Week 5 Update:
It's been a very busy week. Taking two classes is no joke especially when you have a family and full-time work. A lot of writing and writing. I like the fact that CYBR 515 offers some challenging and technical questions. Also designing network diagram of a company when you only have a script can also be difficult. I designed it but have to wait until professor grades it. Not sure how i did but I am not happy with the work I have done. Even this week there are so many assignments. Thank god, only 7 more weeks left!

Article 1: 

A bit old news but I was still interested reading the news posted on technewsworld.com. I recently bought a new laptop, and it came with Windows 10 Operating system. As soon as I did initial settings, the first thing I googled was "Windows 10 security issues", I saw a lot of sites talking about security issues with the window 10. According to this article, Microsoft has been pushing new security updates to keep their newest version of OS secure. So far Win 10 has been the most secure, fast and reliable operating system. This article mentioned that if a user wants to have a more secure means of OS, they must pay the additional cost. There are many updates since Windows 10 came out and it includes mitigation techniques with the Edge browser. Microsoft is focusing on mitigation techniques that counter classes of exploits rather than an emphasis on a single vulnerability. I just didn’t like the fact that there are some different versions of OS and if a user willing to pay more, he/she would have to pay more. Also, Microsoft says there is always a chance of newer vulnerability, so they will continue to fight against the threats and keep the OS secure. What is new about this? Every tool developed always say they are working to make their tool efficient and secure. I think it's all about business and money. When you buy a computer, at a minimum, you should get basic software like Office and antivirus software. On the top of the additional cost to the software, they are asking more money for the security features.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84233.htm

Article 2:

I read a news titled "Global investors lose billions to cyber-attacks." This news was posted on CNBC.com written by Ryan Browne. It reports that the cyber-attacks have caused about $53.4 billion loss to the stock market. As cyber-attacks continue to grow, the share prices fall and decrease the market value. Especially the bigger companies are losing the stock value because of the breaches. According to the vice president of cyber security at CGI in the U.K., Andrew Rogoyski estimated that around 10-20 percent of the major breaches companies suffer in Europe are currently made public. I think there is a problem here. Why are almost 80% of breaches not made public? Either the statistics are wrong, or they don’t to release the information because of the fear of losing business. For example, if I know my personal information will be used without my authorization, I won't be doing business with the company. It has become a reality that hackers are getting smarter and sophisticated every day. What can we do to protect ourselves and businesses? This week couple of my classmates wrote about the easy access of hacking tools to the public adding challenges for the security professionals. I agree with them, and these tools should not be easily available unless you are a security professional. Anyone with basic computer skills can download a software and start causing damage. Many users are unaware of the consequences. Plus it is hard to hold them accountable for their actions especially when the attacks coming from outside of the countries. Overall this article was great information to read, and it also shows the dark side of the hacking activities. The only way of preventing these types of attacks in business is by adding security layers, training employees and coordinate with other companies and share knowledge.