In today’s society the relationship between IT and privacy is complex and growing more so every day. In a world inextricably linked to and by computers, there is no way to absolutely guarantee personal privacy. All of our information exists digitally in one place or another. Credit card companies and banks have all of our financial history while our own computers house a wealth of information that we would prefer to keep private. Most people understand that their information, from their email address to employment history and legal troubles are all stored in various places on computers and they typically take for granted that the information about them is stored securely and is protected from unauthorized access. People assume that their private data is safe, and there are countless IT professionals working to ensure that, but there are many threats to that privacy.
Threats to the security of information can be intentional or unintentional. Since information systems are designed, secured, and maintained by humans, there is always the risk of human error creating vulnerability. There can also be computer failures that allow access to private information by unauthorized people. In addition to these unintentional threats, hackers are a constant threat to information security. Viruses and other malware are planted all over the internet trying to allow someone access to your personal data. Luckily there are some things that can be done to protect a person’s privacy. Virus scanning software and firewalls add a layer of protection to information systems. Whether on a small home network or a large corporate network there are encryption tools to help provide a layer of protection to sensitive data. Additionally many companies use software that limits or prohibits employees from accessing certain sites that are deemed inappropriate or dangerous. Companies also have computer and security policies in place to help prevent employees from accidentally or intentionally giving out data or access to data.
I found an article online that gave great information on securing information technology. It was created by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) in 1996 but the most of the ideas still hold true even with the major advancements in technology that have been made since that time. The paper outlines techniques for minimizing risk and performing technology audits as well as giving ideas about how much freedom of access needs to be granted to varying levels of an organization. It also discusses the importance of passwords and how to properly create one that isn’t easily compromised. This site also explores how to the need to analyze the sensitivity of the data to be secured which is crucial in knowing how extensive of a security network is needed. The article is very detailed and very lengthy but also provides a wealth of information from a reliable government source.
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