Scenario 1
In this scenario, there is a need to install a firewall. The home computer will need to have a firewall. This will filter the packets that enter into the home computer. There are different types of firewalls. The type of firewall which is applicable in this scenario is packet-filtering firewalls which use protocols, the destination and source of the packet, the port numbers of the source and destination, the time range, and the Differentiate Service Code Point (DSCP) and the many parameters of the header section. They are known to use Access Control Lists (ACL) on routers and switches; they are also known to be very fast. The working of the firewall is that as the traffic enters and exits the interface, the ACL will match the criteria that has been chosen and will either deny or allows the packets to proceed. They are used in situations where the circuit that is used is Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). This type of firewall works at layer seven of the OSI Model. The working of this is that the device work on behalf of the client. The firewall will send the request form the user and will then authenticate the request before they are approved and made available to the user. This will be essential and usable in my environment because I do not have a server or gateway that will handle the requests and user settings. The requests and the pages I visit while I browse will be checked by the firewall. This will ensure that the computer is safe.
Browser settings
For the browser settings, I would ensure that I have the cookies switched off so that they do not collect any private information from my side. The browser would also be disabled from storing passwords that I key in to online payment sites and the online bank transactions. I would prefer the use of Google Chrome in my browsing needs. This browser has built in malware and phishing protection and auto-updates which ensure that all the security issues are fixed. Apart from this, the browser also has features that can be adjusted for personal use.
Anti-virus installations
There is a need to have anti-virus installed in the computer that I use. This will ensure that the threats and attacks that I get from the internet will be eradicated. There is a need to have anti-virus to be used in the computers that I intend to buy in the future. This will protect the computers from attacks and the viruses that I might get while surfing the internet. I would recommend Kaspersky product as an antivirus to be used in my computer. The reason I choose this is because of the fact that it is easy to be updated in the servers. The anti-virus will get updates from the server. This will mean that the users will not be tasked with updating the antivirus. The antivirus also gets patches frequently.
Password strength
There is a need to ensure that the password that I used to access my bank accounts are as secure as possible. This will ensure that the passwords are as safe as possible. The passwords that use should be strong. This is possible by combining letters, numbers and other characters to come up with a strong password. This can be the best way of preventing unauthorized access since the only way the attacker can break through brute force attack. When the password is strong, it takes a very long time for an attacker to break. This is an advantage because the attackers cannot spend a long time on a system without being found. I will ensure that the passwords are changed weekly. This is the policy I intend to keep. I will use the public key infrastructure (PKI) certificate system. PKI is the system through which the digital signatures are allocated to individuals, to enhance secure communication over a network prone to the public. This is in a bid to ensure confidentiality and security of the data and information shared across this network. A PKI does not only create and distribute the digital signatures; it also stores them as entities for use when required. This is to ensure accountability of the owners of the digital signatures, just like the handwritten signatures.
Application and operating system updates
Patches for operating systems is an important process that should be undertaken for any computer working in the home environment. This will have to be undertaken to ensure that the operating system has been improved to handle the attacks that have been released by attackers. For this to be effective, and possible, there will be the need to ensure that the operating system and the application software that will be installed are genuine. This will enable the updates to be downloaded from the internet. Having internet updates on genuine application and operating system software is essential because system and application software will not be updated if genuine software is not installed. There will be the need to have updates automated so that if there are patches which have been added, they will be installed automatically. System developers usually release patches that will handle the latest security threats that have been released by attackers to the genuine users of their products. The application that is used should be updated so that the security patches that the operating system has been provided will be able to function with the new updates. In most cases, the applications that are used in home computers are the same applications that the system developers developed. For example, Windows operating systems have Microsoft Office suite installed in most home computers and internet explorer installed for internet browsing. This then means that the updates that are got in most operating systems will work in most applications. This is the reason why there should be updates in both the system software and the application software.
Wireless connections
Physical security
Since I will not be in the house physically throughout, there is a need to ensure the safety of the computer while I will be away. There will be a need to have computer safety in the physical sense. Physical security refers to security of systems’ hardware. This is vandalism or theft of systems such as windows PC’s, servers and Macs. To ensure physical security, some computer systems such as PC’s have cases that are lockable and have keys to open the cases therefore their motherboards and BIOS configurations cannot be tampered with. Location of the system could also have security levels that would include rooms locked and authorized persons accessing the rooms. With time, I will consider installing sophisticated systems like CCTV cameras in the room where I work.
