Threats to customer data Essay Example for Free

Threats to customer data Essay A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. The term virus is also commonly but also used to refer to other types of malware, ad ware and spyware programs that do not have the ability to create itself again. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host (some form of code) is taken to the target computer, for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses which are like viruses but are technically different, in effect creating a damageable system to allow access to the users computer. A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred from someone, Worms and Trojans, like viruses, can cause harm to a computer system, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are made. Some viruses and other malwares are noticeable to the computer user, but most are not easy to find. This makes it hard for the average user to notice, find and disable and that is why specialist anti-virus programs are now made. Todays viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging and file sharing systems to spread.   Getting an antivirus-viruses in the computer are detected by the antivirus and stopped and then removed, it also informs the users if they have entered any suspicious websites and tells us to avoid it or blocks us from it automatically. An antivirus completely removes viruses or other harmful soft wares which is also called malware in computing terms.   Not using the computer infected-if a computer has been infected by a virus, its not safe to continue using the same computer without completely reinstalling the operating system. There are still a number of recovery options that exist after a computer has a virus. These actions depend on severity of the type of virus. System Restore, which restores the computer and sensitive system files are removed and the computers status is back to what it was from when it was bought. Although you will lose all your files completely and will have reinstall everything. Ways to stop getting infected from virus   Run your virus scanner frequently. Hacking or Scamming is when some unauthorised person attempts to break into someones computer systems or accounts on someone elses website. Programmers for whom computing is its own reward; may enjoy the challenge of breaking into other computers but do no harm to anyone could be given another chance but if he hacks into someones system and takes their personal information or give them viruses he could be prosecuted if caught . There are many ways to stop hacking we can find out more information about hacking and what can help you to prevent from being hacked.   We should never give out personal information and never enter passwords to suspicious emails. The firewall will block out any unwanted spam and monitor whats attempting to get in our systems. Hacking or scamming percentages are rising but by knowing everything about them or how to prevent them we can reduce our chances of getting hacked. Prevent spywares to enter our system. Dont run unnecessary network services When installing systems, any non-essential features should be disabled. If a feature is installed but not actively used, it is less likely to be updated regularly, presenting a larger security threat. Also, allow only the softwares you need there because other softwares could give you many risks. Norton Internet Security is well known software which is secure and protects us from going on websites which arent safe. Implement a firewall A firewall is a kind of like a barrier that keeps hackers and viruses out of computer networks. Firewalls restrict network traffic and allow only authorized data to pass through and tell us if we have any risks also if we have our firewalls turned off it gives us warnings to turn it on. The threats can be stopped depending on just our actions for example, downloading files from unknown sites and poor habits of opening up strange email attachments and there are many other mistakes made by people which give more options to the hackers or make it easier for them to hack in.