ISSUES IN ICT

Identity TheftIdentity theft is a common crime and can happen to anyone at any time. Without good privacy and security, there are many risks. Your personal information could be stolen, leading to identity theft. This means people could misuse your account pretending to be you.

Why Would Someone Want to Steal your Identity?People might want to steal your identity for a few reasons. One big one is fraud. They could use your identity to trick others and get things illegally. Another reason is trying to break into secure places like banks, using your identity to access sensitive information. Sometimes it's just about taking your money or pretending to be you for their benefit. They might also use your personal information to make fake IDs or passports, which can lead to all different kinds of problems. 

How do you Prevent Identity Theft and Protect your privacy? Check your credit report at least once a year for suspicious activityRegularly check your monthly statements and bills for suspicious charges and if you can, try to go paperless as these documents are much harder to steal in their online formBefore putting your financial and personal documents in the trash, shred them or scribble personal information out, and those documents you don't want to throw out, simply keep them in a safe place.Try your best to not respond to emails, texts, or phone calls asking for your personal or financial informationMake strong passwords and make sure your computer is protected by strong firewall and up to date anti-virus and anti-malware protectionLook at the link on the website you are on to insure it's safe

What are Computer Viruses?A computer virus is a harmful software program designed to copy itself and mess up how a computer usually works. Like a biological virus, it can spread through infected files, emails, or unsafe websites. Once it gets into a computer, the virus can negatively impact with how it runs, mess up the data, and cause all kinds of problems.

The Cause of Computer VirusesA computer virus can go into your computer if you accidentally download a harmful file or open an infected email. It can also spread through unsafe websites. Once it's in your computer, the virus starts making copies of itself and causes issues. Your computer might slow down, mess with or delete files, and mess up how things normally work. To keep your computer safe, use antivirus software. This software finds and removes these viruses before they can even harm your computer and make sure to update your antivirus software regularly.

HackingAnother way viruses can get into your computer involves hackers purposefully getting into your computer to put in a virus, making it not work properly. After they do that, these hackers may ask for money from you to fix your computer. This method involves harming your computer's security, causing issues with a virus, and using the situation to demand money for a solution. To protect this from happening, it's important to have strong cybersecurity and be aware for possible hacking attempts.

Cyber CriminalsCybercriminals are people who use computers and the internet to do illegal activities. They might hack into systems, spread harmful software, steal important information, or cause problems online. Their reasons can include making money, taking data, spying, or just creating chaos. In the video below, it explains and describes the five types of cybercriminals.

What is Biometrics?Biometrics is about studying and measuring physical and behavioural characteristics that make each person unique. Machines use their features to confirm and recognize someone's identity. They do this by using a device to read or scan these features, software to turn the biometric data into a digital format, and a database to store the data for comparison. Biometric systems are often used to verify someone's identity such as making sure certain people have access to somewhere or something like an airport, or to simply unlock their phone. This makes sure we all have security and feel safe.

What are the Types of Biometrics?Physiological and behavioural are the two main types of biometric identifiers. Physical characteristics such as vein recognition, voice recognition, iris patterns, facial features, retina scanning, and DNA matching are examples of physiological identifiers. Behavioural identifiers, however, are specific human actions like typing or walking patterns. These identifiers are necessary in having reliability and security in biometric recognition systems.

Disadvantages of BiometricsWhile biometrics provides many advantages, some people are concerned about the privacy and accuracy of this system, so let's look further at the concerns people may have regarding biometrics.

Privacy and Security Regarding Biometric DataBiometric Devices are very convenient because instead of typing in difficult passwords, you can simply use your fingerprint or Face ID, while we think will still reduce the chance of identity theft. But as we know, for biometric devices to verify your identity, they need to store your data, and this is when people raise questions about how safe and privacy secure their information might actually be. With all your biometric data stored, it can be used to track a person's movement and behaviour, which can be a violation of their privacy. Hackers might also take advantage of the private information and use it to impersonate someone else, while could actually lead to more identity theft. 

Bias and Malfunctions in Biometric SystemsDespite all of the advantages that biometric systems have to offer, there are certain disadvantages as well. These include bias and malfunctions. Biometric bias means that some people might be treated unfairly by biometric systems because of certain characteristics like their skin color or gender. This can happen if the technology is not trained on a diverse set of data or if the people creating the technology unintentionally include their own biases. For example, facial recognition might work less accurately for certain ethnic groups. This bias can lead to problems like discrimination and make certain groups more vulnerable.

AdvantagesUsing biometric technology has many advantages that make things more efficient and safer in certain parts of our daily lives

SecurityBiometrics offer strong security, making it difficult for people to gain unauthorized access. This is because Biometric systems rely on unique physical or behavioural characteristics such as fingerprints, or facial features, which are difficult to replicate. 

Efficiency in BiometricsAnother advantage is that biometrics makes processes more efficient. They use physical features to quickly confirm who you are. This quick way of verifying someones identity makes it easier and faster to gain access. Unlike older methods with passwords, biometrics are a quicker and simpler way to prove your identity, making everything run more smoothly and faster.