Title: Is the Internet threatening security and privacy?

I. Introduction

1. “Symantec calculated that 14 adults become the victim of a cyber attack every

second, or more than one million attacks every day” (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal

973).

2. The Internet has helped business and society flourish, but these benefits of the

Internet come with potential consequences (specifically threats to cybersecurity).

3. Malware is software that seeks to harm computers. Cyberattacks are online

attacks which use malware to carry out malicious deeds. Cybersecurity is a form

of online security, which mainly serves to deter cyberattackers from accessing

important information.

4. The issue of cyberattacks remains a worldwide concern. The Internet is used on a

daily basis by almost everyone on Earth, so if there are issues with the security of

the Internet, everybody is at risk of having their personal information stolen for

malicious purposes. Cybersecurity measures have increased and evolved, but

cyberattacks have grown and evolved in a similar fashion. Cyberattacks will

attempt to avoid detection, so it is important to have fully functional and effective

cybersecurity measures in place to prevent these attacks from happening.

5. In order to evaluate if the Internet has proven to be a threat to security, the

existing cybersecurity risks, frequency of attacks, and reasons behind these threats

must be examined.
II. First source: ScienceDirect

A. ScienceDirect creates a comprehensive analysis of the current state of

cybersecurity, the different forms of malware, and what future research could be

done to improve cybersecurity.

1. ScienceDirect is an academic and peer-reviewed journal rich with

scientific, technical, and medical research.

2. This source believes that the occurrence of cyberattacks can be directly

linked with Internet growth (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal 973).

a. Cyberattacks are extremely common due to convenience, low costs, and

low danger (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal 973). Malware is the main form of attacking,

and these systems pose a constant threat; they tend to take advantage of existing

weaknesses or make new dangers entirely (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal 974). More

research is needed on privacy, cybersecurity, and trustworthy systems

(Jang-Jaccard and Nepal 987-989).

b. “Symantec calculated that 14 adults become the victim of a cyber attack

every second, or more than one million attacks every day” (Jang-Jaccard and

Nepal 973). This information from a well-known source highlights how frequent

these cyberattacks are. “In June 2012, attackers compromised Distributed Denial

of Service (DDoS) mitigation service on CloudFlare by using flaws in AT&T's

voicemail service” (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal 975). This attack displays an example

of how well-known companies such as AT&T have flaws in cybersecurity.

 c. The information presented is highly relevant to the topic, as it provides

an in-depth analysis of cybersecurity and cyberattack methods.

3. This source makes a strong argument overall by using relevant statistics

from well-known sources and providing an in-depth analysis on cybersecurity

and cyberattacks.

a. This source is strong because of its origin, use of statistics, use of

data from well-known sources, and providing relevant data throughout (it

is never vague).

b. The source itself is academically motivated and likely to have

few biases. The statistics provide direct evidence into the issue of

cybersecurity, the use of well-known sources gives reliability to the

information presented, and maintaining relevance keeps the argument

clear and strong.

B. The overall credibility of this source is extremely high.

1. The information is reliable because of the variety of information it presents. The

academic background reduces potential bias, and the fact that the information on

this source is peer-reviewed gives the argument more reliability and makes it

more trustworthy.

2. The high credibility significantly strengthens the argument by making the

information more trustworthy and more reliable. 

 3. These credibility factors all make its own argument stronger. The variety of

information gives validity to its information, and the fact that the argument was

peer-reviewed gives the source a high level of trustworthiness. Its academic

background reduces potential biases, and its lack of vague and unnecessary

information keeps the argument clear.

III. Second source: Journal of Al-Turath University College

A. The Journal of Al-Turath University College takes a look at how people

(specifically from Iraq) cause computer problems due to poor Internet usage and how to

browse the Internet correctly.

1. Al-Turath University College is a private university in Iraq.

2. This source believes that security is an important issue to be addressed in

computers and that computer users are responsible for the risks they face

in the Internet (Jameel 18).

a. Computer users do not browse the Internet in a way that puts them free

of risk (Jameel 20). This lack of proper Internet usage can be linked to a lack of

awareness, lack of carefulness, and lack of knowledge entirely (Jameel 24-25).

