Our Government and Cyber Security

As technology becomes faster and more reliable it raises the question on how secure our technology really is. For this post I really want to look at the political science behind society’s cyber security. But first it’s important to understand questions such as: What is cyber security and why is it important today? However the main topic that I will dive into is regarding the Homeland Security’s program, National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2014.

Cyber security is how we are protected, practices and processes to protect against the criminal use of electronic information. Today technology, specifically the Internet is part of our every day lives. We use it at work, home and even for our own pleasure. Although the Internet is very useful, it also brings many threats and consequences to the playing field. As individuals some of the risks can affect the average person’s lives by compromising their financial information and most of all their privacy. More importantly, as a nation, we face threats that can possibly cripple our nation’s infrastructure and economy. So not only does cyber security affect the average individuals but it clearly can affect the nation as a while. Which is why the article on the National Cyber Security Awareness Month states that cyber security is a “shared responsibility”. The National Cyber Security Awareness Month is designed to educate not only the public about important issues regarding the protection of our internet security but to make it a focus on company and government agendas as well. The steps taken to raise awareness for the nation’s Internet security took place in the month of October and are organized into different sections every couple of days.

Week One (Oct 1-3)

This week focuses on how the average consumer can take the steps to make their Internet more secure as well as inform the consumer how the government is making the effort to “strengthen the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure”.

Week Two (Oct 6-10)

During week two, staff of the department of homeland security will be explaining on how implementing security into modern technology such as cell phones, tablets and computers is important for internet security.

Week Three (Oct 13-17)

Week three will focus on the importance of protecting both the simplest household item that connects to the Internet and the nation’s infrastructure.

Week Four (Oct 20-24)

For week four, attention will be given to business where they will be informaed and educated about what business are able to do to protect their internet security. This will include businesses that are already established as well as business that are on the rise to protect our nation’s future.

Week Five (Oct 27-31)

The last week will focus on law enforcement to educate their communities on ways to protect and prevent online crime.

I found this article interesting because it shares similar views that I have and most importantly that it is both the government and the individuals responsibility to protect, strengthen and hopefully prevent any type of future cyber security threats.

http://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam/

Not so smart devices

Have you ever noticed how many of household items these days are computerized and are able to connect to the Internet? An article written by The Economist explains just that and most importantly, the dangers that are associated with it. Since the recent advancements in technology, the Internet has become much more reliable and efficient. In addition, marketing techniques have been up to par with the growth of technology by adding features to household items that are able to connect to the Internet. Some examples of these are modern televisions called “Smart TV’s” that allow the user to roam the Internet by the touch of a button. You can now also turn on your washing machine via the Internet while you’re at work and can even have your refrigerator send an email to alert you that you’re out of orange juice. Now, you may be asking yourself “How are any of these things dangerous?” Well, any computer security expert supports the idea that the use of appliances that have Internet capabilities has its downsides. By simply having a device connected to the Internet, its user can already be at risk without even being aware. As well, someone else other than the user, most likely an intruder, can easily connect to the appliance and force it do malicious things. In fact, on the 16^th of January of this year, a computer security company called Proofpoint found that a variety of devices, including webcams, home routers and even refrigerators; were sending phishing emails, otherwise known as “scam emails” that might contain malware and other dangerous viruses that steal information from the average computer user. Obviously everyone is curious to know who exactly would be doing such a thing? Well, let’s just say that it wasn’t the device owner who was requesting that their devices do such undesired actions. In fact, in these cases, those who were activating this malware were intruders who did not have permission to access the mentioned devices’ Internet capabilities. From this report, it was found that over one hundred thousand devices were found sending over seven hundred and fifty thousand emails that included malicious malware. Imagine what other Internet security companies can find? The question here is how secure is technology today? How can someone feel safe when the simplest of our technologies are susceptible to Internet threats? Although the article published by The Economist does not address such questions, my computer science expertise helps me to find answers to the questions that most are interested in. The most prevalent question that has yet to be asked throughout this discussion is: How can owners of these devices prevent intruders from hacking into their devices? Although there is an answer, the answer is not as simple as many would hope for, due to its many different complexities. Just to give a brief and simple idea of how to do this, it is important that owners of these devices have their devices connected to a secure network that only the device owner has access to. For example, when connecting any device to a home router, it is essential that the homeowner change not only the username of the router, but also the password. Not only is it necessary to change the password, but the device owner especially needs to make the password difficult to guess. This is possible by using a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, as well as guaranteeing that the password being used is not a word defined in the dictionary. This makes it much more difficult for intruders to hack, thus, preventing any type of malware from accessing such devices.

