Part 1: Security Threats

• Provide an example of at least one security  threat.  This can be an actual threat to an organization.  It can be an  example of a “what-if” scenario.  Discuss at least one way that this  threat could have been minimized or prevented. 

One major security threat that the world is dealing with on a  daily basis is phishing. Phishing is where scammers send emails that  appear to be legitimate but the link actually takes you to a malicious  website. Using the fake website, the scammers trick you into giving  sensitive information (TestOut LabSim, n.d.). Based  on the Federal Bureau of Investigation internet crime report for 2021,  page 22, Phishing claimed the most victims, reporting 323,972 victims,  than any other crime type (Internet Crime  Complaint Center(IC3) | Annual Reports, n.d.). Protecting yourself from  phishing comes down to educating yourself and analyzing your emails.  Make sure that the emails are legitimate by reading carefully and  verifying the web address. “Hold your mouse over the link and it will  show you the website it’s linked to” (TestOut LabSim, n.d.). Before  putting in any sensitive information make sure the website is  legitimate. If you have any doubts contact the company to verify.  

Part 2: Mobile devices

• Compare desktops to laptops, tablets, and  smartphones using best practices related to security. Discuss the best  practices that you use or plan to implement on your mobile device(s).

Computers and cell phones have come a long way in just a few  short years. You can now perform the same task on your smartphones as  you can on your computer. It’s no longer just calling people but the  ability to send and receive emails, surf the web, use apps and work from  anywhere has only grown. With the increase of abilities comes the  increase of vulnerabilities. It has been embedded into us to keep  antivirus software or firewalls on our computers. Though most don’t  think the same way with our mobile devices. A lot of people never update  their phones or apps until they are forced to. They don’t think about  them the same way they do with computers (Platsis, 2019).  What makes that worse is that people keep more sensitive information on  their phones for convenience. From storing credit card information to  saving all of their passwords right there on your phone, the personal  information vulnerable to attackers are huge. With mobile devices being  just that, mobile, we are taking these devices filled with this  information everywhere with us. Exposing and increasing possibilities of  attacks, especially when we have settings set to connect to any  available WIFI connections. Add to the fact, unlike most computers, our  smartphones are almost always on, sending and receiving data constantly  (Platsis, 2019). Our desire to increase convenience and speed have  decreased our thoughts on security and privacy. Even “many companies  have not implemented basic best practices for mobile security” (Platsis,  2019). This leaves a gap for attackers to use, bypassing their other  security measures (Platsis, 2019). Some security methods that mobile  devices offer that most desktops do not are multifactor authentication  measures, having face or fingerprint recognition as well as a password.  With these measures and being proactive, we can decrease the  vulnerabilities mobile devices present. Examples of being proactive  include using strong passwords (including upper and lower case letters,  numbers and words not found in the dictionary), rotating those  passwords, distrusting the web and viewing every email with suspicion  (TestOut LabSim, n.d.).

Resources

Internet Crime Complaint Center(IC3) | Annual Reports. (n.d.). Www.ic3.Gov. https://www.ic3.gov/Home/AnnualReports (Links to an external site.)

Platsis, G. (2019, April 19). Mobile Security Versus Desktop and Laptop Security: Is There Even a Difference Anymore? Security Intelligence; Security Intelligence. https://securityintelligence.com/mobile-security-versus-desktop-and-laptop-security-is-there-even-a-difference-anymore/ (Links to an external site.)

TestOut LabSim. (n.d.). Labsimapp.testout.com. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from    https://labsimapp.testout.com/v6_0_503/index.html/productviewer/242/13.13.1/c0c5d48b-b9d9-4933-a9c9-9003f41e62f7 (Links to an external site.)