This chapter gives an overview of security threats within the Operating System. You must be known by the term - computer security. In the core, computer security deals with computer related assets which are subject to a mixture of threats and for which a variety of measures are taken for protecting those assets.
What is Computer security?
The affords of protection of computer related information to an automated system in order to reach and achieve the applicable objective to preserve the integrity, availability and confidentiality in information system assets that includes hardware security, software security, firmware protection, information / data confidentiality etc.
- Confidentiality: Preserving authorized restrictions on information access and disclosure, which includes way for protecting personal confidentiality and proprietary information. A loss of confidentiality is the unauthorized expose of information.
- Integrity: Protecting against improper information modification or destruction, including ensuring that information non repudiation and authenticity. A loss of integrity is the unauthorized modification or destruction of information.
- Availability: To ensure timely and reliable access to and use of information. A loss of availability is the disturbance of access to or usage of any information or a of information system.
Lists of Security Beaching in Operating System
Unauthorized disclosure is a threat to confidentiality in any Operating system. The different types of attacks can affect the outcome of this threat consequence -
- Exposure: This can be purposeful when an insider releases sensitive information, like credit card numbers, to an outsider. This can also be the result of a human error, hardware or software base error that results in a unit gaining unofficial information of any sensitive data.
- Deception: A condition or occasion which may result in an authorized unit receiving false data and consider it to be true.
- Interception: It is a universal attack in the situation of communications. For a shared Local Area Network (LAN) like wireless LAN or a broadcast Ethernet, those devices which are attached to the LAN is able to accept a copy of packets planned for another device.
Threats and Assets of Operating System
The assets of a computer structure can be divided into two major parts. These are:
- Hardware
- Software
In this paragraph, it is described briefly about the two types:
- Hardware: A major risk to computer system hardware is the threat to availability. Hardware is the most susceptible part for attacking and the least vulnerable to automatic controls. Threats comprise of accidental and deliberate damage to equipment as well as for theft. The increase of personal computers and workstations and their widespread use with LANs increases the probability for losses.
Furthermore, theft of CD-ROMs and DVDs can lead to loss of privacy. Physical and managerial security measures are required for dealing with these threats. - Software: Software comprises the operating system, its utilities and application programs. A key danger related to software is the attack on availability. Software, particularly the application software is often easy to delete. The software can also be altered or damaged to render it useless. Computer viruses and attacks related to malwares fall in this category. Final trouble is the protection against software piracy.
