Hello Class,

This week, I will be discussing the different types of security checks available to consumers. There are two main options available, free, and paid. For Free services, they are out there, however you should be very careful on what service you choose, and either choose a government organization or well-known service. For example, the US government organization Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has tools and services available to the public. CISA offers not only tips and training on how to secure your hardware and networks, but also offers tools that will test your network for any weaknesses, like ForitfyData (CISA, 2023). CISA takes it one step further and breaks out all the approved tools into 4 separate categories: 1. Reducing the likelihood of a damaging cyber incident; 2. Detecting malicious activity quickly; 3. Responding effectively to confirmed incidents; and 4. Maximizing resilience (CISA, 2023). To me, any offer made by an organization not on the approved list would be ignored.

From a paid perspective you dont have to go far. For my computer, I always get a pop up from McAffee Security Company, which is a paid service that has different payment plans for different services (McAfee, 2023). For example, their lowest plan is $90 a year and their highest is $200 per year, with the difference being the more expensive version having more monitoring of bank accounts and insurance on stolen money, both services however also offer firewall and antivirus protection (McAfee, 2023). The big difference between the free and paid services is that paid provides you more services with monitoring your banking information, to make sure no money is being stolen, while free only offers device protection.

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