Anti-virus software: There are a number of malicious software programs that can cause damage to computers. These include viruses, worms, zombies, Trojans and Spybots.

Anti-virus software is designed to detect and block attacks from malware. Some operating systems have their own inbuilt anti-virus software.

Firewall: A firewall is software that will block unexpected connections coming in to the network. Most operating systems include a firewall.

Secure passwords: When more than one person uses a network it is important to have user IDs and passwords. Only someone with a login and password can access that network. It also helps the network manager trace unusual activity to a specific user.

Access levels: In a large company or school, many people will be using computers on the same network. General users will not have the ability to download any software they want or to make changes to any part of the system, as that could affect other users.

The more people have access to sensitive parts of the network, the more likely it is that a hacker or a virus might be able to cause damage.

Encryption: Any message sent over a network can be intercepted. Encryption is a method of changing the original numbers so that they are hidden or disguised. A way of encrypting something could be by using the Caesar Cipher algorithm. In this method, each letter of the alphabet is simply replaced by another letter of the alphabet that might be one or more positions away. 

Acceptable use policy (AUP): An AUP states how the network might be used - what is and isn't acceptable.

 

Archiving: Networks often have to store a lot of data. A good archiving strategy takes old, non-essential data and puts it somewhere safe. An archiving policy helps decide when to move data, where it should be kept, and how to get it back if needed. 

 

Cyber attacks: Cyber attacks and cyber terrorism are ways of attacking companies and organisations online. There are frequent attacks on the government and organisations in the UK.

Hacking: Hackers attempt to break into networks and steal private information. IT security specialists are employed by companies to hack their own networks and find security faults or weaknesses.

 

Phishing: Getting a user to enter personal information via a fake website.