Determining if your computer is safe is a complex assessment of the data integrity and authenticity. One observation of a safe computer is being aware of how healthy the computer performs and looks. Noticing that the computer is running smoothly can be a sign that a computer is safe because a computer that has been compromised can perform slower. Malware such as spyware and adware will slow down a computer or device. Adware will download advertising software on the computer that utilize resources such has the processing power and RAM percentage usage to slow everything else down. Noticing that browsers have ad-ons and excessive pop-ups are signs that adware has infected the computer. Observing that an internet browsing experience is swift and doesn’t have all of those advertising interruptions can be a sign that the computer is safe. The more sinister malware are computer viruses, trojans, spyware, and ransomware. Attempting to see the signs that the computer is infected is a way to see if the computer is safe. Spyware such as key loggers can severely impede secure data management, this effects personal computers at home and businesses all the time. If a computer has fallen prey to a phishing attempt, it may have accidentally installed a key logger that records all of the keystrokes that were done on the computer. This puts everything in a very vulnerable position because user identification and passwords can be stored and exploited across many accounts. One way to check in to see of the websites being visited in a browser is secure is making sure the http link in the browser has as certification verified. This is done through the process of cryptography in support of data integrity and authenticity. Certifications utilizing public and private key encryptions confirm that the website being visited in the browser is authentic, and safe to use.

The benefits of developing cybersecurity programs in businesses are justified in the costs. One type of investment in a cybersecurity program a business can do is implementing a program to train employees. They can employ in-house staff to develop these training programs, or hire a cybersecurity consultant contract to train staff on best practices. This can highlight any weaknesses that the employees may have when carrying out their tasks. It also provides guidance on some of the backbone practices of secure behavior. One of the studies indicated that there are differences in regions in how people decide what kind of identity management they adopt. Training employees good practices for using unique passwords, two factor authorization, and not writing down the passwords in a public area promote security.

In studies that evaluate surveys on training, there are guidelines on how to implement this training. In order for the costs of the training to be effective, there are guidelines such as making the training frequent, making it relevant to the employee (such as relevant to the employee’s job role), connecting the relevancy of how the human error can effect the security of the system, and mandating the training from the leadership level. This is also interlaced with a company culture of developing a cybersecurity environment. that maintains security complaince.

In the broad sense, the cost of cybersecurity programs are justified in business expenses. In one of the instructional videos, a Chief Security Officer has to relay to other members of leadership the importance of a cybersecurity program, and why it would be justified. Stating that the passive reassurance of the analogy of a parking lot full of cars prevents low level theft just isn’t enough. For a business, attackers are on a higher level of getting unauthorized access, in the analogy he uses an example of someone waiting for the car owner to open up the door, and then gain access. There is a stressing of the importance of a robust security program to prevent catastrophic business losses and downtime.

There is some focus on the relationship between white-collar crime and cybercrime. Both can be linked but not always. It is referenced that white-collar crime was introduced as a concept in 1939 by Edwin Sutherland, citing that this type of crime can happen in the sectors of healthcare, politics, securities, and the banking system. He specifically defines this behavior as “crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” It would later be stated that decades later technology was creating new types of crime.

Obviously in 1939, there was no robust network of connected computers, but the foundations of technological improvement were well on the way to develop the cyber environment. The article in the Harvard Business Review “Better Cybersecurity Starts with Fixing Your Employees’ Bad Habits” spotlights how human behavior can harbor cybercrime and/or white-collar crime through the usage of cyber technology. It points out that bad habits of the people using the technology made it easier for attackers to and leak user information for Equifax, and create a cyber environment for the ransome-ware attacks like “WannaCry”. It relays that IBM reported that 95% of all security incidents have human error as a factor in the crime. Examples of negligent behavior of the employees are falling for phishing attacks, clicking on bad links, using weak passwords, or not updating necessary security software updates. This created a situation where the employee may not necessarily be malicious, but the actions make it easier for an attacker to commit these cyber crimes.

There is also a focus on the fact that despite all of the technological advancements, human error will still cause security issues. One example is implementing a robust email spam filtering system on company computers. While it may prevent most, all it takes is a few emails to get through and one employee to fall for the attempt. The goal in finding a solution to these issues is constant updating and training of the employees.

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