Computer system security should ensure that automated systems, data, and services receive appropriate protection from accidental and deliberate threats to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Absolute security is an unrealistic goal. A natural disaster or an adversary with sufficient resources and ingenuity is enough to compromise even the most secure systems. The optimum security system balances the cost of implementing protective mechanisms with the reduction in risk achieved.
Steps to establish and maintain an adequate computer security program:
- Identify the computer system assets that require protection (i.e. data, software, hardware, media, services and supplies).
- Determine the value of each asset.
- Identify potential threats associated with each asset.
- Identify the vulnerability of the computer/EDP system to each of these threats.
- Assess the risk exposure for each asset.
- Select and implement security measures.
- Audit and refine the security program on a regular basis.
Computer System Security includes seven essential components:
- Administrative and organizational security
- Personnel Security
- Physical Security
- Communications – electronic security
- Hardware Security
- Software Security
- Operations Security
Proxy Server
If your computer is connected to the internet then you are vulnerable to information theft and vandalism from countless hackers around the world. A surprisingly simple way to protect your network is with Microsoft® Proxy Server. In this article you will learn several ways through which your computer can be protected using the Proxy server.
It is true that a Proxy Server enables multiple computers to share a single Internet link. However, a Proxy Server does much more than enable port sharing—it also regulates inbound traffic. For example, suppose you’re filling out a form on a Web page. After you submit your form, the site will usually send a confirmation page. Proxy Server must be able to route the confirmation page to the person who needs it, while keeping it out of sight from other clients. As you can see, Proxy Server truly does regulate inbound and outbound traffic.
Proxy Server as a Firewall
Because Proxy Server is so adept at managing inbound traffic, it should come as no surprise that Proxy Server makes a very effective firewall. A firewall is a computer that stands between a permanent Internet connection and a local area network (LAN). Its purpose is to protect computers on that network against all the hooligans on the Internet.
How Does Packet Filtering Work?
As mentioned before in this article, your Proxy Server stands between your network and the Internet. Naturally, a wide variety of traffic flows through the Proxy Server in both directions. Since some of this traffic could be malicious, you can use packet filtering to examine each packet before Proxy Server passes it on to its destination.
But how does Proxy Server distinguish a malicious packet from a legitimate packet? By looking for various types of behavior. For example, a packet filter should look for packets that are using unusual components of the TCP/IP suite. It may also detect packets that are intended to interface with a Microsoft Windows NT® service.
