Internet Security Essay -- Essays Papers

Internet Security INTRODUCTION Many people today are familiar with the Internet and its use. A large number of its users however, are not aware of the security problems they face when using the Internet. Most users feel they are anonymous when on-line, yet in actuality they are not. There are some very easy ways to protect the user from future problems. The Internet has brought many advantages to its users but has also created some major problems. Most people believe that they are anonymous when they are using the Internet. Because of this thinking, they are not careful with what they do and where they go when on the "net." Security is a major issue with the Internet because the general public now has access to it. When only the government and higher education had access, there was no worry about credit card numbers and other types of important data being taken. There are many advantages the Internet brings to its users, but there are also many problems with the Internet security, especially when dealing with pers onal security, business security, and the government involvement to protect the users. THE INTERNET The Internet is a new, barely regulated frontier, and there are many reasons to be concerned with security. The same features that make the Internet so appealing such as interactivity, versatile communication, and customizability also make it an ideal way for someone to keep a careful watch on the user without them being aware of it (Lemmons 1). It may not seem like it, but it is completely possible to build a personal profile on someone just by tracking them in cyberspace. Every action a person does while logged onto the Internet is recorded somewhere (Boyan, Codel, and Parekh 3). An individual's personal security is the major issue surrounding the Internet. If a person cannot be secure and have privacy on the Internet, the whole system will fail. According to the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), any web site can find out whose server and the location of the server a person used to get on the Internet, whether his computer is Windows or DOS based, and also the Internet browser that was used. This is the only information that can be taken legally. However, it can safely be assumed that in some cases much more data is actually taken (1). These are just a few of the many ways for people to find out the identity of an individu... ... to the FBI (Rothfeder, "November 1996 Feature" 4). CONCLUSION Security for the Internet is improving, it is just that the usage of the Internet is growing much faster. Security is a key issue for every user of the Internet and should be addressed before a person ever logs on to the "net". At best, all users should have passwords to protect themselves, and businesses need to put up firewalls at all points of entry. These are low cost security measures, which should not be over looked in a possible multi-billion dollar industry. BIBLIOGRAPHY Boyan, Justin and Eddie Codel and Sameer Parekh. Center for Democracy and Technology Web Page. Http://www.13x.com/cgi-bin/cdt/snoop.pl accessed January 26, 1997: 1-4. Heim, Judy. "Here's How." PC World Online January 1998: 1-3. Lemmons, Phil. "Up Front." PC World Online February 1998: 1-2. Methvin, David W. "Safety on the Net." Windows Magazine Online : 1-9. 1995 Feature PC World Online November 1-3. Pepper, Jon. "Better Safe Than Sorry." PC World Online October 1996: 1-2 Rothfeder, Jeffrey. "February 1997 Special Report." PC World Online : 1-6 Rothfeder, Jeffrey. "November 1996 Features." PC World Online: 1--6