-Himesh Kariyawasam
1. Introduction.
Computer Security can describe as the process of ensuring the security of a computer in the event of an attack that could cause, harm or threat to the computer. Computer forensics analyze the failures in the computer security and protective measures when these measures fail to protect, and also forensics analysts will look for clues into why the failures occurred. It is important to be aware and prevent certain things before handing over computer security responsibility to a third party after a computer security breach or crime has occurred. Therefore, computer users need to be aware of the steps that can be taken to protect their personal data.
2.1 Overview of Computer Security and Forensics.
2. Research Findings.
2.1.1 Overview of Computer Security.
The simplest definition of what computer security is, the protection of computer systems and data from unauthorized use, theft, and harm. It is the process of stopping and monitoring the computer device from unauthorized use. There are have four main types in computer security as Information-Security, Application-Security, Network-Security, Computer-Security, and Cybersecurity and these security methods help to protect the main components of a computer such as Hardware, Firmware, and Software. Finally, computer security can be concluded as controls that are placed in order to provide integrity, confidentiality, and availability for all components of computer systems.
2.1.2 Overview of Computer Forensics.
Computer forensics means the use of science and technology which includes a collection of techniques and tools to investigate and proving the crime. It has a structured investigation procedure to find out exactly what happened on a computer and who was responsible for it, and it keeps a record of that crime. Computer Forensics has five main characteristics as follows, Identification, Preservation, Analysis, Documentation, and Presentation and also, computer forensics can be divided into Disk, Network, Database, Malware, Email, Memory, and Mobile phone forensics. However, the service rendered by computer forensics has become one of the most important and essential.
2.2 Steps user can take to protect their personal data.
In the use of computers and internet-related things, it is important to take action to avoid committing a crime before repenting. Therefore, let us inquire about the preparations that the user can take for this and its facts.
Account Security
Using a unique and strong password for account protection.
use a different password for different accounts.
Note them down in a safe notebook or use a trustable password manager software.
Antivirus
Using recommended antivirus software and keep update with that software.
Backups
Backup important data into safe cloud storage.
Browser habits
Using a trustable browser and ad-blocker software.
Check the URL and always using "HTTPS", being aware of the browsing site.
Beware of email-based phishing attacks.
Device Security
Using a password to the devices.
Use proper encryption methods to protect data.
use only software from trusted sources and do not give admin permissions for anything without checking what is that (being aware of what is installing and why click “allow”).
Use an uncommon OS and keep an updated system.
Education and Mindfulness.
Use common sense and stay alert, don’t forget to pay attention to security warnings.
Educate yourself on common security problems and find and read about computer security-related news
And find subject experts help when needed and get help quickly if you are uncertain situation.
Network Security
Do not trust open networks and avoid using free WIFI services.
Enabling firewall and use proper network settings.
Privacy
Limit sharing private data online and be careful what you share.
Never give out your private information and read privacy policies before give agree with permissions.
3. Critical Evaluation.
Computer forensics is the process of gathering computer evidence that can be used by the court of law, and also forensics find about computer security is working or not if there have some threat to the computer, forensics doing a proper investigation and find how it happened. Computer forensics entails the following steps.
Computer security is mainly involved in the protection of the computer it can be either physical or digital data. The CIA Triad ensures only authorized users can use the information and computer components and protect the computer from harming and altering the information by persons and software. The most harmful computer security threats can be stated as follows viruses, worms, phishing, botnet (DDoS), rootkit, and Keylogger. To secure the computer from threats there have different kinds of security types to protect computer components.
Identify the purpose of the investigation and the resources required.
Data is isolate, secure, and preserve.
Identify tools and techniques to use and process data then interpret it to analyze results.
Documentation the crime scene along with photographing, sketching, and crime-scene mapping.
The process of summarization and explanation of conclusions is done with the help to gather facts.
However, as the world which is changing and renewing day by day with digitalization, continues to advance, the growing wave of cybercrime as a by-product of this situation has become a global phenomenon. Because this reason, it is more important to take action to avoid committing a crime before repenting. Also being educated about computer security and its components, and seeking about that topic gives more benefits to the user. It has indeed, stayed very much to the domain of definitions in this area. A more detailed study of the area is left to the reader.
4. Conclusion.
Computer security is one of the most sought-after topics in the world today and computer-related crimes are on the rise. Therefore, it is important to be aware of what computer security is and how computer-related crime investigations are conducted and these are a very broad topic, the specifics of which it contains and its essence are outlined in this report. It also outlines the steps users can take to protect their personal data in this digitized world. There are many good references on the topic however, the findings of the research conducted on these topics are detailed here.
5. References
Bishop, M., 2003. What is computer security?. IEEE Security & Privacy, [online] 1(1), pp.67-69. Available at: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1176998/authors#authors> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
Consumer Information. 2012. How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure. [online] Available at: <https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure> [Accessed 3 March 2021].
Dixon, P., 2021. An overview of computer forensics. IEEE Potentials, [online] 24(5), pp.7-10. Available at: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1594001> [Accessed 6 February 2021].
Maras, M., 2014. Computer Forensics. [online] Google Books. Available at: <https://books.google.lk/books?id=GqcdAwAAQBAJ&dq=Computer%20Forensics%3A%20Cybercriminals%2C%20Laws%2C%20and%20Evidence&lr&source=gbs_similarbooks> [Accessed 12 February 2021].
Newman, R., 2007. Computer Forensics. [online] Google Books. Available at: <https://books.google.lk/books?id=f9zKBQAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&ots=FxMPw240UX&dq=Computer%20Forensics%3A%20Cybercriminals%2C%20Laws%2C%20and%20Evidence&lr&pg=PA4%23v=onepage&q=Computer%20Forensics:%20Cybercriminals,%20Laws,%20and%20Evidence&f=false> [Accessed 4 February 2021].
Parker, C., 2018. Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. [online] Google Books. Available at: <https://books.google.lk/books/about/Firewalls_Don_t_Stop_Dragons.html?id=azL2wQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y> [Accessed 8 February 2021].
Summers, R., 2021. An overview of computer security. IBM Systems Journal, [online] 23(4), pp.309-325. Available at: <https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5387748/> [Accessed 7 March 2021].
-Himesh Kariyawasam
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