My New Blog

Two apps that use the a cloud service are google drive and google photos.  I think with google photos it’d be a little inconvenient without the cloud but I think that’s all.  The cloud with google photos allows the user to access their photos and videos throughout any device that they’re signed into.  I think it’s a little different with google drive.  I think if Google drive didn’t have a cloud it’d be detrimental to the app.  Google photos is just picture’s but drive is a users documents, slides etc.  If google drive didn’t have a cloud you couldn’t access them though out any device.  Also without the cloud drive wouldn’t be able to scan for malware in you documents.  The advantages for both of these systems is that it’s extremally convent.  Being able to access your photos and documents with any device, weather it be phone, tablet or laptop is extremally convent.  Also everyone has google and the apps also allows you to save your documents as different types of files which is also nice.  I don’t have security concerns with drive, I know it searches for malware that may have entered one of my documents and gets rid of them automatically.  Photos is a little different.  Google photos doesn’t have anything like that so if someone were to somehow hack into the app there’s no way I could tell.  Also both of these apps allow collaboration on your documents.  With photos you can get someone who also has google photos and share a photo album with them.

The top three social media sites in the world are Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp.  Facebook has 2.74 billion users, YouTube has 2.291 billion users and WhatsApp has 2.0 billion users.  Facebook is a site where people can post pictures about their life, or anything really.  Users can follow their friends, family and companies they might like.  Businesses can also use the platform to promote themselves.  YouTube is like Google but it’s only videos.  Users can search for videos they want wheatear that be tutorials, gaming channels, relaxing music, anything a person can think of.  Users can also become content creators on the platform.  Users have the option to edit and upload videos to the platform.  If someone gets popular enough YouTube can be made into a career.  WhatsApp is basically facetime and texting.  People use this because it’s free and goes through the internet, where normal texting goes through some ones phone provider.  Demographics are age ranges, someone might try to appeal to.  It’s important that social media tries to aim for a certain demographic so they might become more popular with that age range and then eventually branch out.  An example could be TikTok.  It started out popular with teens but eventually blew up to where everyone uses it.  For the three most popular apps the age ranges vary.  Facebook is made up of mostly 25-34 year old’s.  YouTube is mostly made up of men who are 24-34, and women who are 24-34.  Most people who use WhatsApp are between 18-34.   On average people use social media a total of 2 hours a day.  Facebook is usually used for 58 minutes a day.  YouTube usually only takes up 19 minutes a day.  Users use the mobile app almost 24 hours a month.  WhatsApp can take up to 38 minutes a day.  I think the most popular/growing site out of the three is YouTube.  YouTube has the most active users, and with being a content creator on YouTube is an actual possibility so I think that will cause the site to grow.  I think YouTube is also growing because in the UK kids ages 3-16 have been using the app for up to three hours a day.  I think most people are visiting these sites from their cellphones.  You usually have access to your cellphone all day and all these cites have an app.

Sources:

“How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media in 2022?” Techjury, 13 Oct. 2022, techjury.net/blog/time-spent-on-social-media.

“The 15 Biggest Social Media Sites and Apps [2022].” Dreamgrow, 17 Jan. 2022, www.dreamgrow.com/top-15-most-popular-social-networking-sites.

Statista. “U.S. Registered WhatsApp User Reach 2022, by Age Group.” Statista, 12 Oct. 2022, www.statista.com/statistics/814649/whatsapp-users-in-the-united-states-by-age.

—. “YouTube: Distribution of Global Audiences 2022, by Age and Gender.” Statista, 13 May 2022, www.statista.com/statistics/1287137/youtube-global-users-age-gender-distribution.

Statista. “U.S. Facebook Users 2022, by Age Group.” Statista, 4 Oct. 2022, www.statista.com/statistics/187549/facebook-distribution-of-users-age-group-usa.

