Computer forensics, cybersecurity, or computer-related security is the prevention of information system security, computer attacks, and other issues from unauthorized access, damage or destruction of their hardware, applications, or digital data, and from the disruption or manipulation of their services. Computer forensics are used in identifying, documenting, tracking down, and in many other ways fighting cyber crimes. Cyber criminals use hacking and data mining to obtain confidential information from a computer network and then use that information to cause chaos to a business or if they have stolen personal data to commit identity theft. The security of information systems is an important component of business and financial wellbeing.
There are many ways in which we can defend ourselves from cyber attacks, including by using high quality devices, networks, and software. Using the same devices and platforms for all of our systems helps us to reduce the risk of a single point of failure, a known vulnerability, or the application of a previously unknown vulnerability. We can also minimize the impact of any potential attack by developing and implementing security policies that dictate how and why sensitive information is stored, collected, processed, and shared. In addition, we must enforce policies that govern the use of our critical data, where it is stored, controlled, and shared, and how that data is disposed of in the event of a loss or damage of those resources.
Many companies have already taken steps to protect themselves from the many different types of cyber attacks, including through the development of information security programs and policies. The creation and implementation of a quality information security program at the executive level and at the level of every employee is necessary to mitigate the risks of cyber crimes and to ensure the security and preservation of classified information. A comprehensive program should include physical and logical defenses against external threats, such as physical barriers between networks, physical loggers to track activity in the network, and software that monitors and controls the network. Furthermore, this program must be continuously updated to guard against new forms of attacks, because today’s vulnerabilities are evolving rapidly. Lastly, we must address the issue of trust – how we expect others to trust us, how we expect them to share proprietary information, and what measures we take to protect ourselves if ever that trust becomes broken.