Some people who cause security problems and why

For the first few decades of their existence, computer networks were primarily used by university researchers for sending e-mail and by corporate employees for sharing printers. Under these conditions, security did not get a lot of attention. But now, as millions of ordinary citizens are using networks for banking, shopping, and filing their tax returns, network security is looming on the horizon as a potentially massive problem.

Security is a broad topic and covers a multitude of sins. In its simplest form, it is concerned with making sure that nosy people cannot read, or worse yet, secretly modify messages intended for other recipients. It is concerned with people trying to access remote services that they are not authorized to use. It also deals with ways to tell whether that message purportedly from the IRS saying: Pay by Friday or else is really from the IRS and not from the Mafia.

Security also deals with the problems of legitimate messages being captured and replayed, and with people trying to deny that they sent certain messages.

Some people who cause security problems and why

1.Student,to have fun snooping on people's email
2.Cracker,to test out someone's security sistem or steal data
3.Sales rep,to claim to represent Europe
4.Businessman,to discover a competitor's strategic marketing plan
5.Ex-Employee,to get revenger for being fired
6.Accountant,to embezzle money from a company
7.Stockbroker,to deny a promise made to a customer by e-mail
8.Con man,to steal credit card numbers for sale
9.Spy,to learn an enemy's military or industrial secrets
10.Terrorist,to steal germ warfare secrets

Most security problems are intentionally caused by malicious people trying to gain some benefit, get attention, or to harm someone. A few of the most common perpetrators are listed above. It should be clear from this list that making a network secure involves a lot more than just keeping it free of programming errors. It involves outsmarting often intelligent, dedicated, and sometimes well-funded adversaries. It should also be clear that measures that will thwart casual adversaries will have little impact on the serious ones.

Police records show that most attacks are not perpetrated by outsiders tapping a phone line but by insiders with a grudge. Consequently, security systems should be designed with this fact in mind.