Brittany's Cyber Corner

Throughout this course, I’ve learned how deeply connected network security and privacy are to the fundamentals of information technology. As someone working in fraud prevention and aiming to become a cybersecurity analyst, these two areas are not just topics of interest. They are at the heart of my career path. Understanding how computers operate is essential in cybersecurity. In both my coursework and real-world job experience, I’ve seen how systems process and transmit data and how cyberattacks can exploit those processes. The textbook introduced the IPOS model (input, processing, output, and storage), which helped me understand how each stage is a potential entry point for threats. Tools like Scratch also helped me understand basic program execution by showing how logic flows in real time using motion, control, and event blocks. Hardware components such as the CPU, memory, and storage devices are critical in securing information systems. Attackers often target these components using...

For a recent course assignment, I documented a full day in my life, my 30th birthday, using three types of application software: a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation tool. Each program allowed me to organize, present, and reflect on how I spent my time in a different but valuable way. I began with Microsoft Word to create a journal-style entry detailing the day's events. From my early morning workout to family dinner and evening meditation, I used Word's formatting tools, including bullet points, bold headings, and alignment, to structure my thoughts. The platform made it easy to reflect on the experience in a clean, readable format. Next, I used Microsoft Excel to calculate the duration of each activity and visualize how my time was distributed. I applied formulas such as =SUM() to total my hours and =B3/24 to convert time values into percentages. I also created a pie chart to present my 24-hour day in a visual format. Excel helped me better understand how I bal...