firewall and anti-virus software
The 21st century saw the introduction of new technologies, which have significantly affected people’s lives both positively and negatively. The diffusion of the internet has enhanced communication and interactions through social media sites while facilitating business activities through eCommerce. This course has increased my understanding of the issues revolving around cybersecurity. I learned how the nature of malware, including bots, worms, and viruses, has significantly shifted from disrupting the user from accessing services towards actively seeking financial gain. This shift has made hackers and cybercrime perpetrators become incredibly proficient at circumventing traditional defense strategies such as firewall and anti-virus software.
On the other hand, the course enhanced my knowledge about the effective methods to mitigate the risks and effects of the malware on the user system. Specifically, the discussion in week 5 helped me to practically implement best practices to mitigate malware. I saw the need to keep the browser plug-ins of my personal computer patched. As such, I recognized the need to use each vendor’s software distribution tools and auto-update tools in installing patches immediately they become available.
Another area within the course that positively impacted my life is effective mechanisms to eliminate spam activity. I learned how spam activity causes a waste of time and headaches, especially when working, forcing me to continuously trawl through their inboxes to figure out which emails are either legitimate or spam. Subsequently, this knowledge helped me to be vigilant of spam activity within social networking sites. Social engineering techniques have made it challenging for users to distinguish between fraudulent and legitimate emails. Therefore, to avoid spam activity, I began to appreciate the importance of knowing the people I accept friend requests from on social networks, instead of focusing on increasing their friend count.