Uganda Christian University

Arua Campus

Student: Adomati Aldo

Reg.no: S19/ASC/BSW/004

Department: Social Sciences

Course: BSWASA

Course Unit: Basic Computing

Year of Study: 2019/2020

Semester: Year I/Sem II

Lecturer: Mr.Wamusi Robert

Tusk: Assignment One

Due Date: 13/02/2020

Questions:

a. What is privacy? (2 marks)

b. As a computer user, why should you be concerned about privacy? (2 marks)

c. What are some of the precautions you may take as computer user to safeguard your
privacy when using the Internet (3 marks)

d. What is backing up? (2 marks)

e. List three risks to the security of your computer and describe one way of dealing with
each of the risks (6 marks)
What is privacy? (2 marks)
Privacy is defined as the degree to which an individual can determine which personal
information is to be shared with whom and for what purpose. Although always is a concern when
users pass confidential information to vendors by phone, mail or online, the Internet brought this
issue to the forefront. Websites often have privacy policies that stipulate exactly what will be
done with the information you enter.
In other scholarly definitions, Israeli law professor Ruth Gavison defines it as “our interest in
privacy which is related to our concern over our accessibility to others: the extent to which we
are known to others, the extent to which others have physical access to us, and the extent to
which we are the subject of others' attention.”
American law professor Alan Westin defines privacy as a quasi “aura” around the individual,
which constitutes the limit between him/her and the outside world. However, Warren and
Brandeis defined privacy as “the right to be let alone”.
Westin also defined privacy as “the claim of an individual to determine what information about
himself or herself should be known to others” while Fried stated that privacy is the control we
have over information about ourselves.”
American professor Tom Gerety understands privacy as “the control over or the autonomy of the
intimacies of personal identity”.
Máté Dániel Szabó, Hungarian jurist, who argued that “privacy is the right of the individual to
decide about himself/herself”. This concept might involve a lot of aspects of what we consider as
private, as almost all the above mentioned definitions can be categorized into it.
In conclusion, from all the above definition, there cuts across the terms secrecy which relates to
the share of personal information hence alluding to protection and safeguard.
As a computer user, why should you be concerned about privacy? (2 marks)
Privacy is essential to autonomy and the protection of human dignity, serving as the foundation
upon which many other human rights are built. So as a computer user, one deserves the right of
privacy so as to prevent access of personal information details. Despite international human
rights law, it’s all too common that privacy is violated by states and companies. Technological
developments have increased our capabilities to protect privacy as computer users, but technical
capabilities now exist for surveillance and interference with our privacy too, without precedent
hence s a computer user, we should be concerned about our privacy.
Privacy enables us to create boundaries and protect ourselves from unwarranted interference in
our lives, allowing us to negotiate who we are and how we want to interact with the world
around us. Privacy protects us from arbitrary and unjustified use of power by states, companies
and other actors. It lets us regulate what can be known about us and done to us, while protecting
us from others who may wish to exert control.
Increasingly, we as computer users have not being informed about the monitoring we’re placed
under; the way our personal data are collected, analyzed and shared; nor given the opportunity to
question these activities. In fact, civil society organizations sometimes face threats when
researching state policies and practices or documenting violations of the right to privacy. Based
on these issues, one is therefore to take critical attention on privacy.
Privacy at Risk situation also alights a computer user to put first privacy. In light of such
incriminating evidence, internet security has become a worldwide concern. Hackers have
emerged that steal all kinds of internet data that might be profitable and sell it over the black
market. Personal data such as credit card details, as well as passwords of social media accounts
are now a veritable source of interest to these thieves and are then sold and used for different
illegal activities.
What are some of the precautions you may take as computer user to safeguard your
privacy when using the Internet (3 marks)
Use secure passwords; using weak passwords to protect your private information is as good as
shouting that information to passersby. Using strong password means using a combination of at
least 10 numbers, special characters, and upper- and lower-case letters. And never use personal,
easy-to-guess information such as your birthdate or pet’s name as your password. It’s nearly
impossible to memorize long and unique passwords for all the services you use, but with a
password manager you can memorize just one master password.
Data Encryption; this is a security method where information is encoded and can only be
accessed or decrypted by a user with the correct encryption key. use encryption software that
scrambles information you send over the internet. A “lock” icon on the status bar of your internet
browser means your information will be safe when it’s transmitted. Look for the lock before you
send personal or financial information online.
Limiting sharing of personal information on media social also serves as one way of privacy
while online. This is a smart way to help protect ones privacy online. Don’t overshare on social
media. Providing too much information on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram could make it
easier for cybercriminals to obtain identifying information, which could allow them to steal your
identity or to access your financial information. For example, could an identity thief determine
