Wednesday 26 July 2017

Security Upgrade: A Must For All Computer Systems

We all know that no computer system is invincible from outside threats, especially from that of cyber hackers. And nowadays, we have witnessed our fair share of cyber attacks. And here we are thinking that terror attacks are the only thing that’s threatening our existence but we are so badly mistaken. Since the advent of advanced technology and more people share important data and documents virtually, cyber security is an issue faced by many almost on a daily basis.

It is safe to say that a big majority of homes now own at least one computing device aside from the myriad of handy smart gadgets each family member own. Aside from sending emails and files to one another through this virtual network, online banking has also been growing in popularity. There are just far too many computing vulnerabilities that lure hackers with enough know-how to hack systems and disrupt the order in our modern world with the main goal of milking money from as many people as they can.

Amidst reports of 1.44 lakh cyber attacks in India in last three years, the government is mulling upgrading its security system by installing additional features in its computer systems.

The issue was discussed threadbare at a meeting convened by the home ministry and attended by representatives of security agencies and various ministries and departments.

Under the new system, the ministry or department concerned will be made responsible for the security of computer sys tem in the respective ministry and department, the home ministry may be made overall in-charge of the cyber security.

(Via: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/government-mulls-upgrading-security-of-its-computer-systems/articleshow/59130475.cms)

Cyber crimes like phishing, ransomware, website intrusion, etc. are indeed a growing pain to society. Computer systems aren’t secure enough to fend off cyber attackers who keep on intruding systems because they earn lots of money from these invasions. Just recently, the ransomware “Wannacry” caused mass hysteria as computers suddenly became inaccessible and a ludicrous amount of ransom in the form of bitcoins were asked from the unfortunate victims. Unfortunately, big corporations, government institutions, and individual consumers have all been affected.

North Korean hackers may have been behind the WannaCry ransomware attack that crippled the NHS last month, British security experts have said. 

The National Cyber Security Centre has led an international investigation into the attack, which is estimated to have affected more than 300,000 computers in over 150 countries worldwide. 

Security sources at the government body told the BBC that a North Korean outfit called the Lazarus Group may have been behind the attack, which knocked out computer systems at 47 NHS trusts across the country last month.

Computers at the trusts showed a message saying their data had been encrypted and it would only be unlocked when they paid a ransom in bitcoins - a digital currency - into a specific account.

(Via: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-nhs-ransomware-hack-wannacry-cyber-attack-national-cyber-security-centre-a7792851.html)

As controversial as it may seem, nothing has been proven yet although others can’t help but raise their eyebrows once they piece together one bit of information with another. The point here is that no one is safe regardless of the antivirus or firewall you are using. Your best bet is to backup your files, so you save yourself from all the stress and anxiety an issue like data loss may trigger. Regular updates also help a lot since these updates often have the fix to many of the bugs that have been bugging you for a while.

Meanwhile, bigger organizations should boost their cyber security measures to protect their systems from these hacks especially that thousands, if not millions, rely on them to work efficiently all the time. A fine example is the UK’s NHS Trust program. Patient’s treatments and medications were put on hold when computers in many UK hospitals can’t be accessed for hours on end. Hence, the only way to fight these troublemakers is to be as good as them in this cyber game even if it means revamping current computer systems to make them 100% fool-proof against cyber attacks.

Security Upgrade: A Must For All Computer Systems Read more on: The Mac Zealots Blog



source https://maczealots.com/security-upgrade-a-must-for-all-computer-systems/

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