Cybersecurity Threats and Vulnerabilities

This assignment delves into the multifaceted world of cybersecurity, examining prevalent threats and vulnerabilities within Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems. It analyzes diverse cyberattacks, ranging from malware to phishing, and explores their impact on organizations and individuals. Furthermore, it investigates various management strategies and best practices for mitigating these risks and enhancing overall cybersecurity posture.

Running head: NETWORK AND INFORMATION SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES
Network and Information Security Technologies
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

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Executive Summary
The main objective of this business report is to discuss about the various methods and procedures
that can be adopted by the Australian company in order to expand their business by using ICT.
This report describes three security applications that can be used by the company in order to
prevent the loss and damage of valuable data. The names of the applications are Norton Security,
Bitdefender Total Security and Kaspersky Internet Security. These applications can be used by
the company for expanding its business and automating all the business processes. The
limitations of the applications have also been discussed in this report. This report provides three
recommendations like implementation of firewalls, encrypting valuable data and buying vendor
applications for expanding its business globally.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................4
Information and Network Security......................................................................................5
Information and Network Security Applications in the Current Market.............................5
Expansion of the Organization............................................................................................8
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................10
Recommendations..............................................................................................................11
References..........................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
Information and communication technology is used by almost every organization for
running the business as well as for the development of the business. This technology is gaining
huge importance with the passage of time. The organizations are able to gain reputation as well
as create and generate value by using the solutions provided by ICT (Keller & Heiko, 2014). ICT
plays a crucial role in every industry. The organizations can achieve success by incorporating
ICT in the business processes as well as business plans (Day et al., 2012). Managing information
becomes simple and effective by the incorporation of ICT in the business processes. Treating
ICT independently from the business processes will affect the IT projects leading to its failure
(Vaishnavi & Kuechler, 2015). There are many security threats as well as risks that are
associated with the ICT. The given case study gives an overview of a small Australian
organization that develops software and is aiming to expand the business. ICT security
applications are gaining importance because of the numerous data and security risks as well as
threats.
This report describes the information as well as network security of the information
technology and ICT. It also talks about three applications of network security. These applications
play a crucial role in the current market. Most of the organizations adopt these applications for
protecting their intellectual property and sensitive data. This report not only talks about the
advantages of using these applications but also points out the limitations of these applications. It
also figures out the ways by which these applications will play a major role in the expansion of
the Australian company. This report also gives recommendations regarding the ways by which

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the company will be able to grow and expand its business while maintaining a certain level of
security in the organization.
Information and Network Security
The main aim of network or information security is to protect sensitive information and
data from unauthorized access as well as tampering (Shiravi, Shiravi & Ghorbani, 2012). In this
era of technology, the organizations that are running in the market give topmost level of priority
to information security. Almost every organization incorporate security features in all the
business processes in order to achieve success and protect their sensitive data. Information
security is concerned with the protection of network as well as system against malware and other
harmful attacks. Attackers have the ability to exploit weaknesses present in the networks or
systems (Skopik et al., 2012). There are several types of weaknesses that can be present in the
system like technological weakness, configuration weakness and weakness existing in the policy
(Luiijf, 2012). An organization has to deal with several data as well as security threats and risks.
Implementation of strong security standards as well as policy will help an organization to
mitigate and reduce the chances of security attacks.
Information and Network Security Applications in the Current Market
The security risks as well as threats that are associated with ICT are growing with time.
Every organization adopts and implements antivirus, intrusion detectors as well as firewalls for
protecting its intellectual property and sensitive data (Grech et al., 2012). Use of appropriate
applications as well as technologies will help organizations to save and protect valuable
information against different types of data loss and attacks. These security applications must be
used in an updated form for getting the expected result and expanding the organization. Using

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these, applications will play a major role in improving the operational efficiency of the
organization and will raise the level of customer satisfaction. Most of the organizations choose to
encrypt all the sensitive data by using cryptography techniques and algorithms in order to protect
the data from being hacked and misused (Stallings & Tahiliani, 2014). The chances of digital
assaults will reduce by implementing strong security standards and using security applications as
per the requirements of the organization. Strong and appropriate internet protocols also play a
significant role in securing valuable data and protecting it from security threats as well as risks.
Norton Security applications are very popular in the current market. These applications
play significant role in protecting several computer systems as well as networks against various
security threats. The security features present in this application are superior in comparison to the
features of other security applications. It also gives fast performance in comparison to other
applications (Min et al., 2014). The identity of the organization can be safeguarded by adopting
these applications. These applications can safeguard the sensitive information that is present in
the system. The main advantage of the Norton Security over other security applications are it
does not affect the performance of the system. It also provides high speed along with good
performance level. It provides strong security to the system and network in which it has been
installed (Ciampa, 2012). The organization gets the facility to select the data which is to be
protected. The organization can also mention the degree of protection that is required for
protecting the data. When the user tries to send a message that is not encrypted then this
application generates a message that gives a warning signal to make the user aware. The users
are also given the right for selecting the level of internet access. This application has the ability
to monitor the internet connections. The Anti-Virus software prevents the various categories of
malicious code attacks that are possible (Baquiran & Wren, 2014). Some of them are virus

