P3 updated

Data Protection Act;
The data protection act is an act that protects your personal data against threats when you give your details to a service or a company. This act stops people trying to steal off the internet and using it for themselves. If you try and go against the act then you will be prosecuted. The main intent is to protect individuals against misuse or abuse of information about them. The DPA was first composed in 1984 and was updated in 1998.

Security Risks:
Hacking;
The most common way of hacking is gaining access into a server, taking a copy of a credit card database or some other attack.Hacking is the act of breaking in to a computer system and is a criminal offence under the computer misuse. Computer hacking is the most popular form of hacking nowadays, especially in the field of computer security, but hacking exists in many other forms, such as phone hacking, brain hacking, etc. and it's not limited to either of them.

Viruses;
A computer virus is a program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are man-made. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.

Identity theft;
Identity theft is a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personal information, such as Social Security or driver's license numbers, in order to impersonate someone else. The information can be used to obtain credit, merchandise, and services in the name of the victim, or to provide the thief with false credentials. In addition to running up debt, an imposter might provide false identification to police, creating a criminal record or leaving outstanding arrest warrants for the person whose identity has been stolen.


Security protection mechanisms:
firewalls;
A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.

Secure Socket Layers (SSL);
A Secured Socket Layer, or SSL, is the usual way that a website creates a secure connection with a web browser. Whenever a web surfer visits a secure site that uses SSL technology, it creates an encrypted link between their browser session and the web server. SSL is the industry standard for secure web communication and is used to protect millions of online transactions each day.