--- System backup ---

 

Sample Question:

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JSR Notes:

Computer science is the study of the management of complex systems. But at the core of these systems is data that is produced and stored. Data storage, access and manipulation is that core of what makes IT powerful and useful. If/when data is lost, this power disappears. It is of utmost important to try to prevent data loss, and to back up data continually for situations when inevitably data loss does occur.

Causes of Data Loss

• Hardware Damage
  • Spilled milk, for example
  • Physical damage, such as that caused by dropping a laptop
• Electromagnetic Interference
  • From magnets found in a variety of devices, like stereo speakers
  • Electrical Storms
• Physical Loss - literally misplacing a hard drive, for example
• Hacking
• Theft
• Software Malfunction
• Uncompleted Read (pulling out the flash stick too fast/before ejecting it)
• Natural Disasters:
• Floods
• Tornadoes
• Fire
• Earthquakes
• Electrical storms
• Hurricanes

 

List of Malicious Activities (harmful intent)

• Vandalism - just for the heck of it, or "on a dare", no different than writing graffiti
  
• Stealing - usually with the intent of selling the data on for profit
• Hacking - this is more the means to vandalism and/or stealing
• War - cyber war or conventional war; organizations, indeed whole countries are at the mercy of their IT infrastructure being taken down. Consider what would happen to a country if the IT systems of water management, banking, and transportation etc. no longer worked.

Explaining Malicious Activities

Natural disasters and other physical misfortune is easy enough to understand; harder is to appreciate the resin why malicious activities happen. By a malicious activity, we mean anything that is done to purposefully damage or cause loss of data. Such activities can be at various levels of sophistication and size - all the way from school-time pranks to industrial crime to nationally sponsored clandestine activities and even war.

When it is "intruders", i.e. persons outside of an organization, who are responsible for the damage or loss of data, the malicious activity is often done for some sort of financial gain or advantage. Hacking of personal details to be sold on is one example of this, and a company causing harm to its competitor is another.

Malicious activities by individuals within an organization may be done by disgruntled employees who have access to sensitive information or potentially damaging control, in order to "get back at" the company for one reason or another.

 

 

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