Benefits and Potential Changes

There is no doubt that computer security is a hot topic issue. There is always concern over the potential threat of a computer security breach. Of course the fear this day is of somehow there being some type of terrorist attack through our computer networks. However, there is also the fear of unwanted entities gaining knowledge that is considered personal. The laws and acts enacted by the government help alleviate some of the concerns by imposing restrictions and regulations with regard to activities that could endanger the computer security of an organization or an individual. However, the idea of complete, impenetrable security is unlikely at the moment. The laws and acts passed by the government can be seen as a temporary solution to the problem. They provide a patch for a problem. However as everyone knows, patches are not permanent and they eventually wear and tear. Therefore, reliance must not be on future acts and legislation made by the government, but on actual advanced methods of bettering our computer security.

One suggestion is to avoid hard-coding information. Hard-coding to certain problems severely restricts future flexibility and adaptability to future issues that might arise. Computer designers should also avoid what is known as the “central weak point”. Often, designers create a system in which information is conglomerated at one central point. Placing too much reliance on this “central point” can pose a problem because if this location is compromised then the security system fails (Hofmeyr 20). However, the new idea is to pass the data through sensors to a central location. Therefore, if the central location is compromised then the sensors can continue to protect the system. Another problem is that sometimes security is designed to be so restrictive that it actually is easier to overcome than a not so protected system. Security should not be taken above functionality (Hofmeyr 21).