Challenges of the Digital Revolution: Security, Privacy, and Society

This essay explores the digital revolution, highlighting how its rapid evolution outpaces society's ability to adapt, leading to challenges in privacy and security. It discusses the factors contributing to this revolution, such as advancements in computers, smartphones, and the internet, which have transformed social life but also introduced vulnerabilities. The essay details specific cybersecurity threats like malware attacks, network exploitation, and botnet attacks, emphasizing their potential impact on individuals and democratic societies. Furthermore, it examines recommendations for addressing these challenges, including strong encryption and government involvement in securing digital activities, advocating for a balance between security measures and individual control over personal data. The author agrees with the viewpoint that citizens should be empowered to take their own security measures, with governmental support, to effectively combat cybercrimes. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments for students.

Running head: DIGITAL REVOLUTION
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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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1. In what ways has the digital communication revolution evolved faster than the ability
of society to keep pace with it? What are some of the factors that contribute to the
changes of the digital revolution?
The digital revolution is considered as the third revolution after the agriculture and the
industrial revolution. The first two revolution change the social and economic life and the
human force was a major part of it that provided direction for the revolution (Landau, 2017).
As the revolution is taking place, it seems that the computers, sensors, internets are becoming
an integral part, as much as it is threating to replace the human efforts although all these
technologies are being created by the human intelligence only.
The advancement in computers, smartphones and technologies such as sensor, internet
is making the social life more connected through applications such as Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and other numerous social app being developed. Apart from this social app, there
is applications for any kind of service such as app for car booking, app for watching sports
and app for shopping and any other service that is required (Landau, 2017). Even agriculture
activities are being controlled by sensors, old telephones are being replaced by smart phones,
cash is being replaced by cashless transaction , taking connectivity and communication to a
whole new level.
However threat to privacy and data security leading to exploitation of personal data
and digital identity is showing that it is becoming difficult for the large section of the society
to keep up with the pace of the digital revolution. Incident like Apple FBI dispute regarding
access to the iPhone of a terrorist, 2014 attack on Sony pictures, hacking of three power
distribution companies in western Ukraine shows that while digital revolution making the
social life more connected, organized and developed, it is making the social life more

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vulnerable than ever before threating the human race to be incompatible for the digital
revolution (Landau, 2017).
2. The digital revolution has created new challenges and threats to privacy and
security. Discuss in detail at least three (3) of these challenges.
Malware attack:
Here the hackers get access to the target computer or the target system through
injection of malicious software. Once the software is installed in the target computer or
system the hacker then get complete access to the system and steal whatever data the hackers
require including personal and financial data such as credit card information (Landau, 2017).
In 2009, Stuxnet, a Natanz-specific malware was applied to exploit the centrifuges in Iran.
The Stuxnet malware applied "zero-days" vulnerability to execute the cyber crime and this is
not often known to the software developer due to its advance and shophisticated technology.
Network exploitation:
Here the hackers get access to the primary computer network to get access to the main
server to which each of the computer is connected. Once access to the server is established, it
then becomes possible to retrieve data from each of the computers (Landau, 2017). This is a
popular method for hacking often considered by cyber criminals.
Botnet attack:
Here the computers are first arranged in a predetermined fashion for forming network
of compromised computers known as bot and the connection is known as botnet. Bots are
controlled by third parties or any individual hackers to transmit spam to the target system for
accessing valuable data from the target system through an organized cybercrime (Landau,
2017). The Russian Business Network, a criminal group, supported by the russian

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government first launched a botnet attack to show other nation that they might bring cyber
attack on other nations if required.
3. Given the challenges that cyber threats pose to open, democratic societies, what does
the author recommend going forward? Describe the author’s perspective and
recommendations. Do you agree or disagree with the author’s viewpoint? Why?
Cyber security has posed a lot of challenge and threat as well which threatens to affect the
digital life. The digital privacy is being affected as well. Hence this needs to be treated with
proper security measures to help people and society to deal with the security challenges due
to the cyber-crimes. This issues has been identified by the authors and some strategies have
been recommended as well.
In order to secure the digital activities the authors has recommend for strong encryption, end-
to-end encryption and the author also suggest that the government should play a vital role in
this context for securing the digital activities for protecting the privacy and enhancing the
security (Landau, 2017).
Strong encryption and end-to-end encryption are indeed vital for protecting digital
privacy and enhancing security as it secures the smartphones and computer system and also
make it difficult for the hackers to get access to the data.
Apart from that the government also has an important role to play here and encourage
the public to protect their data on their own (Landau, 2017). The view point of the author that
the government should not restrict its citizens to arrange for their own measures to secure
data is justified as well as it will enhance the overall security measures for digital privacy.
Because without control being transferred to the people it is not possible to involve in the
battle against cyber-crimes. Not only that, assistance should be provided to the people for this
so that the control is effective and security measures are efficient as well.

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References:
Landau, S. E. (2017). Listening In: Cybersecurity in an Insecure Age. Yale University Press.