Physical Safety

8.1 Physical Safety Issues 

The use of computers comes with a number of physical safety concerns. There are hazards to the physical safety users such as cabling, the sitting of a new printer, electrical overload or having a drink next to a computer. Most of these safety concerns are temporary and can be easily avoided.

Trailing Cables

You will probably have noticed that there are usually a lot of cables attached to computers, such as power cables, network cables and ones connecting mice, keyboards and printers.

What could happen if someone trips on a cable?

There might be injury such as broken bone or an electric shock to the person if they grab a live wire or cable. To avoid it happening we can tidy the cables so it won’t need to go across the floor

Spilling drinks

Most of the time computers and devices need to be plugged in to an electrical power source. This is why care has to be taken to avoid any risk of electrocution.

If a drink spilled into your keyboard:

Don’t panic.

•Unplug your computer immediately. If you unplug it quickly, you may prevent the electronics inside the computer from being damaged.

•Using a soft cloth, dry up as much of the liquid as you can.

•Pull out any other cables connected to your computer.

•Hold the laptop or keyboard upside down.

•Leave it upside down on the desk so that the rest of the liquid can drain out.

•Wait abot 24 hours then use a soft, damp cloth to clean the outside.

What is electrical overload?

Electrical overload are when too many electrical items are plugged in one socket causing more current to be put across an electrical wire or circuit than it can handle.

The danger signs are if the plugs or sockets become hot, or fuses blow unexpectedly. There may be flickering lights or burn marks on socket or plugs.

To avoid electrical overload and equipment overheating too can calculate the amps being used by dividing the amount of wattage by the voltage.

Other risks associated with computer equipment

Computer equipment is often heavy, there is risk of injury if you move it, or if an item of hardware falls on someone. If you bought a new printer it will need to be plug into the electricity power point. Whichever the printer you have, you will probably put it on a shelf near the computer, but before you put it there, ask yourself two questions:

•Is the shelf designed to carry that much weight?

•Will the printer fit properly on the shelf without it being dangerously balanced?

Devices must be placed in suitable positions. Make sure equipment is placed on tables or shelves that are strong enough for them. The position must be able to support the weight of the device and a check should be made to see if it will be large enough to support the device under each of its corners.

eSafety

 8.2 eSafety

Data protection

The huge demand for personal information to be securely gathered, processed and stored electronically has resulted in the need for international data protection legislation. There are many laws globally to control how personal information is handled and the rights of the data subjects - the people whose data is being stored. This global requirement has resulted in laws varying greatly from country to country.

Personal data

Personal information is used to identify an individual and includes name, address, date of birth, location, race, ethnic origin or medical data such as genetic and health data.

 Personal data is collected every time you post an update on social media, sign up for an online account, or use a web-based email service or a search engine. These data items will probably be held by lots of different official organisations such as schools, health serviced and governments departments, and also online shops.

People should be concerned about the privacy implications of the storage and processing of their personal information and about the security of the data as weak security could result in personal information falling into the wrong hands. This makes people vulnerable to fraud and identity theft and also burglary of their homes if the address is included in the data. It can also lead to harm from predators if they know how old you are and where you live.

eSafety

eSafety basically means being safe on the internet but it can also include the safe use of technology in general. eSafety is intended to prevent online threats. Which include:

• bullying/cyberbullying.
• inappropriate behaviour or content.
• emotional abuse.
• data theft.

eSafety when using the internet

When finding information using the internet, everyone uses a search engine. There are lots of different search engines and some are especially designed for children and young people so that they will not be exposed to inappropriate content. Young people should be encouraged to encouraged to use age-appropriate search engines to stay safe.

Using safe search engines, software can be used to limit and screen web access.

If a young person comes across inappropriate content, they should simply shut down the computer without clicking on anything else and inform an adult.

eSafety using email

• Always be careful when opening email from senders you do not know. Never click on a link in an email if possible, unless you are expecting the email.
• If you receive an email from a company that you do know, always go to the website by typing the address directly into your web browser, rather than clicking on a link in an email.
• If you receive an email, always check the actual address of the sender by viewing the details of the email header.
• Never send any payment information, such as your credit card number, in an email.
• Always be careful when sending identifiable personal data or images in an email.

eSafety using social media

If social networking sites are not used carefully, some serious problems may occur.

problems that may arise include:

• Cyberbullying.
• Some people may try to exploit or abuse others.
• Catfishing.
• Some people use social networking sites to slander other people that could damage their reputation.
• If your personal profile can be accessed by the public, your personal details could be stolen.
• People using social networks may not be aware that the sites can be searched.

The data trail that you leave is called your digital footprint and it is a public record of:

• What you said.
• What was said about you.
• What you liked, retweeted or shared.
• Where you are or have been

You can manage your privacy settings on social network sites; most of them also have an option to report or block the users.

Before disclosing your personal data ask yourself these questions:

• Who is collecting this information?
• Why is it necessary?
• What will be done with it?
• What will the outcome be for me?

To minimise possible dangers that you might encounter when using social media or networking sites, you should take precautions and follow rules:

• Block and report unwanted users.
• Users should always be aware of the potential dangers of meeting an online contact face to face.
• Users should avoid distributing inappropriate images.
• Users should be careful of the language they use. It should always be appropriate and respectful to other people.
• Users should respect the confidentiality of other users.

