What Can a Computer Security Investigator Do for Your Business?

A computer security investigator is an essential specialist for today’s networked business. In a situation where all businesses, even the tiniest, use computing equipment and the Internet, the IT security investigator has a great deal to offer. He or she will be qualified in information security, and will tend to specialise in one or two sub-fields.

There are two general types of situation where a computer security investigator may be needed by a business.

Firstly, the IT security expert may be asked to investigate the firm’s information security status, and make recommendations for improvement. This task is not necessarily linked to any particular security incident, and may simply form part of the relevant compliance requirements. This type of expert will be knowledgeable about official information security standards, and corporate governance regulations, and will also be experienced in performing audits of computer and information systems.

Secondly, the computer security investigator may be called in after an organisation has suffered an information security incident. In this case, after investigating the incident the IT security specialist may be called upon to advise on improving information security in general so as to avoid further such incidents. This kind of expert will be knowledgeable about relevant legislation and recent legal cases, and will also be able to advise on the forensic aspects of the situation.

The two situations require quite different skill-sets in the security expert. The first case requires a specialist who is qualified in the areas of audit and corporate governance as regards information security, and possibly also a track record in the actual management of computer security. The second case requires an expert who is qualified in the areas of computer-related legislation and possibly digital forensics, with experience of incident management as related to computer crime. It would be a mistake for a hiring manager to attempt to have one kind of specialist do the job of the other type, since the two sub-fields can be highly technical and require very different qualifications.

A computer security investigator will probably be brought in as a consultant for a relatively brief period, and for a well-defined project. This is because few companies are large enough to support a permanent staff of IT security specialists. This makes it all the more important for a firm to take time in choosing the right person as their information security investigator, since the success of the whole project will depend on this decision. But if the right choice is made, then many businesses will find that their computer security investigator provides them with an essential service that simply cannot be dispensed with.

Cyberspace: Where Did the Term Come From and What Does It Mean?

Rarely does a day go by that we don’t come across the preface “Cyber.” We hear it in conversation, on TV and radio. We see it in print. Regardless of the source, we mostly tend to think of the term as having some relation to computers and the Internet.

Cyberspace is recognized in my Word spell-checker, but cyberstudy is not. And to further cloud the issue, cyber is often used a single word, i.e. cyber crime, cyber intelligence. As time passes, what we once used as two words are now often merged into one. “Website” is now recognized as a single word in the Associated Press (AP) Style Manual (the guidebook for journalists).

After a lengthy search of more than a dozen websites for a definition of cyber and cyberspace, here’s what I found:

· Three different forums had subscribers say it stood for computer sex (we know where they are coming from).

· Webopedia: A metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created by computer systems. Online systems, for example, create a cyberspace within which people can communicate…

· Wikipedia: Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.

· And some believe the term cybernetics, and in particular “cyber” derives from the Greek for steersman, rudder, or pilot. Cybernetics is a term that referred to electronic communication and control science.

· The term cyberspace even appears on whitehouse.gov website.

Yes…I do have better things to do, but since I’ve been working on a series of articles about digital detectives, I wondered how a prosecution witness would define cyberspace or cybercrime if it was used during testimony.

In recent TV news broadcasts I heard representatives from the NSA, Homeland Security and the military express their beliefs that the greatest threat to the U.S. is not a terrorist attack. These officials believe that cyberspace will be the means whereby villains cross into our boundaries…through the Internet.

Statistics indicate that our federal government experienced over 41,000 cyberattacks in 2010, and these are the ones they were able to detect. They spent close to $12 billion on Information Technology (IT) security that year-most of which covered employee salaries and benefits.

Identity theft is a growing problem. Chances are you have experienced it yourself or know someone who has. In my case I recovered a voicemail message from our home phone one Sunday afternoon. We were asked to call our bank’s credit card fraud unit. They verified that we used our credit card to pay for dinner on a Friday evening (in Raleigh, NC), and the next day our card made a number of purchases in Palm Beach, FL. The purchases continued through Sunday until the card was maxed out.

More recently, I received an Email from Facebook security (yes, they really have a security department). They asked if I had made posts on my page that morning. I had not. It seems that some chap in a Russian province (which I can’t pronounce, let alone spell) had been using my account.

Yes, law enforcement has made magnificent strides in the investigation of cybercrime. But will this prevent it? No it won’t. IT security experts tell us that over 800 million personal records have been stolen by hackers over the recent past. And despite the most complex, hi-tech security software available, some cybercreep will eventually hack into it. Cyber forensics grew out of the screaming demand for greater law enforcement involvement in cybercrime. Today many agencies have created units that deal with this online mayhem, and many more are gearing up for it. The trouble is that these computer specialists may never see the light at the end of tunnel called cyberspace.

Linux Forum – An Answer To All Linux Questions

Linux is an open source operating system that is a modified clone of the UNIX operating system. Initially, during the 1960s – 1980s computer systems were large, bulky and were solely dependent on codes to be functional. A common man cannot run a computer if he is not well aware of the system coding and if he is not part of the government or a university, as these systems were rarely found amongst common people. Geeks and nerds came together to develop faster, easier and more effective systems that would not be limited to large mainframe computers. Bill Gates came up with MS Dos and the GUI interface in the form of Windows. Whereas programming experts came up with a modified and improved version of UNIX, that is the LINUX.

The LINUX today is much different than the LINUX of yester years. No longer do you have to understand codes or learn programming skills in order to work on a LINUX system. But because people have grown to love the GUI system of Windows, the LINUX did not come to be so popular amongst the masses. However, programmers, experienced computer developers and server side users claim the LINUX to be their best operating system. LINUX now has strong security levels, and works excellent as a server and hosting services. However, for the common home based user, the OS still poses a problem, as it seems to be incompatible with a number of software programs, mainly windows based tools.

If you are new to this OS and want to understand real user experiences about this system, it is suggested that you join a LINUX forum. These forums will help you in knowing about the operating system through first hand user experiences. For newbies, LINUX forums could help them with problems of software compatibility, commands/codes etc. For experienced users, a Linux forum is a platform where they can share their knowledge and help beginners to be comfortable with the OS, especially if they have been avid Windows users. It really is tough to be a transformed user of LINUX when all your life, you have been in love with Windows.

LINUX forums will also provide you with a platform where questions pertaining to various LINUX versions will be answered and discussed. There are different categories of Linux on such forums, such as Arch, CentOS, Debian Linux etc. These forums are also an ideal ground for developers who want to create software and programs that could be compatible with the Linux platform. Remember you can use all Linux meant software on Windows, but you cannot use Windows based software on LINUX.

Professional Linux forums also provide comprehensive Linux tutorials that can guide you to operate the system. You can receive numerous solutions to Linux hardware/software compatibility issues that are faced by almost every LINUX user.

If you ever want a review on Linux books, you can find that out on Linux forums too. Because forums are based on user experiences rather than expert opinions/suggestions, it could sometimes be biased. In this case, it is always advised that you consult with a LINUX expert or anyone who knows computer sciences very well. However, you can always find the best advice from expert users on the forum.