Scenario 2
With the rise on the use of the internet, there is a need to ensure that the security of information is assured. There is a need to protect private data while using Facebook. For my son, I will set the guidelines that I will require that he follows while operating the Facebook account. Since the boy is still very young, there are many things that he needs to know regarding the privacy of Facebook. This has been the main issue that has been discussed and has been included in the Guide for Facebook.
Facebook privacy settings
There are tools and features that have been integrated in Facebook that my son should know how to use. One of the features that have been integrated is the setting of items as either private or public. Something can be set to be viewed by everybody. This is information that is considered to be public knowledge and does not cause loss of privacy. My son should know how to have these settings and should understand the implications of having the different options. It is important to understand the people who will be affected by these settings. Many organizations would want their content to be open for marketing purposes. For individuals, most information is required to be hidden and accessible to a few individuals. My son will have to share information that is considered to be news (Gollmann, 2010).
Another option is friends and network. Information posted will be available to friends and people that belong to the same network that you belong. Networks could be a university, church or discussion group. Members of that network will be able to see the content. I will suggest networks to my son and for the networks that he would like to join in Facebook, he will have to inform me for my approval. My son will post content that is relevant to the group. If there are issues that touch the whole group, there will be the need to inform the administrators of the groups. This should be undertaken every time there is an issue that should be addressed (Jacobson, Rursch, & Idziorek, 2012).
There are other settings like friends of friends, just friends, and custom. These settings will be used wisely. The settings of their profiles will be based on the requirements and the information he wishes to post. This information will have to be approved by me before they are allowed to be on Facebook.
News updates
There will be guidelines that my son will have to follow while wanting to post news updates deaths which have occurred. He will have to ensure that sensitive information like arrests made, and deaths should not be posted unless he has the right to do so from the family members of the person concerned. This is in the quest to ensure that the privacy of others is not compromised. It is important to ensure that the concerns about the privacy of others should be kept private as much as possible.
There will be no problem when posting news updates which have appeared in other media or which have been posted by other people in social media. This is because if there will be concerns about the posting of this information, my son will not be held responsible for the posting. The first person who made the first post will be held responsible.
Personal information should remain personal
With the intention of my son to post his personal information like his photo and personal information, there will be guidelines that will be used when undertaking this. One of the guidelines is that my son will not be allowed to post personal content that will compromise his security. One example of this is the information regarding where he is at every time. This is because he might be tracked and this will cause some security concerns over his private life. This information can be made available only to the friends and not friends’ friends. It is important that he chooses friends carefully. This is because it is friends who will be required to maintain this security (Mell, & Grance, 2011).
He should not post information about his family members unless he has a clear consent from the family members. Information like property that has just been bought, health status of the family members should not be posted by him. He has a clear boundary on what to post and what not to post in his Facebook account. This will help in having security and maintaining security in the family. All family information should be kept secret.
Sharing of pictures should also be done with courtesy. This is because there are some pictures which will be offensive to other people. For example, if someone posts a cow which is being slaughtered, this will be offensive to Indians as this is sacred and the cow should not be portrayed in this manner. There should be care when handling such matters. He should not misuse the privacy that he has acquired by posting without having any form of courtesy. He should be considerate of the people and the different cultures.
Facebook should be used to get information and knowledge regarding various subjects. With this, he has the freedom to learn as much as he can. Information is knowledge and this can be used positively. One of the reasons for enrolling in social networks is to learn as much as possible.
Time to Facebook
With the age that my son is, there will be guidelines on when to use social networks and when to study. Many young people spend their time in social networks and they may forget to do important things like studying and being with family members. My son will be allowed to use Facebook as from 8pm to 10pm. He will also be able to use Facebook from 11am to 4pm, during weekends, when he is not in class. This is the routine that he has to start to getting used. I have chosen this time because by 8pm, I expect that he has finished his school assignments and the chores that he normally does at home. This is the same case with the weekend schedule. These are the times that he has the freedom and have spare time to spend in social networks. These are the appropriate times that are available for him (Ng, Kankanhalli, & Xu, 2009).
References
Gollmann, D. (2010). Computer security. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics, 2(5), 544-554.
Mell, P., & Grance, T. (2011). The NIST definition of cloud computing (draft).NIST special publication, 800(145), 7.
Ng, B. Y., Kankanhalli, A., & Xu, Y. C. (2009). Studying users' computer security behavior: A health belief perspective. Decision Support Systems, 46(4), 815-825.
Jacobson, D., Rursch, J., & Idziorek, J. (2012, October). Security across the curriculum and beyond. In Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. 1-6). IEEE Computer Society.