Spam in the fridge; computer security. (2014, Jan 25). The Economist, 410, 68-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docvie/14917213?accountid=14541

   

James Gosling: A True Computer Geek

Nowadays, if someone were to ask you who Steve Jobs or who Bill Gates was, high chances are you would have a lot to say about it. However, there are a lot of influential people in the field of computer engineering and computer science that you may not be aware of. And James Gosling is no exception. No, he’s not related to the famous actor Ryan Gosling but they do share the same last name.

James Gosling was born on May 19, 1955 in Calgary, Canada and is specifically known as the father of the Java programming language. Java is a  “general purpose computer programming language that is concurrent, class based, and object oriented” and it’s designed so that java code can be written out on a platform but does not have to compile if you wish to use the same code on another platform. It is also known as a “high-level” language due to its ease of understanding. Instead of programmers using numeric codes this language allows you to use English based commands thus making it easy for virtually anyone to understand and use.

Around the age of twenty-two, Gosling received a BSc in computer science and was quickly on his way to getting his doctorate. To finish his academic career, in 1983 he received a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Melton University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A few of his early achievements consisted of creating the original version of the Emacs text editor, also knows as Gosmacs, which was designed for the Unix operating system. Not to mention, he built several compilers, mail systems and even a multi processor version of Unix.

In 1984, Gosling’s life changed when he decided to join Sun Microsystems, where it wasn’t long when he was promoted to be chief technology officer for the developer product group. Six years later in 1990 he was appointed to lead a project that was code named Green, which eventually became what we all know to be Java. The purpose of the project Green was to develop software that would be able to run on different computer devices and networks without having to be specifically customized for a specific computer. Green aimed to create software that was easy to use and was highly efficient.  After a lot of hard work Sun Microsystems finally launched Java in 1995. Gosling worked on the original design of Java and implemented the original compiler and virtual machine when Java launched. This being one of his major achievements, he was elected to the US National Academy of Engineering.

Although Java claimed to be a  “write once, run anywhere” programming language, the success it has had is because Java has created a strong and reusable code that con run on different devices such as computers, tablets and even mobile phones.

In an article from computer weekly it states “Gosling realized that some of the underlying principles they had created would be very useful in the Internet age” and boy was he right.

Mental Illness in the Workplace? Consider Yourself Fired!

Although the stigma that surrounds mental illness has decreased due to its spread of awareness through celebrities and social media, it still exists. Not only is this stigma prevalent in society as a whole, but also it is especially prevalent in the workplace.

Due to this stigma, many people with mental disorders choose not to disclose such personal information, but rather, keep it to themselves in order to avoid any possible consequences. Why would they suffer from a consequence, one may ask? Well, the reality is, they shouldn’t. The Americans with Disabilities Act has enforced regulations stating that no person should be fired for having a mental disorder, given that they are fully capable of performing the tasks required by their job. You would think that would be enough to stop an employer from firing an employee solely for having a mental illness, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

A recent New York Times article directly discussed the problems associated with this stigma and how it has affected many employees. For example, one woman working in the field of childbirth chose to keep her mental disorder to herself. She simply requested that her employer allow her to Fridays off and when asked why, she responded saying that she meets with a group every Friday. Over time, the employer’s curiosity increased, thus, peaking her interest as to what sort of group the employee was participating in. Eventually the woman told her employee that the group she attended every Friday was a support group consisting of other bipolar members, such as her. Soon after, the employer fired the employee from her job, stating that her mental disorder had interfered with her tasks at her job. The employee did not understand how this could be the case, given that she was receiving positive comments left and right not only from her coworkers, but also her employer.

It goes to show that this stigma has a clear and defined negative impact on the many people who are associated with it. Because so many people are fearful its consequences, they stay quiet and secretive, when instead, they could reveal a very important and beneficial piece of information that may improve the communication between the employee and the employer.

The question still remains though, “Should an employee make his or her illness known in the workplace?” Well according to Susan G. Goldberg, a psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Duquesne University that understands the issue very well, has five suggestions before an individual decides to disclose an illness.

- How supportive is the person you are disclosing to likely to be?

- What type of culture does the company have? Sometimes big companies are more open, sometimes it’s mom and pops, she said.

- Do you have a proven track record?

- What is happening in the society as a whole? “You probably don’t want to disclose after a mass shooting,” she said, when people tend to connect mental illness with violence.

- Do you need to disclose everything about the condition, or would it be better to be selective?

The National Institute of Mental Health found that more than 18 percent of Americans struggle with the diagnosis of either a behavioral, mental, or behavioral disorder. With so many people diagnosed with mental disorders, why wouldn’t society want to remove this stigma and make the world more welcoming?

In addition, as more and more people reveal their mental disorders in the workplace, the stigma will continue to decrease. As awareness in the workplace is increased, opportunities to help employees will be made available. Employers will also be more understanding of a person’s inevitable symptoms due to their mental illness. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/your-money/disclosing-mental-disorders-at-work.html?ref=health