Assignment #3 -   Vester Empress Appiah

 

1.     System Restore- a component of Microsoft’s Windows ME, Windows XP and Windows Vista Operating System  that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of a failure. System Restore is a specific and systemic implementation of personal computer backup.

a.       The Windows Server 2003 operating system family does not include System Restore. The System Restore intended for Windows XP can be installed on a Windows Server 2003 machine, although this is not supported by Microsoft.   

b.      In Windows Vista, System Restore features an improved interface and is based on Shadow Copy technology. In prior Windows versions, it was based on a file filter that watched changes for a certain set of file extensions, and then copied files before they were overwritten.

2.     Keeping Hackers Out (Firewalls)- a dedicated appliance, or software running on another computer, which inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies or permits passage based on a set of rules.             

a.       A firewall's basic task is to regulate some of the flow of traffic between computer networks of different trust levels. Typical examples are the Internet which is a zone with no trust and an internal network which is a zone of higher trust. A zone with an intermediate trust level, situated between the Internet and a trusted internal network, is often referred to as a "perimeter network" or Demilitarized zone (DMZ).

b.      A firewall's function within a network is similar to firewalls with fire doors in building construction. In the former case, it is used to prevent network intrusion to the private network. In the latter case, it is intended to contain and delay structural fire from spreading to adjacent structures.

c.    Without proper configuration, a firewall can often become worthless. Standard security practices dictate a "default-deny" firewall ruleset, in which the only network connections which are allowed are the ones that have been explicitly allowed. Unfortunately, such a configuration requires detailed understanding of the network applications and endpoints required for the organization's day-to-day operation. Many businesses lack such understanding, and therefore implement a "default-allow" ruleset, in which all traffic is allowed unless it has been specifically blocked. This configuration makes inadvertent network connections and system compromise much more likely.                           

3.   Data Privacy- refers to the evolving relationship between technology and the legal right to, or public expectation of privacy in the collection and sharing of data.

Privacy concerns exist wherever uniquely identifiable data relating to a person or persons are collected and stored, in digital form or otherwise. Improper or non-existent disclosure control can be the root cause for privacy issues. The most common sources of data privacy issues are:

*                -Health information

*  -Criminal justice

*  -Financial information

*  -Genetic information

*  -Location information

*  -In some cases even ethnic or gender information

*  The challenge in data privacy is to share data while protecting personally identifiable information (data security). Consider the example of health data which are collected from hospitals in a district; it is standard practice to share this only in the aggregate. The idea of sharing the data in the aggregate is to ensure that only non-identifiable data are shared.

*  The legal protection of the right to privacy in general and of data privacy in particular varies greatly around the world.

 

4. Data Shredding - File and data shredding software is like a real world paper shredder, which permanently deletes your files making them unrecoverable for good. Some software currently on the market are Safe n Secure File Shredder, WinShredder, and SecureDelete . All programs will easily delete any unwanted items on your PC or MAC permanently. This allows total cleanup and for your computer to run smoother.

 

5. Anti-Spyware - The Yahoo! solution for detecting and removing spyware and adware on your computer. It scans your computer to find spyware and adware and lets you decide what to remove, what to quarantine, and what to ignore.

Regardless of how these programs get on your computer, they're typically easy to install but difficult to locate and remove spyware. Anti-Spyware helps simplify the removal process, so you can take back control of your PC.  To begin using Anti-Spyware on your computer, you first need to download and install the Norton Spyware Scan software.