Cyber insecurity is where a computer is in a position to be exposed to vulnerable attacks which aims at causing various malfunctions. This causes a strong battle to emerge between the individuals responsible for the vulnerabilities and the ones in charge of ensuring there is maximum computer security. Despite different departments fighting to ensure that there is maximum security, various cyber criminals stills sneaks in to cause insecurity. The reality of cyber insecurity will always present itself with malware infections, password sniffing, computer hacking, and web site damages. Computer crime has interfered with the smooth running of various activities since cyber criminals has no good intentions and are there to cause computer insecurity.
The progress of digitization may have numerous benefits but it depends on how the computer systems are handled in order to avoid vulnerabilities. Cyber insecurity is caused by: soft wares that contain many bugs and viruses, the commercial off-the-shelf software which is designed with a malicious code that transmits malfunctions, lack of adequate corporation in the war to fight against cyber insecurity by the government agents amongst others (Ventre 2013). There is need for the responsible agencies to be in the frontline in ensuring that e taken effective cyber security practices are taken into consideration.
Eavesdropping is another aspect of cyber insecurity. Eavesdropping is the process where a malicious person modifies information that is sent across the network. Physical machines are also at the risk of eavesdropping when the electronic –magnetic transmissions are monitored. Eavesdropping is popular between political rivals which can use this strategy to tarnish the name of their opponents by linking them with scandals that are stage managed. This is a form of cyber-crime and it affects the way of living of the common citizens (Brenner 2013).
Another cause of cyber insecurity is social engineering and human error. The aspect is evident when malicious persons realizes the weakness of owners of computer systems and capitalizes on it to bring confusion. Any form of carelessness is punished by unauthorized attack to the trusted individual’s computer systems (Gelbstein & Kamal 2002). The malicious persons can also deceives system administrators by sending the messages begging to access the passwords that they uses and they will get the chance to interfere with the security of the systems.
The denial of service attack is also rampant in cyber insecurity. Most of the attackers insert the wrong passwords so that the original claimers of the systems can be denied access when their accounts are blocked because of logging in the wrong details. These are malicious attempts that jeopardize the security of originality of data.
In effective codes have largely contributed to cyber insecurity. Computer codes make it possible to prove the correctness o0f certain computer programs. However, in large scale practical systems, the feasibility of achieving this is actually limited. The codes ends up being ineffective and other malicious people end up producing similar programs that have been released to the market and many consumers have fallen victims of this. These programs can easily be hacked or altered. The market ends up being flooded by counterfeit programs that are very vulnerable to viruses and access by unauthorized personnel. The programs durability is also considerably low hence has to be replaced from time to time. This brings about a financial loss to the user while the producers of such programs end up gaining. Apparently the technology becomes the new tool of exploiting mankind.
Of late, much of the malpractices that have taken place due to cyber insecurity can be attributed to negligence on the part of those who are supposed to ensure that there is maximum security. Some people do not see the importance of the rules that have been put up to safeguard the cyber space (Ventre 2013). . They simply neglect the security measures for they perceive it as a waste of time and resources. Activities such as saving a password on a public computer or storing data without properly protecting it are simple negligence acts that can bring pave way for criminal activities. As a result of negligence people have accessed some very fundamental information and maliciously used it. Data and information have ended up being altered against the wish of its custodians.
Lack of concrete evidence that can be used in court against offenders and the failure of courts to honor simple evidences have actually made offenders to confidently go on with their acts. There is no evidence to bind the criminal by law and this has actually increased cybercrime. The trail of cyber-crime can be hidden in so many ways thus making it hard to police the offenders. This has caused an increase in cybercrime as offenders know that they can easily get away with the crime. Many people have ended up engaging in cybercrime adversely costing the innocent cyber users (Gelbstein & Kamal 2002).
Cyber insecurity has of late been an issue of great concern. It is caused by various factors among them denial of service attack, social engineering and human error, negligence, ineffective codes and inappropriate evidence that is required for courts to take a penal action against offenders. Cyber insecurity causes data and software vulnerability and counterfeiting. This has ended up costing consumers greatly.
References
Brenner, J. (2013). Glass houses: Privacy, secrecy, and cyber insecurity in a transparent world. S.l.: Penguin Books.
Gelbstein, E., & Kamal, A. (2002). Information insecurity: A survival guide to the uncharted territories of cyber-threats and cyber-security. New York, NY: United Nations ICT Task Force and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
Ventre, D. (2013). Cyber Conflict: Competing National Perspectives. London: Wiley.
