- Describe three ways that computers have made the world safer and less safe.
- How do engineers make cyber networks safer?
Safer vs. Less safe
Computers have made the world safer by
- Enabling near-instant computation of complex mathematical models to ensure airplanes, trains, automobiles, etc are moving safely through the world
- Communication, aided by computers, has never been easier. I see and hear ads all the time about how someone is able to protect their home or child remotely with information sent to their personal phone.
- Enabling extremely complex encryption algorithms that would be impossible to compute by hand, even with all the correct parameters.
Computers have made the world less safe by
- Enabling criminals to engage in criminal activity anonymously from anywhere on the planet. For example, the so-called “dark web” is a place where criminals may engage in selling drugs, or human trafficking, or worse things. Because of the anonymous nature of the dark web, it is difficult to track down and prosecute perpetrators of crimes organized through the dark web.
- Cyber stalking and cyber harassment: again, anonymity plays a big role here. Because communication can happen nearly instantaneously from any two points on the planet, it’s possible for one person to stalk or harass another over the internet with little repercussion or chance of being identified
- Erosion of privacy. Millions of people carry with them digital tracking devices (cell phones), which can be used to record their location. Big data aggregation draws back the curtain of people’s private lives. We have found ourselves in the so-called “panopticon”
Making networks safer
Engineers make networks safer in the following ways
- ensuring systems have the latest security updates for operating systems and critical software
- ensuring communication and data at rest are encrypted with the latest in industry-standards
- ensuring employees abide by standing cybersecurity operating procedures
- maintaining and updating proper access control rosters