Since the 11th, we have seen a flurry of activities and news under the general security umbrella: the appointment of a Homeland Security Secretary (Tom Ridge), airport security revisions, NIMDA virus attack, appointment of Richard Clarke, Advisor on Cyber Terrorism, FBI alerts and warnings of possible cyber attacks, calls for data access and sharing by law enforcement spurring Privacy vs. Right to Know debates, the formation of the Critical Infrastructure Information Security Act, the Federal Gov.net recommendation, doubling of web attacks from last year to this year, a postal security advisor appointment, and several other federal proposals and commissions to be formed. It occurred to me that had I not been in the computer security industry for the last dozen years, I would have needed a translator or a quick primer on Security to keep pace with the news coming from all directions. It is with this view, that Computer Security 101 was created. Some readers may have customers that are feeling uneasy about the security of their systems, others may have experienced attacks in the past and are preparing for more bad news, while others, are just trying to get a clear focus on what cyber terrorism is and how it will impact their daily lives.

This course, in four articles, will bring readers the essentials of computer security. It is hoped that this information will help interpret and understand the impact of Cyber attacks. It is in no way meant to be a technical treatise on Security, but a laymanıs first chapter to cyber preparedness. Through increased understanding and the reality that there are leagues of dedicated computer security professionals throughout the world working to defend the global enterprise, the uneasiness we feel about our personal security and insecurity may diminish.

Recommended Reading:
"2001 Computer Crime and Security Survey,"
Computer Security Institute, 2001

Tangled Web: Tales of Digital Crime, Richard Power, 2000.
Click here to buy this book on Amazon.com

Class One: What IS Security?
A. Definition of Security
B. Historical Perspective--Classical Security
C. Growth of the Internet
D. Growth of Internet-driven eBusiness on its impact on security

Class Two: The Defense of the Enterprise
Main topics include:
A. Type of Threats and Intrusions
B. How do Antivirus systems work?
C. What are intrusion detection systems and how do they work?
D. What are firewalls and how are they effective?

Class Three: Security Management Issues
Main topics include:
A. Achieving a Secured Internet Access for the enterprise
B. Trust and the role of PKI and digital certificates
C. Growing complexity of systems in the enterprise

Class Four: Advanced Topics In Security
Now Live
Main topics include:
A. Destroying the Internet--A Goal of Cyber terrorists?
B. What is a Managed Security Service?
C. PKI: Fact or Fiction
D. Biometrics, Smart Cards: New Solution or Old Hat?
E. Trends in Wireless Security
F. Privacy vs. the Right to Know: A Growing Debate
G. Will we ever be 100 percent Secure
H. Keeping Up with Security: Resource Recommendations

* 2001 Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA) All trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.