Internet Security – A Major Requisite to Online Transactions

In this day and age, primary preoccupations in the internet are not only limited to playing online games and browsing through social networking sites. Transactions involving money, online banking and shopping are widely becoming major activities done through the internet. More and more users are lured by online banking service because these clients can avoid waiting in line in real banks. Online shopping also attracts an increasing number of clients due to a quicker and more convenient method of payment. These advances in technology make the life of users easier, saving them time and effort. A primary concern now for the IT industry has been Internet Security as online activity continues to thrive. Mainly, online activities are characterized by risk. An effective internet security system should be implemented to guard the computer, routing between systems and network.

There are several important things to consider when considering the importance of internet security. These include:

1 – The primary objective of the internet security system should be to protect the computer and network. Protecting the computer and network is of paramount importance to any business.

2 – The other important things to consider include:

3 – Combating with the threats posed by the internet security system is hence important. The system should be able to detect and cipher the threats thus preventing the network from being damaged.

So, the following are the major threats that one has to deal with for internet security.

1 – Viruses

These are the most popular threats to internet security. A virus is malicious software that can spread itself easily over the internet. It is capable of attaching itself to other programs, files, or even to other computers. Once it is downloaded, it can activate itself and cause damage to the entire network.

2 – Malware

This is a program that attacks the computer for the pleasure of having fun or to commit illegal purposes. It is not very difficult to identify these kinds of malicious software as they usually have a minor or no user interface.

3 – Spam

Spam is junk emails or bulk emails that are sent to random addresses. It can be very difficult to sort out whether they are legitimate or not. The best way to protect against spam is to filter both incoming and outgoing emails.

4 – E-mail Fraud

Spoofing is an e-mail fraud that takes place through fake domain name registration. It mainly happens when one receives a mail requesting for an airdrop to a directory that contains irrelevant information. Such emails also contain malicious links that can attack the computer on the spot. Hence, e-mail fraud is one of the most popular internet security threats.

5 – Increase in Number of Unsolicited Emails

As mentioned before, spam is one of the most common threats for internet users. It is said that the number of unsolicited emails is increasing gradually. This can be seen from the fact that the majority of the businesses are employing out software to curb the spam problem.

However, it is also observed that the number of genuine spam emails is gradually decreasing. This can be seen from the fact that Spam Doctor 6 from Yahoo was certified as the best spam blocker by Computer Economics, a leading publication in the field of analysis and ratings of security products. This software successfully eliminates the spam in Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL, MSN E, and Netscape Mail without adding any hindrance to the data.

Computer Economics, Inc. (CEI) further added that besides doing a great job in eliminating unwanted spam, Spam Doctor can also eliminate phishing spam, which is similar to fraudulent websites that persuade users to disclose vital information like credit card numbers, personal identity, and passwords.

A comparative study conducted by CERInside said that although Netcomply has good features, it fails to deliver on its promise because it does not offer protection against spam.

Spam Doctor Corporate said that while its services are free, they still offer their customers additional benefits. These benefits include anti-spam, parental controls, advanced firewall options, and dedicated support staff.

It is not only important to protect your Website from damages caused by DDoS attacks. Your Website needs to be secure so that you can sell your products and services to the right customers. Sellers don't want customers to think that their Website is insecure and could lose their credit card information.