Protection against cyber threats

Why secure computer systems?

Computer systems contain useful data of its user which, when compromised, might end up causing financial or personal losses. An external attacker may get access to the system by exploiting a system vulnerability or might attempt to break in the system by using intrusion attempts. For a national infrastructure, data breached may cause important national information to leak out, endangering security for the citizens as well as creating a loss for the government financially.

Removing system vulnerabilities

A vulnerability is a design flaw of the system, software or network through which an external attacker might end up entering the system or use it to attack the system (Yee, 2018). Vulnerabilities contain exploitation points which are probable areas of a breach. System vulnerabilities need to be fortified to prevent external attackers from gaining access to the data. This can be done by using virtual private networks (VPN) which would enable the use of a virtual network within the system detached from the usual network. Systems should be scanned regularly by using anti-malware software, and regular updates should be carried out to ensure that the system has an up to date malware protection system.

For a company or a national agency, employee access to the system data should be restricted. Systems present within the organization should be monitored so that any unwanted activities can be detected easily. Personal usage of company system should be restricted, and each session must be logged out by the users. Log in credentials used should be strong to make them resistant to brute force attacks. Network firewalls should be installed to prevent network breaches.

Protection against intrusion attempts

Intrusion attempts in a system can be both internal as well as external. To avoid these, proper login credentials must be used to prevent system breaches. Server computers and network centres must be locked by using secured doors. An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) must be installed so that the company is alerted for any possible intrusion attempts (Abubakar, & Pranggono, 2017). Regular scans must be carried out for systems and networks by trained professionals. Intrusion Detection system must be programmed to alert the user through text messages or emails in case of a break-in by an intruder.

Anticipating future threats

An effective security measure should be focused on four aspects of the data: integrity, confidentiality, availability and theft. This means, the data should not be stolen, changes, leaked and should be available anytime the user wants to access it. To avoid future system threats, it is essential to spread awareness among the company staff about cybersecurity practices (Zwilling et al., 2020).

Software standardization should be practised in government and private agencies alike, which will ensure the use of a unique software within the company. Employees should not be allowed to install any foreign software without permission, and the use of personal storage devices should be restricted.  Access control policies must be adopted, which would limit any unwanted activities on the company system and would make sure only authorized users have access to the system.