INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY

Information Systems Security - Attack Prevention

Information Systems Security - Attack Prevention

Introduction

Protecting computers from unauthorized access it both a job and a necessity. Attack prevention takes on many roles and the more familiar the user the better chance of keeping attacks at a minimum. Hacker's used to be referred to as computer geeks who where able to transform a piece of electronic gear into something else it was not intended to be used as. Nowadays the term “hacker” refers to the individuals who are trying to cause harm to network servers, company servers, and even the personal computer. By understanding the ways a hacker tries to access a computer's information and using these thoughts as a guideline will help prevent attacks.

Aaron Trupen's article, “Hacker Prevention Techniques” informs the reader of the five major forms of attacks used by hackers to penetrate Internet users' computers. Trupen's brief discussion of Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS), Trojan Horses, Viruses, Websites, and Worms help the average user understand how these attacks take place. (“Hacker Prevention Techniques”: http://www.vortexmedia.com.au/help-files/hacker-virus.htm) By the author informing the reader in generic terms gives the opportunity to reach more people rather then the tech savvy computer user's, which are a minority in the population. The author's intuition in being able to explain in detail and make the explanation understandable to the average user is a major plus within this article. By giving examples of each type of attack makes the readers aware of the possible vulnerabilities and the ways to prevent these types of attacks. Not every attack is going to go noticed, but by following the guidelines in protecting the reader's computer gives the reader a slight advantage.

On the other side, Mouratidis, Giorgini & Manson's article “Using Security Attack Scenarios To Analyse Security During Information Systems Design” inform the readers that attack prevention should not be ignored at any cost. Otherwise, systems supports may pay a heavy cost against it.

The Vulnerability of Attack Prevention

Aaron Trupen in his article indicates that attack prevention has become an essential tool for economic growth and security. As systems became more complex and sophisticated, so did the problems of data security. Resource-sharing systems achieve their greatest advantage when used simultaneously by many customers. This also means simultaneous processing of data with varying needs for privacy. As the flexibility and capability of systems improve, the need for and the complexity of security controls threaten to ...