Computer users must be made aware, that simple guidelines such as the following can increase the level of security:.
choosing an acceptable, and hard to guess password. ie. don't choose a word which is your birthday, dog's name, anniversary. Instead choose a password with mixed upper and lower case, with a mix of numbers. eg. U%80BnOlp31DbG.
do not give your password to anyone at all, not even friends.
do not log onto more than one network at a time, this may leave an open opportunity for people to browse on the unattended computer.
remember to log out of a computer network when finished using it.
Users must remember to exercise personal responsibility when using a computer.
SECURITY.
The human factor can never be underestimated in ensuring security. "In the late 1200's, Kublai Khan and his Mongol hordes tried to break through, go under, and go around the Great Wall of China, but it was too solid, too deep, and too long. He finally conquered the obstacle - and most of China - by simply bribing the gatekeeper."" (Parker [1998]). Not much has changed in security since then. When strong security measures force criminals to seek out alternative ways of harming Digital Business, many companies may even lose more money than before the security was implemented.
When we analyse security measures in Digital Businesses, we can conclude that there are two different types of security: Unsafe security, and Safe security.
Unsafe security', are measures which fail to stop criminals from abusing the computer systems. Security measures such as encryption, or user passwords are too often breached, due to factors such as lack of personal responsibility' or ethics'. When unsafe security is breached, this leads to the misuse of resources' which in turn would be very damaging for all Digital Businesses.
Examples of the aftermath of unsafe security include:.
Damage to our national interest.
