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english & technology:
Threats and vulnerabilities to information security
Source: Big Hub
Today we will continue our English lessons on technology, with a focus on information security. Can you imagine what it would be like if there were no mechanisms to ensure that information is protected online? It would be a disaster! It is very important to know more about information security and what is involved, in order to understand how to keep our personal data private, and our companies properly protected.
Threats and Vulnerabilities to Information Security
Threats to information security are directly related to the loss of one of these three main characteristics: loss of confidentiality, loss of integrity, or loss of availability.
Loss of confidentiality is when there is a breach of confidentiality of certain information, such as a password, allowing the exposure of restricted information which would be accessible only by a certain group of users.
Loss of integrity is when certain information is exposed to handling by an unauthorized person, who makes changes that have not been approved and are not under the control of the owner, whether in the corporate or private areas of the information.
Loss of availability is when information is no longer accessible to those who need it. Examples would loss of communication or when a server or a critical business application crashes. These failures are due to an internal or external error with the equipment or as a result of an action by unauthorized persons, either with or without malicious intent.
Threats to the computer network can come from malicious agents, often known as crackers. Hackers are not malicious agents, as they try to help find possible flaws. Crackers are motivated to do this illegality for several reasons, including: notoriety, self-esteem, revenge and illicit enrichment. According to a survey conducted by the Computer Security Institute (CSI), more than 70% of attacks come from legitimate users of information systems (insiders), which motivates corporations to invest heavily in security controls for their corporate environments (intranet).
A security vulnerability, on the other hand, is related to a factor that can contribute to generating invasions, data theft or unauthorized access to resources, facilitating access by unauthorized users. Examples are misconfigured software, devices with outdated systems, and internal files publicly exposed in error. Finding security vulnerabilities is an absolute must for modern businesses. For this, it is necessary to define:
– Identify what is needed to protect the system
– Set goals for safety
– Identify the main sources of threats and how to fight them
– Refine and update cyber security protections
– Monitor cyber threats and new and emerging attack strategies
– Use a managed security service provider (MSSP)
Internet hacks
Every computer system needs a file protection system. This system is a set of rules that ensures information is not read or modified by those who do not have permission.
Security is used for generic issue resolution. Protection mechanisms are used to save the information to be protected. Security is analyzed in several ways, with the main problems caused by the lack of it being the loss of data and the intrusion of intruders. Data loss is most often caused by a few reasons:
Natural factors: fires, floods, earthquakes, and various other problems from natural causes
Hardware or software errors: processing failures, communication errors, or bugs in programs
Human errors: incorrect data entry, wrong disk mounting, or loss of a disk
One of the most effective ways to prevent the loss of this data is to maintain a reliable backup, stored geographically away from the original data.
English Vocabulary to Know about Information Security
1) Threat: a web threat is any threat that uses the World Wide Web to facilitate cybercrime
2) Vulnerabilities: able to be easily hurt, influenced, or attacked
3) Protected: kept safe from danger or harm, or away from other people
4) Confidentiality: the state of being secret or private
5) Integrity: assurance of, data accuracy and consistency
6) Availability: the probability that a system will work as required when required during the period of a mission
7) Illegality: the state of being against the law; or an illegal action
8) Computer Security Institute (CSI): a professional membership organization serving practitioners of information, network, and computer-enabled physical security, from the level of system administrator to the chief information security officer. It was founded in 1974
9) Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP): network security services that have been outsourced to a service provider
10) Data loss: an error condition in information systems in which information is destroyed by fail
Did I miss any acronyms or terms related to e-mail that you want to know? Comment below to request more tech-related acronyms or terms to be added to the list.
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Jhessika Nascimento
Director of International Partnerships
Jhessika Nascimento is the Director of International Partnerships for Study With Andrea and lives in Brasilia, Brazil.
Jhessika is a bilingual teacher of English and Portuguese, studying for a Master's Degree in Strategic Management in Information Technologies at the Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana.
Graduation in Letters - Portuguese and English.
Postgraduate in Teaching in Higher Education.
Postgraduate in Risk Management and Cybersecurity.
Postgraduate Executive MBA in Process Management BPM-CBOK.
Postgraduate in Translation and Proofreading of Texts in English.
The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test.
Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
TOEFL Reading Practice Passage
Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.
(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)
The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.
A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Questions
1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in
a. a variety of altitudes.
b. several different countries in Africa.
c. thick forests.
d. lowland forests only.
2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT
a. they primarily eat smaller animals.
b. they live in a forest habitat.
c. their genetics are similar to humans.
d. their diet consists of vegetation.
3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to
a. impulsively
b. unfortunately
c. mainly
d. lastly
4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to
a. lives in
b. protects
c. goes
d. works
5. The author implies that
a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.
b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.
c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.
d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using.
6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?
a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas
b. To define the meaning of "broad"
c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas
d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build
7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas.
a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.
b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.
c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.
d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.
8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage.
Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Where would the sentence best fit?
(View all the correct answers below.)
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Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. #3
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