What are the advantages of network security?

The major advantage of having network security in place is that you keep all your things such as personal information, data and other files safe against people who are looking to steal these or destroy them (and it may not be somebody who is directly against you, but just people who are looking for networks where security is weak and they can get in). Or these may be unauthorized people who want to misuse this information. Unauthorized users may be from the same network or some other network. We have listed the advantages of having strong network security below as well as having proper security protocols:
- It provides protection to the client’s personal data on the network.
- It provides protection to information that is exchanged between hosts during transmission, from eavesdroppers.
- It provides protection to computer systems which can be otherwise rendered useless if attacked with a malicious virus or a trojan that keeps on passing out information.
- Prevents any attempts of doing harm to your system by spyware and malware attacks or hacking.
- Takes care of the access rights assigned to the users at different levels in a network such as in accounting systems.
- It is because of network security that private networks actually exist even if their information is passed over public networks.
- It helps in closing private networks and protecting them against intruders and other attacks.

Data in a private network is also not safe since it can be altered and hampered by people in the same network who may be doing so for many different reasons. The possibilities of attacks vary proportionally with the size of the network. Nowadays various organizations offer anti-virus software free of cost to people who are accessing this network. This has helped a big deal in reducing the threats of attacks.
As a large number of the users suffer from danger of viruses or other attacks, it also increases the danger for the organizations whose websites these users access on a regular basis. Thus the organizations distribute free anti-virus to keep this danger at bay to some extent. Network security is important as it provides protection against malicious viruses, spyware, worms and Trojans. It also guards the system against its potential vulnerabilities. Network security policy means a systematic process for the enforcement of protection policies for data, applications, hosts etc. and it provides guidance as to how the digital identities should be maintained. The security infrastructure may vary from one host to another and from one network to another. With network security the network administrator gets a centralized control for all of them when they are based in one virtual organization.
There are a number of issues that must be addressed by network security in terms of keeping viruses and other such attacks at bay. For preventing the virus from infecting your system or network, these security measures must automatically keep its data base updated on all the user machines. Another measure that can be taken is to install scanners on every machine and device accessing the network include newer devices like tablets. These scanners work well for keeping out e-mails infected with Trojans, worms and viruses.
At the same time, it is also important that users have education about the need for network security and what not to do. Without appropriate knowledge you won’t know as to what security options should be selected for enforcement. You might land up with a security policy that barely protects your system. For example, if you receive an email whose source you don’t know or you don’t trust just don’t open it. Possibilities are that it might contain some malicious file which if downloaded can eat up your data.
It is true that anti-virus software are effective in guarding against the viruses but these are developed only after the virus has been developed. Anti-viruses lag behind from viruses. Antiviruses are available only for the viruses that exist and not for those that have been newly created and hence user awareness and security safeguards are very important.

Different types of computer virus

A parasitic program written intentionally to enter a computer without the user's permission or knowledge. The word parasitic is used because a virus attaches to files or boot sectors and replicates itself, thus continuing to spread.
Many people are confused about different types of computer virus. The term computer virus is often used broadly to cover several types of malicious programs, including viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Each of them shares some similarities and some subtle differences.

- Computer Viruses : Computer viruses are parasitic programs that can replicate and spread to other computers. Computer virus needs a host program to run, so it often attaches itself to executable files. The virus codes run once you open the executive files. Computer viruses are spread by sharing infected files or email attachments.

- Computer worms : They can also replicate themselves, but unlike computer viruses, worms are self-contained. They can run and spread without being part of a host program. Worms spread at enormous speed in the network.

- Trojan horses : Trojan horses are hidden codes embedded within a legitimate program. Trojan horses are run without your knowledge, they can damage your files or create security leak in your system, allowing unauthorized users to access your computer. Unlike viruses and worms, they usually do not replicate themselves.

How does an anti-virus work ?

An anti-virus software program is a computer program that can be used to scan files to identify and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software (malware).

Approaches used by anti-virus are

- Virus dictionary : It has a big dictionary of viruses, allowing it to scan files and flag any that are known to be viral. As new virus and malicious threats are discovered, they are added to a virus dictionary. Every detail of the virus is held in the dictionary. Some anti-virus programs uses this dictionary as a guide to identify any suspicious and threatening software or files. To stay up-to-date with any new viruses, the anti-virus software must regularly download updates to its dictionary. The dictionary approach has been deemed quite effective but hackers and virus creators have found a way around it by developing polymorphic viruses.

- Suspicious behavior : It monitors the behavior of all programs. If one program tries to write data to an executable program, for example, the anti-virus software can flag this suspicious behavior, alert a user and ask what to do. The suspicious behavior approach is more effective in stopping new viruses since it doesn't rely on a dictionary, which may not be regularly updated, for reference. This approach could be annoying as it can give lots of false positives.

Anti-virus software and user carefulness are the best form of protection that is out there now.