 |  Using Information Technology: A Practical Introduction to Computers and Communications, 5/e Brian K. Williams Stacey Sawyer
THE CHALLENGES OF THE DIGITAL AGE: Society & Information Technology Today
Web Summary- Security Issues: Threats to Computers & Communications Systems.
Among the threats to the security of computers are the following. (1) Errors
and accidents, such as human errors, procedural errors, software errors, electromechanical
problems, and "dirty data" problems. (2) Natural hazards, such as
earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, and civil strife and terrorism. (3) Computer crimes, which can be either illegal acts perpetrated against computers
or the use of computers to accomplish illegal acts. Crimes against computers
include theft of hardware, software, time and services, or information, or
crimes of malice and destruction. (4) Crimes using computers include credit-card
theft and investment fraud. (5) Worms, programs that copy themselves
repeatedly into a computer's memory or disk drive, and viruses, deviant
programs stored on hard drives that can destroy data. Worms and viruses are
passed by exchange of infected floppy disks or infected data sent over a network;
antivirus software can detect viruses. (6) Computer criminals may be
an organization's employees, outside users, hackers and crackers, and professional
criminals. Hackers gain unauthorized access to computers often just
for the challenge, crackers for malicious purposes.
- Security: Safeguarding Computers & Communications. Security,
the system of safeguards for protecting computers against disasters, failure,
and unauthorized access, has four components. (1) Computer systems try to
determine authorized users by three criteria: by what they have (keys, badges,
signatures); by what they know (as with PINs, or personal identification
numbers, and passwords, or special words or codes); and by who they
are (as by physical traits, as determined perhaps through biometrics,
the science of measuring individual body characteristics). (2) Encryption,
altering data so it is not usable unless the changes are undone, tries to
make computer messages more secure. (3) Software and data are protected by
controlling access to files, by audit controls that track the programs used,
and by people controls that screen job applicants and other users. (4) Disaster-recovery plans are methods for restoring computer operations after destruction
or accident.
- Quality-of-Life Issues: The Environment, Mental Health, & the Workplace.
Some quality-of-life issues related to information technology are as follows.
(1) Computers may create environmental problems, such as putting a lot of
telecommunications equipment in natural settings. (2) Computer-related mental-health
problems include isolation, online gambling, and stress. (3) Problems affecting
workplace productivity include misuse of technology, as when employees waste
company time going online for personal purposes; fussing with computers because
of hardware/software problems; and information overload.
- Economic Issues: Employment & the Haves/Have-Nots. Two charges
by economic critics of information technology are as follows. (1) Technology
replaces humans in countless tasks, for millions of workers into temporary
or part-time employment or unemployment. (2) Technology widens the gap between
rich and poor, between information "haves" and "have-nots."
- The Digital Environment: Is There a Grand Design? Some factors affecting
the shape of the digital environment are as follows. (1) The National Information
Infrastructure is a grand design relying on private companies and the
Internet. (2) The old Internet is being replaced by new Internet networks—VBNS,
Internet2, and the NGI. The VBNS is the main government component to
upgrade the backbone, or primary hubs of data transmission. Internet2
is a cooperative university-business program to enable high-end users to quickly
move data, using VBNS. The Next Generation Internet (NGI) is designed
to help tie campus high-performance backbones to the federal infrastructure.
(3) The 1996 Telecommunications Act was designed to increase competition
between telecommunications businesses, so different companies are no longer
restricted from offering different services. (4) The 1997 White House plan
stresses that government should stay out of the way of Internet commerce.
(5) ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers,
which is a nonprofit corporation established to regulate Internet domain names.
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