System Security and Internet Privacy
Personal computers have become an important component of today's society given their role in helping stay connected with the contemporary world. Actually, computers are currently used for a wide range of purposes and across a variety of settings. Consequently, computers are used to keep personal information, which implies that they have become critical parts of everyday life. However, the use of computers requires ensuring privacy in order to guarantee the security of information. Computer users are constantly faced with the need to ensure the security of their systems through implementing various measures towards systems security.
System Security
I have just received a new computer for my home environment and can easily connect to the Internet and perform some online banking through the already existing Internet Service Provider. However, I need to ensure systems security in order to promote security of personal information, especially banking information. The first step towards ensuring the system remains as secure as possible is configuring my network in a manner that promotes privacy. This is primarily because connecting the computer to the Internet implies that it is connected to millions of other online users, which enhances vulnerability to hackers and attackers.
The configuration of the network would entail configuring the router's settings through consulting the user's guide. Once the predefined IP address or URL has been identified, I will configure the network to utilize WPA2-AES encryption for confidentiality of data and change the default login information (Kent & Steiner, 2012). This process will be followed by filtering Media Access Control (MAC) address to identify computers connected to the network. The final step in configuration of the network will be changing the default SSID of the network in order to prevent access by any unauthorized persons. The browser privacy settings that I will use in the system include appropriate tracking settings,...
The firewall is usually enabled and configured in the operating system that comes with the Operating System. Since the computer came with Windows 10 operating system, it has a software firewall that needs to be enabled to control the flow of information. The firewall settings I intend to use for the system will include turning on Windows firewall, blocking any incoming connections as well as those in the list of permitted programs, and providing of notifications when it blocks a new program.
Given that the option of turning on Windows Firewall is selected by default in Windows 10, many programs are prevented from communicating through the firewall. However, I'll create a list of allowed programs that can communicate through the firewall. This will help in ensuring that certain programs are allowed to communicate through the firewall while most programs are prevented. Blocking all incoming connections will help in preventing unwanted attempts to connect to the computer. This firewall setting will be used because it provides maximum protection to the computer, especially when a worm is spreading throughout the Internet. Even though the setting does not allow the provision of notifications when blocking incoming connections, most of the basic online activities like viewing websites and sending and receiving emails will still be carried out. The third firewall setting will entail enabling notifications when the firewall blocks a new program. This is essential because it will provide the option of unblocking that program so that wanted programs can still be used in the system.
The third system security feature is the…
