Question

Some people just download programs without really looking at what they are downloading. This can lead to a lot of problems.

To the class, In what ways do you protect yourself with technology? I am thinking in simple ways like spyware etc. Give examples.

CMGT/442 Information Systems Risk Management

Answer 1

When downloading programs the computer system that you are using is vulnerable to different kinds of viruses and malwares that can potentially damage your system and can steal information from your system as well.

To protect yourself and your system ensure the following:

1. Install and then regularly update your anti-virus software – Make sure that your computing system has antivirus software installed. The advantage of having this software is that it will block all those programs and downloads that is infected and which potentially carries a virus.

Besides having anti-virus software installed in the system you should ensure that the software is updated regularly. This will help the software to deal with new forms of viruses, trojans, and worms.

Examples of anti-malware software are MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and Emsisoft Anti-Malware.

2. Install operating system updates – You should always install operating system updates, especially security updates. In fact these updates should be installed as soon as they become available for the operating system being used by you. This will make the operating system more robust and increase their capability to deal with bugs and any programming errors.

3. Use a firewall – Firewall will help in covering security holes and will prevent hackers from taking advantages of any unreported and unknown vulnerabilities.

4. Be cautious when using peer to peer (P2P) software – Use of P2P applications should be avoided or should be used with caution as they are more likely than not to contain trojans.