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attacks, worms and Trojan horses. Norton Firewall helps the organizations to protect it from any
extrinsic attack (Suh et al., 2014). This application acts as a barrier and notifies the user if there
is any type of unauthorized intrusion. The advertisements that are displayed on various websites
can also be blocked by using Norton Security applications. All these features of the application
can be considered to be its success factors. These applications have certain limitations as well.
Installing these applications consumes huge memory space and the process of uninstalling the
application is very difficult. These two characteristics of this application are the main reason
behind its failure. The Norton Security application cannot be totally erased from the system even
after it has been uninstalled. The advantages of this application overshadow its disadvantages.
Therefore, the Australian organization can use the Norton Security application.
Kaspersky Internet Security is another application that will help to satisfy the needs of
the Australian company. This application plays a crucial role in protecting the system and
network of a company from phishing attacks, spam, network attacks as well as new types of
threats (Gudkova et al., 2013). This application contains many protection components that have
the capability to tackle all kinds of threats. Real-time solutions can be provided by these
applications. Virus attacks can harm the documents in the system. These virus attacks can be
prevented by the File Anti-Virus. All the files are scanned to detect any virus present in the
system. Only virus free files are allowed to be accessed by the users. The mails received by the
system can be scanned to detect any virus through the Mail Anti-Virus. Firewall is known for
protecting the private internal network from extrinsic intrusion. The network monitor is supposed
to monitor the network. Anti-Spam prevents any type of phishing activity. This is done by
checking the URLs of the websites. The memory space consumed by this application is less. All
these can be considered as the success factors of the application. There are certain limitations

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like, it reduces the computer performance and it is slow at detecting malicious websites. The
compatibility of the firewall needs to be improved (Verlinde & Verlinde, 2013). The
disadvantages or limitations are much less as compared to the huge list of advantages. Therefore,
the Australian organization can use the Kaspersky Internet Security for fulfilling its demands.
Bitdefender Total Security can also be used by all the organizations for protecting their
systems and networks from malware attacks like virus attacks, spyware attacks, Trojan horse and
all types of internet attacks like phishing attack, hacking and spam (Pavel, 2013). It scans the
entire system to detect and prevent the entry of malicious codes. The files and documents present
in the system are also scanned by Bitdefender. The HTTP traffics are also scanned by this
application. This application does not allow the system to download any infected file or
documents from web. The responsiveness of the system is improved by this application. This
application can also keep track of what is typed on keyboard by using the keylogger component.
It has the ability to scan during the startup time of the computer. The web cookies can be also
scanned by the application. These are the success factors behind the Bitdefender Total Security.
There are many disadvantages like, the scanning process is slow and the application is known to
consume huge quantity of resources. All these are responsible for deteriorating the performance
of the computer. The disadvantages or limitations are much less as compared to the huge list of
advantages. Therefore, the Australian organization can use the Bitdefender Total Security for
fulfilling its demands.

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Expansion of the Organization
The applications that have been discussed in the previous section can be incorporated in
the business processes of the Australian company for expanding its business in next five years
and open several branches by using ICT. ICT is prone to various risks like:
Spyware: These programs act as a spy and enter any network or system in a silent
manner. The motive of these programs is to watch the activities of user and get unauthorized
access to sensitive data (Kahate, 2013).
Vulnerabilities: These are the defects or faults that are exploited by the hackers and
attackers (Hou, Li & Chang, 2017). The hackers can exploit the vulnerabilities to gain
unauthorized access to the valuable data of the organization with the intention of harming the
company.
Malware: These are malicious codes designed for the purpose of damaging the system or
network (Sikorski & Honig, 2012). Viruses and Trojan horses are examples of malware. Worms
are also a type of malware.
These risks can be prevented and mitigated for the purpose of expanding business. The
aim of the organization will be fulfilled by adopting the above mentioned applications. The use
of security applications has become the first priority of every organization. It has become a
necessity. Security applications will help to protect the valuable data of the company. It will help
the company to create its global image. The present goal of business expansion will be easily
achieved by incorporating the security applications in its business processes (Cardona,
Kretschmer & Strobel, 2013). The attackers will not be able hack into the system and misuse the

