Computer Science:
Is Your Computer Secure?
Frederick R. Chang
Cybersecurity is a pressing global issue today and increasingly affects all of us. According to a recent estimate, each U.S. adult had a 66% chance of experiencing at least one data exposure in 2008 and a 30% chance of experiencing multiple such exposures (1). A key motivator for cyber attackers is financial gain; a study of the underground economy observed advertisements for over $276 million in total "goods" (such as stolen credit card information) during a recent 1-year period (2). The annual cost to companies due to intellectual property theft and repair after data breaches has been estimated at over $1 trillion globally (3). Yet, in a study of consumer's personal computers, only 37% had up-to-date anti-malicious software (malware) protection; of those, 23% had active malware infections (4). What are the key cybersecurity dangers today, and how can they be addressed?
Department of Computer Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
E-mail: chang{at}cs.utexas.edu
