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Computer security is a branch of information technology known as information security which is intended to protect computers. Computer security has three main goals:
- Confidentiality: Making sure people cannot acquire information they should not (keeping secrets)
- Integrity: Making sure people cannot change information they should not (protecting data)
- Availability: Making sure people cannot stop the computer from doing its job.
Computer security involves telling computers what they are not to do. This makes computer security unique because most programming makes computers do things. Security takes much of a computer's power.
Basic computer security methods (in approximate order of strength) can be:
- Limit access to computers to "safe" users.
- Peripherals that block any "unsafe" activity.
- Firewall and antivirus software.
An example of complexity and pervasiveness of the issue is vending machines, per Hackers Lurking in Vents and Soda Machines April 7, 2014 New York Times.