A bad behavior online is hacking and hackers.  Hackers are people who compromise, or destroy computers, phones, tablets, networks etc.  Hackers usually do this for financial gain, for fun, gathering confidential information etc.  Hackers usually hack by putting malware into some ones device, they can do this by emailing them a link, or pretending the link is a useful tool.  Hackers can also manipulate their target so they’re more likely to click the links, and downloads malware.  They can use Trojans, Botnets Rootkits and many more.  Trojans are hacks where the hacker makes the malware look like a legitimate computer program.  Botnets are a collection of bots all working under one network, bots are robots that are programmed to do a certain script, this can involve trying to trick people into installing malware.  There’s a bot herder someone who controlled all the bots.  Finally rootkits is malware that is programmed to hide itself on your computer.  Someone who gets a rootkit on your device (they usually do this trough another hacking attack called phishing or trojans) can remotely control your device.  Rootkits can deactivate security software, spy on you, steal credit card and other important data etc.  Hackers can hack for all different kinds of reasons.  They can do it for financial gain, so stealing your credit card and other banking info.  They can use it to up their reputation in a hacking community, criminal community or just reputation with associates and friends.  Company’s can use it to spy on competition.  These are just a few reasons people hack.  When a hack is successful on a huge corporation it can lower their reputation with customers and deter future customers from signing up with them.  Hacking can also cause small businesses to completely go bankrupt because all customers stop using them, and they’re so small they don’t have a steady influx of business.  Hacking can affect an individual by using up all their money if they get their card information stollen.  It can also cause someone to have to buy all new devices because a hacker got access to their devices and they can’t get control back.  Sometimes cyber criminals are caught it depends on who they hacked.  If a bigger corporation gets hacked I think it’s more likely for the culprits to get caught.  Ways to protect against Hacker is improved cyber security.  For businesses spreading data across multiple networks can be helpful.  Backing up data on the cloud or a hard drive can also be helpful.  Users looking out for suspicious emails or phone calls can also combat against trojans, phishing and rootkits.

“Hacking | What Is Hacking? | How Do Hackers Hack?” Malwarebytes, www.malwarebytes.com/hacker. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022.

“Rootkit | What Is a Rootkit?” Malwarebytes, www.malwarebytes.com/rootkit. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022.

“Trojan Horse Virus | Trojan Horse Malware | What Is a Trojan Virus.” Malwarebytes, www.malwarebytes.com/trojan. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022.

“What Is a Botnet?” Malwarebytes, www.malwarebytes.com/botnet. Accessed 16 Oct. 2022.

1. Know your enemy: As of Summer 2022, what are 5 sources/types of potential digital threats to your organization. Examples include external malicious actors or internal human error. Provide a thorough description and examples; be specific.
2. Know yourself: Identify at least 5 digital processes, systems, and/or functions your company has in place. Importantly, address how could those be exploited or manipulated in order to gain access to valuable corporate or customer data?
3. Develop your strategy: As the chief technology executive, make 5 recommendations that your company should adopt to be more safe, secure, and reliable. Again, consider hardware, software, networks, and human policies and procedures. (e.g., appropriate use policy on corporate computers; firewall; SSL/web encryption; backup/retention)

The types of digital threats I’ll be talking about are data breaches, malware, malware on mobile apps, phishing,  and Trojans.  The first is a data breach.  A data breach is where information and data is stolen without the knowledge or consent of the owner.  Things that can get stolen in a data breach are personal information, confidential information, customer information etc.  Data breaches can lead to the downfall of small companies and damaging the reputations of bigger ones.  A data breach that happened to a big company is Uber.  The head of security got arrested because he was trying to hid a data breach from the FTC.  The next threat is malware.  Malware is software that hackers make to try and steal data, and destroy computer software and computers.  Malware comes in the form of viruses, spyware, and trojans (a form of malware I’ll go into later).  Mobile malware is malware specifically made to attack someone’s mobile device, like a phone and tablet.  Mobile malware is less common then malware, but users can easily get viruses or unknow users on their phone when they connect to unprotected wifi.  Types of mobile malware are RATS, Ransomware, and advertising click fraud.  Phishing is where hackers will use an email or any other form of communication like texts to try and get a user to download malware onto their device.  If a phishing is successful they can access you’re account information, credit card information, etc.  They usually pretend to be a friend or a trustworthy looking company.  The final threat is a type of malware that I think it hardest to spot.  A trojan horse is a type of malware where it will disguise itself as helpful code/software.  If a hacker gains access through a trojan horse they could gain access to data, export files etc.  Trojan horses may also incorporate phishing and other tactics to make the user download the software.

