This weeks discussion:

1.  How can you tell if your computer is safe?

2. Describe three ways that computers have made the world safer and less safe.

Ever since I have started getting more involved in my cyber career, I have been worrying about if my computer is as safe as it could be. When I first started taking classes I didn’t really worry about if my computer needed to be protected, however that has really changed now that I’m almost halfway into my college career. I like to game on my computer, as well as use it for everyday tasks such as schoolwork and additional coding practice at times, so as I started relying on my computer more and more, the less room I had to encounter any viruses or any major bugs occurring on my computer. Since at time I can deal with sensitive information, I only order from websites that always have the lock in the browser ensuring my information will be encrypted, so no one can try and steal my information, or identity. I also do have a password protected account on my computer, so anyone won’t just be able to access my laptop. When searching and maneuvering around google I ensure I try my best to ignore the cookies question, or modify what I’m accepting to the least amount possible. My laptop also has a built in firewall that should help me greatly in being protected from attacks. U am always looking for more ways to stay safe however, I feel my computer is going pretty strong safety wise.

While computers will always have their issues they aren’t such a horrible invention since they have many benefits from them as well. Three ways the world has become safer from computer systems is in regards to communication, privacy features, and usage as an overall resource, Computer systems provide for safe communication, because if something is happening the device can be used as a send for help in areas of technology, life or death, or when processing grief, allowing for access to direct messaging options and some computers can even connect to your phone to answer and make calls. They provide privacy features that can protect against some malware and hacking issues that may come up. Lastly computer systems can be used as a resource that promotes safety, because with an internet connection, the user will be able to search the web on any research or news they need. In areas of what medicine will help the best when they are feeling sick, how to prepare for my driving course and how to drive safely, what happened in the world today, how to protect and inform myself against hacking, and many more things a user could wonder when needing to protect or heal themselves. On the other hand, unfortunately computer systems will never be perfect meaning they have a few ways they can be used and be unsafe. Three ways computers are unsafe would include having vulnerabilities that can be exposed, personal connections, and sometimes information can be too available to the wrong people. Computer systems with vulnerabilities that can be exposed could easily be a persons downfall, because once the right malware moves past the vulnerability, the computer data could be compromised in a matter of minutes, and the identity could be stolen within the same day. Personal connections formed online can be great, however since its over the computer on the internet, the two people have no way if knowing each other is actually real and not a catfish trying to trick them. Lastly, computer systems aren’t safe when regarding too much availably, is that without the proper protocols and frameworks in place, all the computer data could easily be hacked into. Especially regarding the internet one google search of someone’s address or phone number will explain the owner’s name, family, age, address, and where they are from. Exposing all kinds of personal information for free. With that being said, computers and the internet can be extremely hit or miss, and is a big risk, but without them as a country we wouldn’t be able to know and see a lot of things we haven’t known for centuries.