Countermeasures

A countermeasure is an action, process, device, or system that can prevent, or mitigate the effects of, threats to a computer, server or network. In this context, a threat is a potential or actual adverse event that may be malicious or incidental, and that can compromise the assets of an enterprise or the integrity of a computer or network.

Countermeasures can take the form of software, hardware and modes of behaviour. Software countermeasures include:

• personal firewalls
• application firewalls
• anti-virus software
• pop-up blockers
• spyware detection/removal programs.

The most common hardware countermeasure is a router that can prevent the IP address of an individual computer from being directly visible on the Internet. Other hardware countermeasures include: •biometric authentication systems

• physical restriction of access to computers and peripherals
• intrusion detectors
• alarms.

Behavioural countermeasures include: •frequent deletion of stored cookies and temporary files from Web browsers

•regular scanning for viruses and other malware

•regular installation of updates and patches for operating systems

•refusing to click on links that appear within e-mail messages

•refraining from opening e-mail messages and attachments from unknown senders

•staying away from questionable Web sites

•regularly backing up data on external media.