Playing games on the internet

You can play online games with people from all over the world. When you play these games, you may be playing with people you know and also with people you don't know. Online gaming is a good way to make new friends with the same interests as you, but you need to know how to keep yourself safe

Tips for playing online games safely

• When playing online games, treat the other players with respect, and don't do anything that you know is wrong to get cheats or tips.
• Don't use your real name when you are gaming. Use a screenname instead.
• Never give out personal information or agree to meet another player face to face.
• Never disclose any financial data such as bank or credit card information.

Security of data

8.3 Security of data

Security of data is an effort one makes to keep their data safe and unchanged by restricting access to it, reducing the chance of malicious damage. Hence we are going to discuss the ways which you can protect the information that need to be protected online or else called information assets as safe as possible.

- Identity theft

Identity theft is a type of fraud where personal information is stolen and used to impersonate that person. Usually used to gain something using the stolen person's details such as applying for a loan under someone else's name. 

- Spam

Junk email that involves a bunch of nearly identical emails being sent to lots of people. It usually tries to persuade you into doing something. Spam emails are sent by a malware called botnets. 

- Hacking

Meanwhile hacking is the gain of unauthorized access to data in a system or computer. Hacking is a very broad term that can be done through many ways which are: 

• Phising:

A criminal activity trying to find sensitive informations such as passwords or banking details by fraudster means. 

• Pharming:

Happens when a hacker installs a malicious program on a computer or a server. This programme code causes any clicks that is made on a website redirect you to another website without your consciousness. 

• Spyware:

A malware designed to be installed secretly on a computer. Records private information or activities made by the users, transmitting it to the installer.

•Vishing:

This is taken from the words voice and phising. When fraudsters obtain information of a victim through landline telephones. 

• Smishing:

The use of mobile messaging to lure victims into clicking a link or returning their calls where they obtain information.

What effects does hacking have?

Hackers would be able to view all of your private information stored, being able to impersonate you online which leads to many things such as mentioned identity theft. It could also lead to potential lost of all data as hackers might change or delete files.

Protection against hacking:

When not connected to a network, make sure that it is never left unattended and logged in for anyone passing by to access. But when it is connected to a network, people would need login information to access which can be obtained through many ways such as phising, farming and all those mentioned above with methods of safeguard against them. This mau also be prevented by installing a firewall and the encryption of sensitive data.

Credit card fraud:

A broad term used to describe the activity of fraud that is committed using a payment card. The purpose of it is to mainly steal or get things via someone else's funds. There are many methods of credit card fraud such as:

- Shoulder surfing:

Obtaining login names, passwords, credit card and pin numbers by observing them real time as someone enters them.

- Cloning:

Otherwise known as skimming, it is the act of copying a stolen card information to a new card. 

- Key logger:

Short for keystroke logger, it is a type of malware that records individual key strokes that are recorded on a computer's keyboard to obtain pins and numbers.

Protection of Data

- Biometrics:

Biometrics is a protection data that uses technology to analyse unique personal characteristics as a form of identification so data can be protected

example :

fingerprints, face recognition, handwriting, and Voice patterns

- Encryption:

Encryption is a process of converting information or data into a code to protect it from unauthorized access. It is a fundamental technique in computer security and privacy, and it's used to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data during transmission or storage.

 

Here is the example of encryption:

Plaintext: "HELLO"

Key: 3

In this example, we'll shift each letter in the plaintext three positions to the right in the alphabet to encrypt it:

H becomes K

E becomes H

L becomes O

L becomes O

O becomes R

So, the encrypted ciphertext is "KHOOR."

To decrypt this ciphertext, you would shift each letter three positions to the left:

K becomes H

H becomes E

O becomes L

O becomes L

R becomes O

And you get back the original plaintext, which is "HELLO.“ 

-Digital certificate:

a digital certificate is a form of identification like passport or ID card, It lets the encrypted message know the public key sources. most browser usually has a padlock on their website, that shows the website is secure.

-The SSL (Secure Socket Layers)

SSL/TLS is a crucial technology for securing online communications. It ensures that data transmitted between a client and server is encrypted, maintains its integrity, and can be authenticated to prevent eavesdropping and tampering by malicious actors.

-Data security in cloud (cloud computing)

Cloud computing is when data and programs are stored in a centralists place on the internet not the hard drive on your computer.

Firewall

A firewall is a network security device or software that is used to monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organization's previously established security policies. Its primary purposes are to:

-Security : 

Firewalls act as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, such as the internet. They filter and block potentially harmful traffic, protecting the internal network from unauthorized access, cyberattacks, and malware.

-Access control:

Firewalls can restrict access to specific resources or services based on predefines rules. This helps in controlling who can access what on the internet

-Network segmentation:

Firewalls can segment a network into different zones, each with varying levels of security. This is useful for isolating critical systems from less secure parts of the network.

-Authentication:

An authentication method is used to identify a user who has the produce evidence Example : password, personal data and so on

-User ID and password

A user ID and password are credentials used to authenticate and verify the identity of an individual or system trying to access a secure account, computer system, or online service.