Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example The paper throws light on cyberspace, a mine field for seekers of information. With every interaction with websites, there would be an increasing demand for personal information. Such have been used by malicious persons for their own gains. Air travel has been hard hit by cyber crime and cyber-security in airports has been a challenge with each passing day. The internet has been used for various purposes which include gathering, storage, processing and transfer of vast data amounts, which include sensitive and proprietary personal, transactional and business data. Organizations have heavily depended on computer systems for day-to-day businesses. Even as this capability has been relied more and more by various individuals and organizations, the internet has been plagued by threats of cyber-security. The information available in the internet has been used to create threats to operations of businesses and individuals. These threats evolve with the expansion of the internet and the risks that come with it continue to grow globally. The United States of America remain to be the hardest hit by cybercrime according to the report on internet crime by Bureau of Justice Assistance. There is a wide range of cyber attacks. Insider threats form the core perpetrators in computer crimes. According to Vatis, â€Å"insiders do not need a great deal of knowledge about computer intrusions† as they posses adequate knowledge on the systems which they attack which allows them to have unrestricted access â€Å"to damage the system or to steal system data†. ... ge about computer intrusions† as they posses adequate knowledge on the systems which they attack which allows them to have unrestricted access â€Å"to damage the system or to steal system data† (2002, p.3). Criminal groups have also increasingly used cyber intrusions for monetary gains. Vatis gives an example of such a group referred to as ‘Phonemasters’ who were indicted for stealing and accessing federal interest computer and being in possession of access devices for which they were unauthorized. Virus writers also pose a great threat to security in IT. Viruses propagate quickly because of the high speed networks currently available. Anti-virus software available and being careful with attachments would go a long way in curtailing such epidemics. Other cyber attacks emanate from terrorists, hackers and information warfare. Vatis defines cyber attacks as â€Å"computer-to-computer attacks carried out to steal, erase, or alter information or to destroy or impede the functionality of the target computer system† (2002, p.10). These could be categorized into three, namely; unauthorized intrusions where the attacker uses hacking techniques to break into a computer or unauthorized access by an insider to accomplish unauthorized tasks in the network; destructive worms or viruses spread through computers using forms of data exchange such as emails causing some parts of the network to lose functionality; and denial of service attacks where a computer would be overloaded with communication thus hampering its functionality. Due to the ever increasing critical business partners connected to customers and partners on the internet, many organizations have been left exposed to cyber attacks. There is no guarantee that malicious acts or intrusions would not happen. But aviation