Keeping You Information Safe!

During this last module I have learned a lot about how to keep your personal information safe on the internet.  From identity theft to deep packet inspection there are a number of ways in which your information can get into the wrong hands and do nothing but cause you pain.  Deep packet inspection and cookies are used to track your internet use.  According to the article "How Internet Cookies Work" from, http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cookie.htm,  cookies are a small text file that is placed on your computer by a website to store information such as a unique ID number.  The website can then track if you have visited the website before, how often you have visited and can even store your preferences.  The good thing about cookies is the user can control whether or not they want them put on their computer (by a setting in the browser).  This can make it so that website do not track your internet use or place any files on your computer. Personally I will be monitoring my computer closely from now on so I know what if any cookies are on it.  Check out this website https://kb.iu.edu/d/ajfi to view and control cookies on your computer!

Deep packet inspection is a different beast in which the ISP uses to track you.  This method of tracking goes beyond just tracking whether you have been to a website or not.  According to the article "Every Click You Make" by Peter Whoriskey from the website http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/04/03/AR2008040304052.html, "deep-packet inspection," enables a far wider view -- every Web page visited, every e-mail sent and every search entered. Every bit of data is divided into packets -- like electronic envelopes -- that the system can access and analyze for content.".  This means the ISP provider could have a fair amount of your personal information.  Even though this collection of information is supposed to be to help personalize the web for you, how do you know they won't sell or give your information out?  This article also explains that most customers don't even know they are being tracked, however it says "Each company allows users to opt out of the monitoring, though that permission is buried in customer service documents." So my advice is if you know you are being tracked, opt-out! This way your personal information will remain your own and will not be available for the ISP providers to collect and possible sell.

While shopping online is such a convenience to a lot of consumers these days, including myself, it is also a great opportunity to have your identity stolen.  After reading the chapter on "Identity Theft" in the book Cyber Crime Fighters Tales From The Trenches by Felicia Donovan and Kristyn Bernier I have learned a lot about how identity theft happens, the types of identity theft and how it can really be devastating to the victim.  Anytime you use your credit card, social security number or any personal information online it has the potential to get stolen.  Unfortunately there are predictors lurking everywhere out there waiting for their next victim. If your identity gets stolen its very important to tell you credit card companies, banks, DMV, and even the police.  According to the same book mentioned above you should also alert the credit report agencies so they can place a fraud alert on your report.  Fortunately there are ways we can protect ourselves from these nasty attacks including use prepaid credit cards for online purchases, get your credit report annually ( and verify all accounts on it), monitor your bank accounts, shred any credit card offers and any other mail that has your information on it, opt-out of preapproved credit card offers and never give out your social security number unless you verify it's use.  Always make sure you use a secure website too which means the site should start with "https" and have a lock symbol on it.  Here are a couple resources for tips on protecting yourself online:http://enlightenme.com/top-10-ways-to-keep-your-personal-information-safe-on-the-internet/

• http://www.bbb.org/blog/2014/01/5-tips-for-keeping-your-personal-information-secure-online/
• https://www.washington.edu/doit/online-safety-tips-protecting-your-personal-information

Here is a website to help if you have your identity stolen:

• http://www.creditsesame.com/blog/steps-take-immediately-victim-identity-theft/

I have learned a lot of valuable information in this module.  I now know ways in which I can prevent my personal information from getting in the wrong hands.  I will be taking a lot of these precautions going forward! 

Computer Security's affect on our Lives

After reading about how to find out about people including myself it has become clear that it is very important to think about how you use your computer.  There are many reasons we use computers but I never realized how much the ways in which we use them can affect us both positively and negatively in all aspects of our lives. During some researching on myself I found that a lot of information we put on the internet can never be erased and if it gets into the wrong hands it can be dangerous.  It is very important to use computers cautiously and to make sure you have proper security so any important information can remain protected.  The article "Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship" from http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.htmlexplains explains ways in which we use computers and the appropriate use of each element.  I have read these and have chosen 3 of which affect my life in different ways.
   
     First, digital commerce has become huge for many people, it provides a way for us to get products without even leaving the house.  The amount of people who are now buying and selling products on the internet has increased over the years and will continue to increase.  I have found some statistics from the website http://www.statista.com/markets/413/topic/544/key-figures-of-e-commerce/ to show this increase and predicted continued growth until 2018

According to the article "Statistics and Market Data on Key Figures of E-Commerce" from the same website http://www.statista.com/markets/413/topic/544/key-figures-of-e-commerce/ ,some businesses get more then half of their sales from online shoppers.  I think with online shopping we need to be very careful of the security of these sites we shop from so our payment methods/information do not get into the wrong hands.  I have never been a victim of any credit card fraud or identity theft but I do know that my boss has had his credit card number stolen from using it online and had to jump trough hoops to prove he did not make the purchases and get his money back.  The point I am making here is we need to be sure we are using the computer and internet services properly so our crucial information does not get stolen.

    Second,  digital communication is another element that I found affects my daily routine especially in my workplace.  I use email, instant messaging, and video conferencing almost daily at work.  In order to communicate with my co-workers in my building I need to be able to email and or instant message.  The company I work for also have offices in other states/country's such as Massachusetts and even in the Netherlands and in order to communicate with those offices we often use conference calls and emails.  Our sales team also uses the same means of digital communication with our customers to make sure we maintain good relationships with them, especially when they are having technical problems with our devices and we can't fly or get to them in a timely manner.  Here is an interesting article that I found on this topic "How Technology Has Changed Workplace Communication" from http://www.forbes.com/sites/unify/2013/12/10/how-technology-has-changed-workplace-communication/, it had another great point that with digital communication we are now able to work from home.  This greatly affects my life as well as my career because I have 2 children who often have appointments (as do I) and I have the ability to work from home those days so I don't have to take a full vacation day (as I work an hour from my home and doctors offices).

     Lastly,  I chose digital etiquette which is basically the code of conduct for the internet/computer communications.  I think this element affects me the most at college.  I believe this because I am a strictly online student therefore I do no physically see an other students or any professors.  In all my classes we participate in discussions and group projects and it's easy to get into debates with each other and we have to make sure when we do this that we still respect each other. We should not use capitols when typing as it leads others to think we are shouting and I think sometimes because we can't see each other people will say rude or mean things that they would not normally say in person.  Here is a video that I thinks sums it all up https://www.brainpop.com/technology/freemovies/digitaletiquette/.  Also we have to be careful with what we post on our social media site because whether we like it or not some prospective employers may look at our sites when trying to decide if we are a good candidate for the job.  There is a lot of debate on whether this is something employers should do or not.  Here is an article from class "Employers, Get Outta My Facebook" from http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2008/03/employers_get_outta_my_facebook.html, that has some pro's and con's about whether prospective employers should be looking at our social media sites such as Facebook or not .  I have a Facebook and I am fine with my anybody looking at it, I try to be careful about what I post and I don't think I have anything there that would turn an employer away.  However I don't think they should use this as a basis to hire or not hire somebody.

The First Blog for Principals of Computer Security

Hello everyone, this is my first post for my CIS205, Principals of Computer Security.  I have never blogged before so this is my first time and so far so good.  I will be giving you my reflections on what I am learning in class about computer security.  I have not started the reading yet but I will be very soon. I do not currently know a lot about computer security so I am looking forward to learning how I can keep my computer safe (and myself) from attacks and sharing the information I learn with everyone so they can do the same.