- Also called:
- cybersecurity
- Key People:
- Robert Herjavec
- Related Topics:
- computer
- security and protection system
- password
- VPN
computer security
What are the main principles of computer security?
What are common cyber threats?
What international efforts exist for cybersecurity?
News •
computer security, the protection of computer systems, networks, software, and digital information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Whereas computer hardware is typically protected by the same means used to protect other valuable or sensitive equipmentânamely, serial numbers, doors and locks, and alarmsâthe protection of information and system access is achieved through technical safeguards such as encryption, firewalls, and authentication systems, as well as policies and user practices designed to reduce security risks.
Modern computer security is commonly organized around confidentiality, integrity, and availability, collectively called the CIA triad. Confidentiality refers to protecting information from unauthorized access or disclosure. Integrity ensures that information remains accurate, complete, and free of external tampering. Availability means systems and data remain accessible to authorized users. While some expanded frameworksâsuch as the Parkerian Hexadâintroduce additional dimensions such as authenticity, utility, and control of systems and information, the CIA triad remains a common universal basis for cybersecurity.
Security methods
Computer security uses overlapping technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to control access, protect data, monitor activity, and restore systems after an incident. This layered approach, known as defense in depth, reduces reliance on any single safeguard. A common first step to protecting systems is to control who can access them by assigning an account to each person on a system. Authentication verifies a userâs identity, while authorization determines which resources that user may access. Password-based authentication is often reinforced with multifactor authentication (MFA), which requires users to verify their identity by means of a token, mobile confirmation, or biometric data.
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Some forms of security center on monitoring network traffic. Firewalls protect systems by filtering incoming and outgoing network traffic according to predetermined security rules. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) identify and, in the case of prevention systems, may block suspicious activity based on network behavior or known attack signatures. They analyze traffic against a broad database of signatures and data-exchange patterns associated with the exploitation of security vulnerabilities. Vulnerability management complements these defenses by identifying software weaknesses, monitoring disclosures of newly discovered vulnerabilities and exploits, and applying patches or security updates before attackers can take advantage of them.
Other cybersecurity measures employ encryption and decryption to encode outgoing information and decode incoming data so that only intended participants can access the information contained therein. Encryption can protect data as it travels across networks, including data divided into packets for transmission over the Internet. A virtual private network (VPN) is a specific application of this technique that encrypts Internet traffic and helps secure remote communications.
Antivirus and anti-malware software is also employed to protect systems against threats commonly encountered through Internet-based information exchange. It is designed to detect, quarantine, and remove malicious programs that may be downloaded by users through malicious sites or files. Because no system detects all threats, each of these methods works as one layer in a broad, interconnected defense strategy.
More general behavior that affects computer security can be included in the broad category of cyber ethics, which encompasses responsible conduct when using computers, networks, and digital information and a safe approach to data sharing while online. It includes respecting privacy, avoiding unauthorized access, harassment, deception, and careless sharing of information and devices, and following relevant laws and organizational policies. Cyber ethics also involves awareness of oneâs digital footprint (lasting record created by online activities such as posts, searches, purchases, and account use), which can be used by unethical agents to expose personal information and be exploited for profiling, fraud, or social engineering. Limiting what is shared, reviewing privacy settings, and securing accounts can reduce these risks.
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History
Computer security has become increasingly important since the late 1970s, when modems (devices that allow computers to communicate over telephone lines) began to be adapted for personal use. The proliferation of personal computers in the 1980s compounded the risk by enabling unauthorized users such as hackers to access computer systems remotely.
Cybersecurity milestones
Key events in the development of cybersecurity trace the fieldâs expansion from experimental tools for combating malicious software to modern systems of encryption, regulation, and risk management.
In 1972 American programmer Ray Tomlinson developed Reaper, the first antivirus program. It was designed to remove an experimental viruslike program called Creeper that was released on ARPANET the year before. The National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) also established its cybersecurity program in 1972. Cryptography also advanced in the 1970s. Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman introduced a method for secure key exchange over insecure channels in the mid-1970s. This breakthrough laid the foundation for public-key cryptography. In 1976 the Data Encryption Standard (DES) was adopted as a U.S. federal standard. It became widely used but was later replaced because of its vulnerability to modern computing power.
Computer viruses became a genuine threat in the 1980s. In 1987 German computer security researcher Bernt Fix created a program to neutralize the Vienna virus, an MS-DOS file-infecting virus first documented in Austria and named after its capital city, marking one of the first documented uses of antivirus software outside a laboratory setting. About the same time, British American computer programmer John McAfee founded McAfee Associates out of his home in Santa Clara, California, helping establish antivirus software as a commercial industry. In 1988 a large-scale attack by a malware agent called the Morris worm highlighted the need for coordinated responses to cybersecurity incidents. This led to the creation of the Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (CERT/CC) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, the first organization dedicated to managing cybersecurity incidents and sharing threat information.
In 2001 the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) replaced DES as a stronger encryption standard. It remains widely used for securing data and communications. During the mid-2000s such standards were considered important but not sufficient, and regulatory frameworks became more prominent. The HIPAA Security Rule established safeguards for health information, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) set requirements for protecting payment data.
Computer security continues to evolve as technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things gain importance and bring more vulnerabilities to light. New cryptographic algorithms are already being explored to withstand risks that could be introduced by the capabilities of quantum computers. Computer security, therefore, remains a complex and continuing challenge involving technical, organizational, and legal considerations.
International cybersecurity measures
The development of advanced security technologies has helped mitigate many threats, but cyberattacks frequently cross national boundaries, and international cooperation is often required to investigate incidents and coordinate action. Governments and international organizations have made numerous attempts to establish common frameworks for cybersecurity and responsible behavior in cyberspace. The Council of Europeâs Convention on Cybercrime (commonly known as the Budapest Convention), adopted in 2001, was the first international treaty aimed at coordinating cybercrime responses and facilitating cross-border cooperation. The European Union adopted the Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS) in 2016 and its successor, NIS2, in 2022 to strengthen cybersecurity requirements across member states.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in December 2024. It was opened for signature in Hanoi, Vietnam, in October 2025 and will go into effect once 40 member states ratify it. It is the first global treaty on cybercrime and provides a framework for preventing and prosecuting offenses, sharing electronic evidence, strengthening international cooperation, and providing technical assistance.
In Southeast Asia the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy and endorsed voluntary norms based on the United Nations (UN) framework to improve regional cyber resilience and cooperation. Despite these efforts, establishing comprehensive international rules has proven difficult, because countries differ in their legal systems, strategic interests, and views on issues such as digital sovereignty, cyber espionage, and the use of offensive cyber capabilities.