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Discussion – 1

Hacking in form of cyber attacks has been a common norm, especially targeting institutions that handle bulk sensitive data such as security policies, credit card data and financial networks. This has greatly affected the operations of such institutions which has called for the implementation of cyber security countermeasures to prevent data access and theft which commonly happens through hacking (Trim & Upton, 2013). Technological advancement has on the other hand played a big role in enabling hackers to come up with more sophisticated methods for data hacking, a situation that has seen an increase in data surveillance and regular improvement in firewall security through the concerned institution networks.

Nevertheless, there are countermeasures that need to be implemented to prevent these cyber attacks from occurring in the future. To start with, any institution that holds sensitive data must have a backup and where possible this backup should be held by a trusted third party. This can be of great assistance especially during the recovery process in case of data distortion, theft or loss emanating from cyber attacks (Kljun, Mariani & Dix, 2016). Secondly, institutions must from time to time check on the firewall security by ensuring that the systems are running on the current updated security software with capabilities of intrusion alert, authorized-only-access, virus and digital worm proof, as well as early detection capability. This measure is vital and in most cases prevents hackers from accessing the stored data (Kljun, Mariani & Dix, 2016).

What’s more, ethical hacking is another counter measure that can be put in place to ensure the proper security of the existing systems. Ethical hacking has been on the rise in the recent past due to its early detection capability where IT system experts establishes gaps that exists within the system and those that poses threat to the held data (Hatfield, 2019). By doing so, countermeasures to close these gaps are put in place in time before illegal access has occurred. This has so far proved to be the most effective measure especially when the experts are fully aware of the functionality of the concerned system. In a recap, hacking should be treated as an assured future occurrence and the necessary measures should be introduced right on time before the hackers strike in order to either completely prevent their access or if not so, mitigate the damage.

Discussion- 2

Employees can unwittingly sabotage systems and create computer security threats through sheer ignorance. Simple mistakes such as clicking rigged links in emails, messaging apps and advertisements invite hackers to surveil companies and organizations with massive consequences. Some ways to prevent security threats are....going for a Security policy .At a minimum, your security policy should include procedures to prevent and detect misuse, as well as guidelines for conducting insider investigations. It should spell out the potential consequences of misuse.Don't neglect physical security Regardless of whether you "own" physical security, consider it your No. 1 priority. Simply keeping people away from your critical infrastructure is enough to prevent most insider incidents.Screen new hires.In general, the more time you spend investigating an applicant's background, the better.

If your organization considers background checks too time-consuming, consider outsourcing. Use strong authenticationPassword-cracking technology is quite advanced, and stronger passwords spawn forests of Post-it notes on monitors. Secure your desktops . You can't depend on users to be responsible for all their configurations, but if you're using Microsoft's Active Directory service, you can use group policies to lock down desktops across your enterprise. Despite significant cybersecurity exposures, 85 percent of small business owners believe their company is safe from hackers, viruses, malware or a data breach. This disconnect is largely due to the widespread, albeit mistaken, belief that small businesses are unlikely targets for cyber attacks.

In reality, data thieves are simply looking for the path of least resistance. Symantec’s study found that 40 percent of attacks are against organizations with fewer than 500 employees. So it's very important to    takes countermeasures to prevent cyber attacks irrespective of the size of business .