IT Security (by Ceola Flannery)

Managing Intellectual Property & IT Security

IT security is a major concern for individuals and businesses that use web-based services. It is inevitable that there will be security holes considering the vastness of the internet. The blog on ‘Managing Intellectual property and IT security’ is concerned with exposing common hacks and malware for other security engineers.

I feel that this is useful information for anybody who works in IT security to have access to. As the internet is constantly growing, its vulnerability to hackers becomes greater and greater. To keep up to date with new security holes it is essential to have resources like these blogs which are constantly updated with current problems in security.

The internet’s whole purpose is for people to be able to share valuable information. So whose place is it then to decide that this information is inappropriate when it clearly is useful? Denying permission for these blogs to be posted is a denial of a basic human right to free speech. If we can’t find out information readily about security how are we expected to know how to keep ourselves safe in the area of the internet?

I can see the point that this information could encourage and enable potential hackers but the fact is that if a person wants to maliciously hack into a business or individual’s security system they will find other sources with more information as the information provided on these blogs would be insufficient to a hacker. But having the information so publically available on these blogs can highlight, to the potential victims, the holes in their security systems. This will enable them to create a more secure system.

However, some of the information in this blog is not completely credible. The posting on webcams is informative to the extent that it informs readers that it is possible that there are webcams watching them in unexpected places like bars and internet cafes. But it also encourages looking at the footage from these webcams for entertainment purposes.

In my opinion, this is not encouraging internet security by any means. Out of principle I would not watch these as I would not like someone watching me on this type of media. It is a huge invasion of privacy to have video footage of somebody on the internet without having their permission. The posting I am referring to also shows a site where one can manipulate the panning of a security camera while the unsuspecting security guard tries to keep the camera in place. This type of security breech could have serious implications if a potential thief got their hands on it.

For the most part though, this blog is a very useful tool. It is important for people to be aware of these types of security breaches. It would be easy for us to ignore them until we are affected by this malicious behaviour. The fallout after receiving a virus, downloading malware or an unwanted visitor hacking into your security system is very troublesome, worrying and extremely inconvenient. It is therefore our duty as internet users to inform ourselves in this area. Blogs like this one are a very useful tool for this task. When we are aware of something it is less likely that we will allow ourselves to fall victim to it.