These users will affect even the users who do have knowledge of good computer

usage because they are on the same domain (Jameel 25); that is why it is

important for the people to learn safe Internet browsing habits (Jameel 28).

b. Careless users, misguided users, and ignorant computer experts will

impact the security of users as a whole, and careful experts will be affected by

default since the other types of users exist in the same domain that they work with
(Jameel 24-25). These careless and ignorant computer users cause problems for

everyone; in order to reduce these issues, users must be informed about good

Internet browsing habits. “Users must be educated correctly...either by specialized

institutes which have instructors who are authorized to answer any question

correctly and professionally or by reading specialized books with well reputations

and professional authors” (Jameel 28). Once users learn about good Internet

practices, they will begin to take cybersecurity seriously; consequently, computer

problems should decrease since users will be more aware and cautious of the

Internet and its risks.

c. The information presented is highly relevant to the topic, as it provides

insight into the Internet issues of another country and gives a different perspective

which blames users for the problems that they face.

3. This source makes a decent argument overall by providing information on

Internet behavior and how it can be corrected.

a. This source is fairly strong because its information is relevant, it

provides a new perspective on Internet problems, and it is likely to

have few biases (since it came from a university).

b. Some potential strengths may be that the source provides relevant

examples on poor Internet usage and provides reasonable solutions

for how these problems can be addressed. However, it does not

have statistics, which threatens the reliability of the source.

 Additionally, the source is not as well-known as others, so its

trustworthiness is also questionable.

B. This source is fairly credible, but not as much as the previous one. Both sources

show causes of Internet security issues, highlight the importance of functional

cybersecurity, and propose possible solutions to fix these solutions. Both sources

acknowledge the problems lying in the Internet, but the Iraq source focuses more on user

ignorance (the scientific source is more broad).

1. Both sources are credible; this source is fairly credible because it comes

from a university, and the previous source came from an academic journal.

The journal’s credibility is stronger because it includes more data types

and considers more than one factor in Internet issues (the university

blames computer user ignorance).

2. This source is fairly strong, but not nearly as much as the previous source.

This source strengthens the argument by giving a perspective from a

different country (this source is from Iraq, the previous one was from

Australia). The Iraq source strengthens the argument by introducing

another potential cause to Internet problems; however, it excludes other

causes. This source does not strengthen the argument as much as the

scientific source because it considers a wider range of issues, covers more

information, and has a variety of data types.

3. The source is not as well-known as the scientific journal, so it will not

have that same level of trustworthiness in its research. Both sources come
 from academic origins, so they both have a low chance of having bias in

their arguments. Both maintain relevance for clarity, but the lack of data

variety in the Iraqi source can work against itself.

IV. Discussion of the third point of view or “next alternate perspective” about the issue

A. Symantec Corporation provides direct statistics on the issue of security threats

and shares information on the types of malware used in cyberattacks.

1. Symantec Corporation (now known as NortonLifeLock) is an American

software company which provides cybersecurity software and services.

2. Internet attacks have been growing and evolving, they have increased over

recent years, and they take several forms to stay ahead of existing security

measures (Fossi et al. 13).

a. Data was collected from several sources to analyze cybersecurity

threats, and it was found that there was a significant rise in cyberattacks (Fossi et

al. 17). Threats have taken place over social media platforms, inside jobs, and

seemingly trustworthy mobile apps (Fossi et al. 17). Cyber threats have also been

evolving to avoid detection so they can steal more information from the user

before the user becomes aware of the malicious activity (Fossi et al. 13).

b. “The Internet and social networks provide rich research for tailoring an

attack...by sneaking in among our friends, hackers can learn our interests, gain our

trust, and convincingly masquerade as friends” (Fossi et al. 4). This example is

reflective of how prevalent Internet threats are by showing that not even social

media platforms are safe; hackers can just pretend to be friendly before they steal
 the victim’s personal information. “In 2010, Symantec encountered more than 286

million unique variants of malware” (Fossi et al. 6). Security threats are growing

at a rapid rate, and this data is from 2010; it is likely that this number has

increased significantly as technology advances.

c. The information presented is highly relevant to the topic, as it provides

direct statistics and other explanations for the threats to cybersecurity.

