What is ENCRYPTION?

Encryption refers to algorithmic schemes that encode plain text into non-readable form or cyphertext, providing privacy. The receiver of the encrypted text uses a "key" to decrypt the message, returning it to its original plain text form. The key is the trigger mechanism to thealgorithm.

ADVANTAGES of ENCRYPTION

Encryption can protect information stored on your computer from unauthorized access - even from people who otherwise have access to your computer system.

Encryption can protect information while it is in transit from one computer system to another.

Encryption can be used to deter and detect accidental or intentional alterations in your data.

Encryption can be used to verify whether or not the author of a document is really who you think it is.

What is FIREWALL

A firewall is a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny network transmissions based upon a set of rules and is frequently used to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass.
Many personal computer operating systems include software-based firewalls to protect against threats from the public Internet. Many routers that pass data between networks contain firewall components and, conversely, many firewalls can perform basic routing functions.

ADVANTAGES of FIREWALL

-A feeling of increased security that your PC and contents are being protected.
-Relatively inexpensive or free for personal use.
-New releases are becoming user friendly.
-You can monitor incoming and outgoing security alerts and the firewall company will record and track down an intrusion attempt depending on the severity.
-Some firewalls but not all can detect viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or data collectors. -All firewalls can be tested for effectiveness by using products that test for leaks or probe for open ports.

Possible Problems of FIREWALL

one recurring problem we encounter frequently is that people have
problems with SynCE, it is not working for them and often it turns out
that they have a firewall running.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS IN BIOMETRIC

The use of biometrics for digital security has multiple problems:
The Technology Problem
The Social Acceptability Problem
The Clonability Problem
The Life and Limb Problem

The technology problem is that today's biometric technologies are not yet cost-effective enough for everyday use if you want anywhere close to six-sigma performance at a reasonable price.

The social acceptability problem includes sense of privacy of the public. People, in general, do not want parts of their body duplicated in databases.

The first two problems could potentially be overcome. However, the clonability problem is the one problem which I believe is insurmountable. Biometrics will not work for cyber access to digital systems because biometrics cannot be changed and cannot be kept secret. Biometrics are clonable...

ADVANTAGES of BIOMETRIc

* Increase security - Provide a convenient and low-cost additional tier of security.

* Reduce fraud by employing hard-to-forge technologies and materials. For e.g.Minimise the opportunity for ID fraud, buddy punching.

* Eliminate problems caused by lost IDs or forgotten passwords by using physiological attributes. For e.g. Prevent unauthorised use of lost, stolen or "borrowed" ID cards.

* Reduce password administration costs.

* Replace hard-to-remember passwords which may be shared or observed.

* Integrate a wide range of biometric solutions and technologies, customer applications and databases into a robust and scalable control solution for facility and network access

* Make it possible, automatically, to know WHO did WHAT, WHERE and WHEN!

* Offer significant cost savings or increasing ROI in areas such as Loss Prevention or Time & Attendance.

* Unequivocally link an individual to a transaction or event.