * Summarise the main security issues made in the discussion with Mr Faruque, IT Manager at ISD
 * Briefly propose solutions to these issues
 * Hacking Eectronic Voting Machines- by Cannelle**

**Resources**
Beekman, G. (2006). Computer Confluence. Seventh edition. Prentice Hall. Chapter 10, pg.403-406. Also check index for ‘Security Issues’ and ‘Security Measures’. Cashman, T. Shelly, G. (2005). Discovering Computers 2005. Thomson. Chapter 11, pg.568-611 Also visit the accompanying website for this book at http://scsite.com/dc2005/