CAN WE MAKE OUR COMPUTERS MORE SECURE?

In 1988, around 5,000 computers were made unusable within 4 hours by a program called "worm". While the spread and the effects of this computer alarmed computer scientists, most people were not worried because the worm did not affect their lives or their ability to do their jobs. In 1993, more users of computer systems were alerted to such dangers when a set of programs called sniffers were placed on many computers run by network service providers and recorded login names and passwords. Several filsm explored trhe issues of computers and network security such as War Games. Computer security is not only a science but also an art because it has a high degree of customization and implies several layers. A computer can be considered "secure" if it performs without flaws the tasks to which it has been assigned. However, because computer security is a broad term, a computer that is considered secure in a campus, may not be considered secure if it has to perform in a military base.

The concept of security is also connected to confidentiality, which is the concealment of information or resources. Confidentiality is supported with access control mechanism. All the mechanisms that enforce confidentiality require supporting services: the assumption is that the security services can rely on the kernel and other agents to supply correct data. Security mechanisms and their enforcement can prevent attacks, detect them and recover from attacks. Security provides no direct financial rewards to the user. it limits losses, but it also requires the expenditure of resources that could be used elsewhere.