Some processes and systems our company has in place for our data are storing data in files, multiple different storages (hard drive and backing it through the cloud),  storing customer credit information though pci equipment, securing worker data, payroll data, and protecting company email.  Our first styestem is storing data.  For our data the company would have a hard drive with all the data, then have a third party to backup all the files in the cloud.  The third party would be involved because they’re whole company goal is protecting, the data would be less likely to get hacked just because of that fact alone.  This could be exploited because the company can’t keep track of everything that goes on with the third party.  If something goes wrong all the data could be leaked.  For the hard drive if someone loses it or someone takes it all the data would be taken as well.  The next is specifically for customer credit card information.  The company would use PCI approved items like mobile devices, payment processing software etc.  We’d also stay on top of system updates and make sure to protect any audio recordings that might have credit card information stored into it.  This could also be exploited if we don’t focus on audio enough someone could overhear someones information.  Also if we don’t stay on top of updates it might be easier for hackers to get into our equipment.  For workers personal information by keeping touch with human recourses and taking stock of how we get personal information, through calls, emails, flash drives etc.  The company would only keep personal information if it’s necessary we wouldn’t keep any unnecessary information because that can cause risks we don’t need.  Physical files and drives would be locked and files saved on a cloud would be locked behind a password that only few employees have access to and it would change every six months, or when we think some else might have access to it.  This could be broken into if someone gives us an email that’s actually a phishing email/trojan.  This could cause a lot of company information to leak out and worker info.  The last one is specifically for worker payroll like all the other systems this one would be one where we have to file and keep track of our retail workers data.  This would be social security card info, and banking information.  This would mostly be physical files and things saved on the cloud.  This could be broken into if files are misplaced or miscatorgarized, or through data breaches.

The final step is learning how to really protect ageist digital threats.  Our protection would be advanced malware protection, falcon mobile for monitoring mobile malware, preventing trojans by not clicking unknow emails/links, spam filters for phishing and firewalls.  For malware advanced protection allows the company to monitor multiple things at once like protection, detection and response.  For example fast endpoint detection, retrospective security and contains any signs of suspicious activity as quickly as possible.  Falcon mobile allows to get more information about possible threats.  It allows us to detect jailbreak and rooted devices better.  For trojan horses and phising the company will tell employees not to click or download any suspicious emails, only hit links with HTTPS and use spam filters for their emails.  Finally the company would use firewalls to keep track of everything that comes in and out of our network.  This will also only allow things that seem safe into our network.

Sources

“Data Breach.” Definition, www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/data-breach. Accessed 9 Oct. 2022.

What Are Cyber Threats and What to Do About Them | Prey Blog. 16 June 2021, preyproject.com/blog/what-are-cyber-threats-how-they-affect-you-what-to-do-about-them

Newman, Lily Hay. “The Uber Data Breach Conviction Shows Security Execs What Not to Do.” WIRED, 7 Oct. 2022, www.wired.com/story/uber-joe-sullivan-conviction.

“What Is Malware?” Cisco, 6 June 2022, www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/advanced-malware-protection/what-is-malware.html.

CrowdStrike. “What Is Mobile Malware? Types and Prevention Tips | CrowdStrike.” crowdstrike.com, 17 May 2022, www.crowdstrike.com/cybersecurity-101/malware/mobile-malware.

“What Is Phishing?” Cisco, 28 July 2022, www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/email-security/what-is-phishing.html?dtid=osscdc000283.

CrowdStrike. “What Is a Trojan Horse? Trojan Malware Explained | CrowdStrike.” crowdstrike.com, 28 Sept. 2022, www.crowdstrike.com/cybersecurity-101/malware/trojans.

Just a Moment… rockcontent.com/blog/what-is-data-storage. Accessed 9 Oct. 2022.

GoCardless. “How to Store Credit Card Information Securely.” GoCardless, 19 Nov. 2021, gocardless.com/en-us/guides/posts/how-to-store-credit-card-information-securely.

“Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business.” Federal Trade Commission, 26 Apr. 2022, www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/protecting-personal-information-guide-business.

The Risky Business of overlooking data privacy in Global Payroll. Understanding data privacy in global payroll | Safeguard Global. (2021, February 10). Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://www.safeguardglobal.com/resources/articles/global-payroll-data

“What Is Advanced Malware Protection?” Cisco, 11 May 2022, www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/advanced-malware-protection/index.html.

Freda, A. (2022, May 23). What is a firewall and why do you need one? Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://www.avast.com/c-what-is-a-firewall#:~:text=A%20firewall%20is%20a%20digital,when%20connecting%20to%20the%20internet.

• Technology changes very rapidly, how current is the information you found?
• Who is posting the information? Are they an authority on the matter? How can you tell?
• What types of gatekeeping mechanisms are in place for the source you found? (i.e., is there an editor or are posts up/downvoted democratically?)
• Discuss the quality of the information. Is it well written, clear, and easy to follow?
• Finally, is this a resource you might use in the future, and if so, why?

https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/splatoon-3-review/1900-6417951/

I found this review while searching for a review of the game.  This post came out last month on the 9th.  The game they’re reviewing game out recently.  The review is written by Steve Watts.  His gamespot profile says he’s been reporting, writing, and reviewing in a professional space for 14 years.  His profile also shows how many articles and other things he’s posted to show the viewer just how experienced this man is.  There’s a tab specifically for reviews, and the reviews are separated from video games and other entertainment.  The reviews are ranked from the most recent at the top to the latest at the bottom.  At the end of the article  You can also search for reviews, or have the website file it based of how good games are.  So if a game got a 10 it’d be at the top where lower numbers would be at the bottom.  the information is very easy to follow.  Watts walks the reader though each type of mode like the story mode and different types of online.  He talks about what he likes like the level design, the new game mode is enjoyable etc. and also what he dislikes like the lack of enemy variety, or lack of communication in more competitive modes.  I’d definitely use this recourse in the future.  It was very detailed and to the point, it would help me a lot in making a decision to buy any future games in the future.  The article also had a video where the author read the review while gameplay played in the background to match what he was talking about.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/bear

I found this post while looking for bear facts, for a project in another class.  This post was last updated on September 23,2022 but was first published May 4, 1999.  They’re giving information about bears, simple facts, their relationship to humans, natural history etc.  There are multiple people working on this page the one listed though is Howard James Stains.  When you click on his name it tells the reader he’s a professor in Zoology, tells you specially what school he teaches in and what area of study.  When you click the view all button next to his name you can see the page edit history and all the contributors.  There doesn’t seem to be any upvote or downvote system I can find only a feedback section.  The information is easy to follow, it starts by telling you the eight different species of bears there are, and then tells you some common facts, like how bears are surprisingly fast but their sense of sight and hearing aren’t developed all that well.  It talks about bears are easy to train if taken in young and have been used in circus acts.  It talks about thier bodys and conservatoin status, a lot of interesting things.  I think it can be a little hard to follow just because of how dense the information is and you’re getting a lot of it at once.  I’d use this website in the future, I’ve actually used it before on projects.  It’s not just about animals they have history facts, biography things etc.  It’s a very useful website, kind of like wikipedia if it didn’t let just anyone put information on a page.

I found this when my friend and I were looking at building a PC for myself at home.  I ended up getting a prebuilt one but this is the video we watched.  It was released on March 13th of this year.  It’s about how to change a processer on a mother board. In the about page of the video it says the man who runs this account has been teaching computing and future studies at the University of Nottingham for 25 years, and is also the author of 13 computer related books.  The editing has to be made in video production, to re edit a video you have to take it down and re-upload it.  There are likes and dislikes for the video and also a comment section where watchers can comment about the video.  I think the information is easy to follow, he first talks about how you first need to check the compatibility of your motherboard to the new processor you want to get.  Then he explains the difference between cores, the difference between ryzen and intel cores, and how to tell if they need a graphics card.  He then goes into detail about how to replace the core with the new one and then he shows the tests he’s running to make sure everything’s alright.  I’d watch him again, he was to the point and also included things about the motherboard and cores that I didn’t know about before.