Importance of Network Security

 Information and system security is a top priority for many individuals and organizaitions. They need to be able to keep a connection to the internet and keep their files safe in order to run their business. One thing that can interrupt this is attacks through ping commands. Two common ping command attacks are ICMP flood and ping of death attacks. The ICMP flood is a DDoS attack where the attacker overwhelms the targeted network with continuous pings. This can cause congestion in the network and prevent people from accessing it. The ping of death attack is a variation of the ICMP flood. This is also a DDoS attack, but this time the attacker sends oversized ICMP packets that exceed the packet size. This causes the targeted system to crash or freeze. Other attacks that can happen to individuals and organizations systems or networks are computer viruses and phishing attacks. 

Computer viruses are programs that are spread throughout the computer, starting in the files or system areas, it then makes copies of itself. Computer viruses can be harmless, or they can damage and destroy files. These viruses are spread primarily through emails. The computers are vulnerable to this because a computer virus is no different than any other program that you run on a daily basis. Some tips on how to avoid viruses on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s blog Virus Basics are to install anti-virus software from a reputable vendor and use a virus scan before you open any new programs or files that may contain executable code. Phishing attacks are executed by sending messages that look like they are from a real company or website. There are links in these messages that will take the users to a fake website that looks real. The users are then asked for their personal information, like their credit card numbers. The attackers then use the information to steal that person's identity or make fraudulent charges on their credit card. Some tips from IT Goverance.co.uk for businesses are to have detailed phishing staff awareness training for all staff members and repeat this every three months, as well as organize simulated phishing attacks regularly throughout the year. 

In conclusion, there are many things out there that individuals and organizations need to watch out for to keep their systems and networks safe. The most common attacks using ping commands are ICMP flood and ping of death attacks. Computer viruses and Phishing attacks can happen to ordinary people and businesses, it is best to be wary about emails from people you do not recognize or emails that have deals that sound too good to be true.