your high school mascot or your mother’s maiden name from digging through your Facebook
account? This information is sometimes used as security questions to change passwords on
financial accounts.
Switch search engines: Most search engines keep tabs on what you're looking for so they can
target ads to your tastes. If you don't like the idea of your search history being used to sell you
things, Duck Go is the search engine for you. The site doesn't track any of your personal data, so
you can search without anyone watching over your shoulder.
Only use software from trusted sources: Whether you're installing new software on your
phone or your computer, make sure you're getting it from a source you trust. Legitimate-looking
software can sometimes turn out to be a complete scam, like the scandal over the Meitu photo
application, which collects a mountain of data on its users. Make sure anything you download
comes from a trusted developer and a trusted source. If you don't know where your software
comes from, you don't know what it's really doing and that means there's no telling where your
information is going.
Only use secure Wi-Fi connections: Sure, it's convenient to use the free Wi-Fi service at your
local Starbucks, but there's no telling who is watching that internet traffic. If you use public Wi-
Fi, don't use it to convey private information. Browsing your favorite website is fine, but take
extra security measures if you're logging into an account. Use a VPN service to encrypt all of the
data you send. There are many services that can do this, including Nord VPN (affiliate link) and
Buffered VPN. VPN services charge a fee to use, from day passes to year-round protection.
What is backing up? (2 marks)
Backing up refers to the process of copying of physical or virtual files or databases to a
secondary location for preservation in case of equipment failure or catastrophe. The process of
backing up data is pivotal to a successful disaster recovery plan
A backup is a duplicate of a file, program, or disk that can be used if the original is lost,
damaged, or destroyed. To back up a file means to make a copy of it. In the case of system
failure or corrupted files, you restore the files by copying the backed up files to their original
location.
List three risks to the security of your computer and describe one way of dealing with each
of the risks (6 marks)
A computer system threat is anything that leads to loss or corruption of data or physical damage
to the hardware and/or infrastructure. This might put a computer at risk hence a computer security
risk. A computer security risk is really anything on your computer that may damage or steal your
data or allow someone else to access your computer, without your knowledge or consent. We
commonly think of computer viruses, but, there are several types of bad software that can create a
computer security risk. There are a lot of different things that can create a computer risk. These
include the following;
Viruses: A virus is a program or code that replicates itself onto other files with which it comes in
contact; that is, a virus can infect another program, a boot sector, a partition sector, or a document
that supports macros by inserting itself or attaching itself to that medium. Most viruses only
replicate, although many can do damage to a computer or to the user’s data as well. Unlike worms,
viruses generally require human action to propagate. Viruses are known to send spam, disable your
security settings, corrupt and steal data from your computer including personal information such
as passwords, even going as far as to delete everything on your hard drive. So as to deal with this
threat, I would implore use of anti-virus application soft wares such as Kaspersky, Avast, and
Smadav among others.
Phishing: Phishing is a method of a social engineering with the goal of obtaining sensitive data
such as passwords, usernames, and credit card numbers. The attacks often come in the form of
instant messages or phishing emails designed to appear legitimate. The recipient of the email is
then tricked into opening a malicious link, which leads to the installation of malware on the
recipient’s computer. It can also obtain personal information by sending an email that appears to
be sent from a bank, asking to verify your identity by giving away your private information.
Uncovering phishing domains can be done easily with Security Trails. Being aware of
Suspicious Emails and avoiding Clicks on Suspicious Links can help prevent Phishing. Anti-
spyware and firewall settings should be used to prevent phishing attacks and users should
update the programs regularly. Firewall protection prevents access to malicious files by blocking
the attacks. Antivirus software scans every file which comes through the Internet to your
computer.
Spam: Spamming is the use of messaging systems to send an unsolicited message (spam),
especially advertising, as well as sending messages repeatedly on the same website. Spam is
messages sent to somebody containing unrelated information during internet activity. The
purpose of spam is to advertise certain products or services. These adverts are usually inserted
by viruses, Trojans, or worms. Spam is disseminated via email by displaying links to specific
sites or files. At this time program that is difficult to be discarded even though the computer is
already doing the recovery process. Use of a spam filter can help prevent one from such threats
as well as blocking and reporting spam messages once detected.
(Barbara Guttman, 1995) (British Standards Institute, 1993) (Perekalina, 2019)
References
Barbara Guttman, E. R. (1995). Computer Security. In Data Security Management. Boston: Auerbach
Publishers.

British Standards Institute. (1993). A Code of Practice forInformation Security Management. London:
British Standards Institute.

Perekalina, A. (2019, 04 22). Ten tips to make your private digital life really private. Retrieved from
Kaspersky.com: https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/privacy-ten-tips-2018/23022/

Konvitz, M. R.: Privacy and the Law: a Philosophical Prelude. Law and Contemporary Problems Vol 31,
No. 2. (1966) p. 272.