Computer Security Part 1

Last winter I did a project in my college computer class on computer security.  Since I was roughly in the top 5% of the class as far as knowledge of computers go, I thought it'd be a good subject that a lot of students could learn and pass the same knowledge on to their parents.  I also wanted to learn more about it, but I wanted to share it with others as well.  My goal for them was that they gain a better understanding of the concept of computer security, to raise their awareness of the reisks and threats that the Internet holds and for them to be better prepared for future attacks against their computers, but also know hot to prevent them.  The presentation will be broken up into parts.

Here is the written script of what I said and my slideshow presentation which you can view below.

Outline – Next Slide

Through my presentation I will explain computer security and why it matters to everyone no matter the influence computers and technology have on you.  I will define and hopefully open your awareness to the threats we are exposed to through everyday usage of our computers.  I will also touch upon how computers become insecure and also what you can do to prevent that and stay safe while still getting use out of the Internet.  After listing some precautions, I will give my recommendations for programs you could use to carry out the action steps with.  And then the last area I will cover is Mac computers and how they play into computer security.  Also make sure as I’m going through if there is anything unclear or that you have a question on, to jot it down.  I am willing to answer any questions you may have on this topic so be ready to shoot some out when I’m finished.

Computer Security – Next Slide

So what exactly is computer security? It is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of your computer.  Prevention measures help you to stop unauthorized users (aka intruders) from accessing any part of your computer system, while detection helps you to determine whether or not someone attempted to break into your system, if they were successful and what they may have done.

Why It Matters – Next Slide

So why should we care about computer security?  It’s just for those paranoid people right? Wrong. Computer security matters for everyone. Why you may ask? Because you use computers for almost everything these days – from Banking to Communication to Shopping to Work – they are a major part of our everyday life and that’s why it matters.  Another reason is because of personal responsibility.  If you are not careful, your computer may become a link between a criminal and someone else. What I mean is that your machine might be used to spam or worse, infect other computers – even ones of your friends.

Coming up next: Threats