There are many types of potential digital threats. One type of potential digital threat is malware. It is software that executes malicious tasks on target devices and networks. Another type of potential digital threat is Phishing. Phishing is when a message recipient is tricked into giving out critical information or downloading malware caused by clicking suspicious links in a message. Another type of potential digital threat is Spear Phishing. This differs from regular phishing in that someone may impersonate a family member or other trusted person over the phone or through email. Another digital threat is a “man in the middle” attack. The attacker intercepts message between the sender and receiver and changes things between, confusing the communication between the two. A final type of potential digital threat is a Trojan. It is a type of malware that enters a system looking like a normal program or download, but inserts viruses instead of normal programming. 

One digital function the company may have is drop shipping. Drop shipping is where a company does not hold any products, but instead outsources them to another company for production and takes a portion of sales as profit. This could be exploited or manipulated by intercepting orders and changing shipping addresses, or hacking into the sale and stealing the profit. Another digital function the company may have is the main website. This is where consumers go to view products and purchase them. One way this could be compromised is if someone who received a product asks for a refund and what they ordered is correct and has no issues in any way. Another way it could be compromised is if a hacker attempts to hack into the website and steals customers’ information.  Another service the company could have is advertising and marketing. The company may buy advertisement space through google or any other advertiser to have digital ads on another website. This could be compromised by a hacker either erasing the advertisements or replacing them with something malicious. They could also make the links that a consumer accesses by clicking the ads redirect to a virus infested website, as well as false links that can steal the information that a consumer would submit. The next potential service the company could have would be SEO or search engine optimization. This is where a website uses keywords to be prioritized on search engines like google or a website that hosts products like Amazon. This could be compromised or hacked by changing the keywords used by a website, or making the links on the search engine lead to an incorrect phishing or malware website. The last service a company may use is Social Media. Social Media is used for marketing as well as interaction and gathering feedback with consumers. There are a copious amount of ways Social media could be hacked. A hacker could steal the login information of the social media account the company uses. There could also be fake users that leave bad or good reviews that skew the ratings of a company or product. A hacker could pose as a representative of the company and steal information from consumers, or harass potential consumers and create a bad reputation for the company they claim to represent.  These are just a few of the services that a company may use. 

What Are Cyber Threats and What to Do About Them. (2020, July 28). Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://preyproject.com/blog/en/what-are-cyber-threats-how-they-affect-you-what-to-do-about-them/

There are several things a company may incorporate to keep their digital space safe, secure, and reliable. A security network for any computer the company uses would keep them safe from malware and other malicious software that may potentially infect and compromise company data. Another resource to use would be disclaimers on websites and social media that keep the company from being liable for any false representation that may occur, or claims that a falsely-dissatisfied customer would create to give the company a bad reputation.  A third resource a company should incorporate to keep their and their customers’ data safe would be to keep in contact with any advertising service, website hosting service, or social media service to make sure that their security is up to date and working well, to keep the company’s data and information safe and secure. These are just a few ways that will keep the company’s data safe from potential hackers and malicious people or programs. 

Catia.elias, & Catia.elias. (2020, October 28). 4 cybersecurity threats and how to avoid them in 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020, from http://blog.getcomplied.com/4-cybersecurity-threats-and-how-to-avoid-them-in-2020/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0n2FNK8sDI&t=2s 

The first tutorial I picked was a tutorial on how to clear up blue sketch lines in a traditional drawing on Photoshop. The information from this tutorial is current. You can do all of the steps in the tutorial with the current form of photoshop that you could do in the 2016 version. The person posting the tutorial is Draw with Jazza, a well-known youtuber and illustrator with a variety of tutorials on traditional and digital illustration. He has also had a career in the animation industry. The types of gatekeeping mechanisms available on the video are the comments section and the like and dislike buttons. The information quality is good. It probably wasn’t pre-scripted as he goes off into other subjects while discussing the tutorial but it is still easy to follow and clear. I will definitely use Draw with Jazza’s tutorials in the future, and am already subscribed to his channel. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2SNeH9v-Ug 

For the next tutorial, Glass Planet Vector illustration, the information from the tutorial is current. Illustrator’s tools have stayed the same since 2018. The person posting the tutorial is named Nate, who runs a channel called tutvid. The types of gatekeeping available are the comments section and the like and dislike buttons. The information quality is good, most likely not scripted, but not great. He speaks too fast and skips over important details like what feature is in what menu. I don’t think I will continue to watch these tutorials as they are too fast and skip over details. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GzumUieDPY  

The third tutorial I picked was Learn Illustrator in 5 minutes. The information in this tutorial is current, posted in 2017. Flow Graphics posted this tutorial, and the author seems to know how to use photoshop, and his branding seems official. The author also seems to know his way around illustrator, so he is probably a decent authority on using illustrator. HIs information is clear and easy to follow. He goes through all details and shows what tools do what and what menus to pick for each feature. The gatekeeping mechanisms include the dislike and like buttons and the comment sections of the video. I will definitely use this resource in the future as it is simple and easy to follow. 

A CMS (content management system) is software that helps manage a webpage without needing to know HTML or CSS. Instead of uploading a coded file into a server, a CMS makes it easier for users to write paragraphs into an interface. WordPress, for example, has a similar interface to Microsoft Word, where the user types into a text box and has buttons to press for formatting. They also typically have options for media uploading as well. 

There are advantages and disadvantages of both HTML/CSS and CMS. HTML and CSS offer an endless amount of openness to your design allowing for infinite amounts of creativity and uniqueness. CMS only allows the options programmed into the website building platform or software; though the options may be diverse, they do not allow the complete freedom that traditional coding offers. The disadvantage of coding is that it takes a lot of technical skill that many who are not skilled with computers lack. The advantage of CMS is that it’s easy to use and accessible to almost anyone that can create an account with the service. The disadvantage of CMS is that it doesn’t have enough creative and unique capabilities that coding offers. 

A CMS can greatly help a web developer in making website publishing simpler, but it does come at the cost of creative liberties. Web developers can also develop their own CMS and design the layouts within them. The main setback regarding the need for web developers is that simple websites with no special coding can now be created by those without web development experience. Web developers still have to create the interfaces themselves and create the premade layouts for users to use in the first place. 

“What Is A Content Management System (CMS)?” Kinsta Managed WordPress Hosting, 21 July 2020, kinsta.com/knowledgebase/content-management-system/.

“Static (Traditional) HTML vs. Dynamic CMS. Which to Use?” Amberd Design Studio, 4 May 2020, www.amberddesign.com/static-html-vs-cms/.