Essay - IT Security the Computer, the Internet and all Associated Systems...

IT Security

The computer, the Internet and all associated systems and resources brought the Information Age to new heights. Especi*****y in the new millennium, information technology and information systems have been omnipresent not only in business but on day-to-day lives. Since the early to the late 20th century, computer systems evolved from a system that aids the academe, scientists and the military in their various tasks to an all-encompassing sophisticated technology that can now be applied to any processes whether academic, scientific, medical, business, ***** others. In the days of yore, the "networked" computer *****s were open to all involved users since it was a collaborative effort amongst colleagues ***** similar interest. There ***** no threat of hackers and hacking, no concern regarding compromise of data confidentiality, integrity and availability. In fact *****se are unheard of the term hacking then either means a group ***** hippies or beatniks cultivating barren lands. Hackers ***** people who ***** very much in***** computer programming and contribute positively to the improvement of the rising technology.

As the technology improves ***** became more widespread, several problems suddenly started cropping. Since the 1970s, new *****inologies are heard re*****d to threats to and vulnerabilities of the ***** systems. These are virus infestations, malicious hacking, worms, phreaking, cracking, phishing, identity theft and a host of other alphabet soup terms. With threats and vulnerabilities arising, the protection of information systems infrastructures, assets ***** resources became paramount to endure its confidentiality, ***** and *****. The fields of ***** technology security, information systems security and information security are ***** buzzwords ***** highly specialized endeavors ***** ensure the health and robustness of ***** information systems. The ***** complicated the ***** systems get, the more ***** do most ***** groups or individuals ***** in order ***** ***** the system. Thus, several technological controls are part ***** the ***** scheme of ***** information systems but "information ***** is not just about technological *****. Security cannot be achieved solely through the application of s*****tware or hardware. Any attempt to implement technology controls without considering the cultural ***** social attitudes of the c*****poration ***** a formula for disaster. (Shaurette, 2002)"

***** statements above are used as an overview and to introduce a recent and specific event. Unfortunately, ***** case about to ***** dealt with does not involve high-caliber malicious ***** like the "release of the 'Zotob' malicious code by Turkish ***** Moroccan hackers that hit the Internet in August 2006 caus*****g countless computer ***** worldwide to sputter and crash or Mafiaboy in February 2000 when commercial websites ********** Yahoo!, Amazon.com, Dell, Inc., E*TRADE, eBay, and CNN experienced denial ***** service attacks (http://www.fbi.gov)." In a recent new report (M*****rk, 2007):

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is missing a hard drive containing some 100,000 current and former employee payroll records. The missing ***** contains names, Social Security numbers, payroll *****, bank account ***** routing information. The ***** drive was discovered ***** last Thursday from a TSA controlled security area. By Friday, the agency began *****ifying affected *****s. The