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data. Strong security standards as well as policies will keep the organization away from any
security threats and risks.
The organization will get many benefits by adopting and incorporating security
applications in the business processes. The organization must choose to purchase vendor
applications rather than developing in house applications. The company will not have to spend
time and money on the maintenance of the software (Kotelnikov, 2014). It is the vendor’s
responsibility to maintain and update the software when necessary. The company can
concentrate on different strategies to improve its productivity rather than wasting time in
updating and maintaining the software. The company will be able to save the cost of production
of new software. The company will also get advices from the experts of the software. The only
disadvantage of buying software from vendors is that the company will not have complete
control over its applications. The interest of the vendor can conflict with the interest of the
directors of the company at any time. The advantages of buying software from vendors are much
more as compared to its disadvantages and hence it is preferable for the company to buy the
security applications from third party vendors.
Conclusion
This report concludes that the implementation and use of information or network security
applications is essential for the organization. The company is planning to expand and this would
be possible by considering the security threats of ICT and incorporating the applications in its
business processes. The intensity of threats is rising with time. Different threats have a different
level of exposure. The risks that are discussed in this report are malware, vulnerabilities as well
as spyware. The organization can expand by protecting its valuable information from any type of

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external attacks. This report discussed about three applications of network security. These
security applications play a crucial role in the current market. Norton Security applications play a
significant role in protecting several computer systems as well as networks against various
security threats. It also gives fast performance in comparison to other applications. Kaspersky
Internet Security plays a crucial role in protecting the system and network of a company from
phishing attacks, spam, network attacks as well as new types of threats. The memory space
consumed by this application is less. Bitdefender Total Security can be used for protecting the
systems and networks from malware attacks like virus attacks, spyware attacks, Trojan horse and
all types of internet attacks like phishing attack, hacking and spam. This report said that most of
the organizations adopt these applications for protecting their intellectual property and sensitive
data. This report not only discussed about the advantages of using these applications but also
pointed out the limitations of these applications. It also figured out the ways by which these
applications will play a major role in the expansion of the Australian company. This report also
said that the organization must choose to purchase vendor applications rather than developing in
house applications. The company will not have to spend time and money on the maintenance of
the software. The company will be able to save the cost of production of new software. This
report also mentioned that the only disadvantage of buying software from vendors is that the
company will not have complete control over its applications. Strong security standards as well
as policies prevent the organization from any security threats and risks and help in its expansion
process.
Recommendations
Vendor applications: It will be more preferable for the company to purchase security
applications from third party vendors rather than developing their own software. The company

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will be able to save the cost of maintenance as well as the cost of production. It is the
responsibility of the vendors to maintain and upgrade the system whenever it is necessary. The
company will get time to focus on other requirements and increase the production level. The
company will get correct expertise advice from the vendors. The company will be free from any
extra workload.
Firewall Security: Firewall is known for protecting the private network of an
organization from any extrinsic intrusion. It prevents any harmful entry into the internal network
by acting as a wall or barrier between the internal and the external network. The firewall allows
external traffics to enter the internal network only if it satisfies certain conditions. The company
must use firewall security for protecting its business as well as expanding its business.
Encryption: The plain or readable texts can be converted to cipher or encrypted texts in
this process. The must aim to encrypt the valuable data in order to prevent data loss or breach in
the coming future.

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References
Baquiran, M., & Wren, D. (2014). Document: Webroot Secure Anywhere Cloud Antivirus vs.
Six Competitor Antivirus Products (August 2014).
Cardona, M., Kretschmer, T., & Strobel, T. (2013). ICT and productivity: conclusions from the
empirical literature. Information Economics and Policy, 25(3), 109-125.
Ciampa, M. (2012). Security+ guide to network security fundamentals. Cengage Learning.
Day, A., Paquet, S., Scott, N., & Hambley, L. (2012). Perceived information and
communication technology (ICT) demands on employee outcomes: The moderating
effect of organizational ICT support. Journal of Occupational Health
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Grech, A., Chartrand-Miller, K., Erftemeijer, P., Fonseca, M., McKenzie, L., Rasheed, M., ... &
Coles, R. (2012). A comparison of threats, vulnerabilities and management approaches
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Hou, J. B., Li, T., & Chang, C. (2017). Research for Vulnerability Detection of Embedded
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Kahate, A. (2013). Cryptography and network security. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.

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Keller, J., & Heiko, A. (2014). The influence of information and communication technology
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Suh, M., Park, S. H., Lee, B., & Yang, S. (2014, February). Building firewall over the software-
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