3. This source makes a fairly decent argument by providing a direct report rich

with statistics and other highly relevant information on Internet threats.

a. This source is fairly strong because it comes from a well-known

Internet security company who would have access to direct

information on Internet threats.

b. The source is strong because it has the ability to see the data

regarding Internet threats. The source is also fairly well-known, so

that factor may give itself a level of trustworthiness. Its strength

may be weakened because the source was written ten years ago,

and times may have changed. Another potential weakness may be

in a potential vested interest; the source may exaggerate the issue

to get potential customers to subscribe to their security services.

B. This source and the previous source are similar in credibility but differ in the

information presented. Both sources present different types of Internet threats, but the

Iraqi source blames user ignorance as the cause of Internet issues (the report links

upgrading technologies to the increase in malicious attacks). The Iraqi source also
presents a solution to the problem while the report just displays the information (it does

not focus on proposing solutions).

1. Both sources are fairly credible; the previous source came from a

university, and this source came from a security company. The university

is less likely to have biases, whereas the security company may

overemphasize the Internet issues. However, the security company has

more access to information on security threats and does a good job at

giving direct statistics (the university does not provide much statistical

data).

2. Both of the sources are roughly equal in strength. Both of these sources

strengthen the argument by providing differing perspectives; the university

looks at the issue academically while the security company reports the

issue directly and has possible business motives. The security company

strengthens the argument by showing the various types of malware and the

increase in cyberattacks. Both sources are quite limited as to what they

cover; the security company could propose solutions while the university

could give more examples of Internet threats.

3. The university is not as well-known as the security company, so the

university source may not have as much of a reputation as the company.

The university will have the advantage of having an academic

background, but it lacks data variety. The security company has expertise

and direct data but is limited by potential business motives. Both sources
 have a limited range of information, so that can work against them

because they are not considering the issue as a whole.

V. The Internet is threatening security and privacy.  

A. The Internet has proven to be a threat to cybersecurity. The increasing risk of

cyberattacks is one reason. The Internet, while it has been vital in the growth of

communication technologies, is rich with malware. These viruses may look trustworthy

or come from a seemingly trustworthy source, and the distinction between legitimate and

illegitimate sources gets more difficult as technology advances. Another reason is in the

evolution of technologies to conduct cyberattacks. Technology is constantly evolving,

and the malicious technologies to conduct attacks are also growing. Cybersecurity

measures must constantly evolve to be effective since malware is being upgraded to avoid

detection (Fossi et al. 17). The final reason is because of the ignorance of computer users.

Several computer users often do not know about the risks that they expose themselves to

on the Internet. Since these users affect everybody else on the same Internet domain, it is

important for them to learn good Internet browsing techniques (Jameel 28-29).

B. Each argument was effective in its own way. ScienceDirect was effective because

it gave an in-depth analysis of the different types of malware and how they work. The

university was effective by introducing a new point of view which acknowledged that

computer threats will always exist and blamed computer users for browsing the Internet

in a way that does not protect them from these dangers. The security company was

effective because it directly showed how severe Internet threats are by showing the

frequency of attacks. Each source provided a perspective to the issue; when considered
 altogether, the arguments made were highly impactful because they show the dangers

lying in the Internet with a wider range of perspectives and ideas.

C. More resources needed to further explore this issue. Research on the current

impact of cybersecurity measures would be helpful in seeing if existing technologies are

doing enough about Internet threats. Research on how to make a trustworthy security

system or privacy-aware system should also be considered (Jang-Jaccard and Nepal 29).

D. Nothing needs to change in how the issue is currently being discussed, but

additional information and research would be helpful in expanding knowledge of the

situation.

E. Further research would allow for an even wider range of perspectives.

Information on what currently exists to preserve cybersecurity would be helpful in

evaluating if these are working as well as they should.

Citations/Sources

1. Make sure you have appropriate in-text, parenthetical citations throughout paper

2. Make sure you have an MLA or APA style Works Cited

Works Cited

Fossi, Marc, et al. "Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Trends for 2010." Volume XVI (2011).

Accessed 16 Oct. 2021.

Jameel, Hassan Harith. "Towards A Safe Internet Usage In Iraq." Jornal of Al-Turath University

College Issue 16 (2014): 18. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021.

Jang-Jaccard, Julian, and Nepal, Surya. "A Survey of Emerging Threats in Cybersecurity." Journal of

Computer and System Sciences 80.5 (2014): 973-993. Accessed 16 Oct. 2021.