When I get a notification to update my operating system, I don’t usually think much about it, and I select to download. Sometimes, I look at what is being updated. Most of the time, it says something about fixing bugs, etc. Occasionally, it will say something along the lines of there being a security update. Have you ever thought of what those updates do? There are many reasons for operating system updates, such as new viruses, adding features, new password-cracking software, or security holes. We will further explore security holes and password cracking to encourage choosing the update option.
Security holes get their name because they are
essentially a hole that creates a backdoor into your operating system. In
section 8.1 of Computing Technology for All, Vahid and Lysecky (2019)
describe a security hole as “an aspect of a computer that can be used to breach
security [that] commonly exist[s] in operating systems” (para. 5). A security
hole allows a hacker unauthorized access to your network. You may not know that
your operating system has a security hole. Still, you may notice sudden
requests to access user data or unusual network behavior when a hacker tries to
access critical information. When you update your operating system, it can
close those holes to avoid potential security breaches. Also, installing
firewalls in networks helps to keep unwanted traffic out of your network. Wang
et al. (2021) explain that lattice-based cryptography allows a hacker to
estimate a key. They offer several proposals to close the security holes that would
benefit the operating system. This would be an example of implementing a new
patch that could be downloaded by the user in the form of an operating system
update.
Password cracking is a method of discovering passwords being
transmitted using different techniques. Selecting a long, non-identifying
password and inserting numbers and special characters or symbols is essential. It
is also crucial that you choose different passwords across different platforms.
Password hacking may become evident if you begin to receive two-factor
authentication requests but have not logged into your account at all. Or, if
you log into your account and the account has been locked due to too many
attempts, but you have not tried logging in previously. Kanta et al. (2022) explain that people
utilize brute force, rainbow tables with salting, GANs, and dictionary-based
attacks to access passwords. Sometimes operating system updates will offer a
new encryption key for passwords to throw hackers off, or they may implement
new systems that deter hackers, such as requiring a certain number of
characters/numbers/symbols and executing two-factor authentication
technologies.
Therefore, it is essential to the security of your
network to keep your system updated. Firewalls are an indispensable addition to
keeping your network secure. You must also change your passwords frequently and
use different passwords across different websites. Keeping your network safe is
an ongoing effort because as new protections are implemented, so are new ways
to install malware.
References
Kanta,
A., Coisel, I., & Scanlon, M. (2022). A Novel Dictionary Generation
Methodology for Contextual-Based Password Cracking. IEEE Access,
Access, IEEE, 10, 59178–59188. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3179701
Vahid,
F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all.
zyBooks.
Wang,
Y., Zhu, G., Li, J., Conti, M., & Huang, J. (2021). Defeating Lattice-Based
Data Hiding Code Via Decoding Security Hole. IEEE Transactions on
Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, Circuits and Systems for Video Technology,
IEEE Transactions on, IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. Video Technol, 31(1),
76–87. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSVT.2020.2971590
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