This tutorial provides an overview of security threats to the Operating System. Computer security is a term you must be familiar with. In essence, computer security deals with computer-related assets that are susceptible to various threats and require a range of measures for their protection.
What is Computer Security?
Protecting computer-related information is crucial for automated systems to achieve their objectives of preserving the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of information system assets. This includes ensuring hardware security, software security, firmware protection, and maintaining information/data confidentiality.
- Confidentiality: Preserving authorized restrictions on information access and disclosure, including ways to protect personal privacy and proprietary information. A loss of confidentiality is the unauthorized exposure of information.
- Integrity: Ensuring the non-repudiation and authenticity of information protects against unauthorized modification or destruction, maintaining information integrity.
- Availability: To ensure timely and reliable access to and use of information, availability must be maintained. A loss of availability is any interruption to access or use of information or an 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 situation can occur when someone from within an organization intentionally shares confidential information, such as credit card numbers, with someone outside the organization. It can also happen due to human error or errors in hardware or software that result in unauthorized access to sensitive data.
- Deception: A situation or occasion that may result in an authorized unit receiving false data and considering it true.
- Interception: In communication networks like wireless LAN or broadcast Ethernet, it is possible for devices attached to the network to receive copies of packets intended for other devices. This common type of attack can occur in a shared Local Area Network (LAN).
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: Computer system hardware is at a high risk of being attacked, which can threaten its availability. Hardware is the most vulnerable part of a computer system, making it prone to accidental and deliberate damage and theft. The likelihood of losses increases with the widespread use of personal computers and workstations connected to LANs. Theft of CD-ROMs and DVDs can also lead to a breach of privacy. Implementing physical and managerial security measures is essential to mitigate these threats.
- Software: Software refers to the operating system, its utilities, and application programs. One of the main risks associated with software is the threat to its availability. Application software, in particular, can be easily deleted or damaged, rendering it unusable. This category also includes computer viruses and malware attacks. Another issue to consider is the protection against software piracy.