question_answer 10)

Describe briefly the data storage and transmission risks in e-business.

Answer:

There are a number of risks to which data is exposed while it is stored or is en-route in a transaction. Vital information may be stolen or modified to pursue individual gains. There can be attacks of VIRUS and hacking. Virus means Vital Information Under Siege. It is a program which replicates itself on the other computer systems. The effect of computer viruses can range from some annoying on-screen display (Level-1 virus), disruption of functioning (Level-2 virus) damage to target data files (Level-3 virus), to complete destruction of the system (Level-4 virus). Anti-virus programmes need to be installed and updated on the system and files and disks should be scanned with them to provide protection from virus attacks. Data may be intercepted in the course of transmission. Cryptography is used for protection against such risks. It refers to the art of protecting information by transforming it (encrypting it) into an unreadable format called 'cyphertext'. Only those who possess a secret key can decipher (or decrypt) the message into 'plaintext' and thus others do not understand your conversation.