The internet has proven to be a powerful tool used daily by billions of people daily. We have gotten to the point where we feel lost and anxious if we do not have constant access to the internet. How many of us automatically ask for the Wi-Fi username and password as soon as we go somewhere new, especially overseas? Whether it is for personal or professional use, we all need to be connected at all times. However, like you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, we shouldn’t be accessing the internet without ensuring we have sufficient online protection. A staggering almost 50% of PC users have experienced some computer security issues in the last two years. Surely this shows why internet security is vital. Let’s have a look at what options there are and why we would use these.

Some of the different internet threats

Malware

Malware stands for malicious software. This is a type of unwanted software that is installed without your consent. Some examples of malware are viruses, worms and Trojan horses.

Cyber criminal

Cyber criminals use malevolent programs on a computer and the internet to commit illegal activities. This can be done by, for example, breaking/hacking into computers and stealing personal or corporate data or disrupting operations.

Trojan Horse

Trojan horse is a destructive computer program that masquerades itself as a benign file or application. It then opens up access to your PC without you knowing, allowing the cyber criminals to swoop in.

Botnet

A botnet is a large network of comprised computers. A “bot” is a malicious software that allows cybercriminals to control your computer without you knowing and use this access to perform illegal activities such as spreading viruses.

Virus

Harmful computer programmes that are designed to spread from one computer to another and interfere with computer operations. A virus can corrupt or delete data as well as damaging your hard drive.

Worm

A worm is a self-replicating malicious computer programmes which uses the computer’s network to send copies of itself to other computers on the same network. Worms will almost always cause some damage to a network.

Spyware

Spyware can be a legitimate software but can be used illegally. A spyware’s role is to monitor a user’s online activity and collect personal information, such as the users internet surfing habits. This can be used illegally by  monitoring a person’s activity without them knowing it as the presence of spyware is usually hidden from the user.

Phishing

Phishing is a form of online identity theft that uses email and fraudulent websites designed to steal your personal data or information from credit card numbers, passwords, account data etc.

How can we protect ourselves

• Protect your computer with a two-way firewall and antivirus software
• Keep your computer software up-to-date with the latest security patches
• Create unique and strong passwords
• Beware of open and insecure wi-fi neteworks. At best, avoid them but if you need to access them use them with caution and don’t access sites needing any personal information.
• Be cautious and trust your instincts.
• Use reputable sites directly to login to accounts of download software.
• Consult IT professionals like Global ITN for support, advise and monitoring services.

 In order to stay competitive, a business needs resilient IT security solutions/Information Technology Security solution to prevent digital attacks which are prominent and dangerous in the current marketplace, across all business sectors. Therefore, Global ITN’s  IT Security Solutions Services and IT Security Maintenance Services provides strong and secure IT defence mechanisms to protect you against malicious attacks such as malware, virus and data loss.

All thing considered, information is one of the most critical elements in today’s competitive business world. In fact, information leakage from your company can lead to controversies, loss of revenue and reduction in competitive advantage. As a result IT Security takes a critical role in augmenting the surveillance of data transfer across your IT system. With suitable IT security solutions from us, rest assured that your data is protected against malicious attacks.

What Global ITN offers:

• Penetration testing consultancy.
• Firewall rule set changes and validation.
• Configuration changes.
• Firewall upgrades.
• Patch management.
• General maintenance.
• Internet Proxy Maintenance.