Findings
In the course of the study interviews were conducted to reveal the current development of wireless technologies and possible threats that may affect users of wireless technologies.
Interviews with IT specialists involved the following questions to be answered:
1 Do you have experience of using or developing wireless technologies?
2 How often do you use wireless technologies?
3 Do you prefer wireless technologies or conventional technologies? Why?
4 Have you ever noticed any problems, while using wireless technologies?
5 What are the major threats for wireless technologies and individuals and organizations using wireless technologies?
6 Are information breaches possible while using wireless technologies?
7 How would you recommend protecting data stored or transmitted with the help of wireless technologies?
8 Is the reliable functioning of wireless technologies possible?
9 What are your suggestions concerning enhancement of data protection in relation to wireless technologies?
10 What are your forecasts concerning the further development of wireless technologies and data protection?
In the course of face-to-face interviews, phone call interviews, and online chat interviews, IT specialists responded to the aforementioned questions. Their responses were summarized and analyzed. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that IT specialists place emphasis on the fact that the current level of the development of wireless technologies is high but they are still vulnerable to numerous threats and risks, among which IT specialists distinguish unauthorized access and intrusion as the major threats to private information and data stored or transmitted with the help of wireless technologies. In such a way, IT specialists basically agreed on the existence of the problem of information breaches and vulnerability of wireless technologies to the unauthorized access to private information.
At the same time, interviews with experts, included the similar questions:
1 Do you have experience of using or developing wireless technologies?
2 How often do you study wireless technologies?
3 Do you prefer wireless technologies or conventional technologies? Why?
4 Have you ever noticed any problems, while using wireless technologies?
5 What are the major threats for wireless technologies and individuals and organizations using wireless technologies?
6 Are information breaches possible while using wireless technologies?
7 How would you recommend protecting data stored or transmitted with the help of wireless technologies?
8 Is the reliable functioning of wireless technologies possible?
9 What are your suggestions concerning enhancement of data protection in relation to wireless technologies?
10 What are your forecasts concerning the further development of wireless technologies and data protection?
Remarkably, experts basically supported IT professionals, although some experts were more specific in definition of major threats arguing that at the moment hacking and cracking are more widely-spread, but they forecast the fast development of illegal computer activities becoming more and more widely-spread in relation to wireless technologies. At the same time, when experts were asked about possible natural disasters as external factors, they pointed out that wireless technologies are still dependent on hardware and conventional technologies. Some experts estimated that, if wireless technologies could cover larger area, they could be more effective than conventional technologies. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that, according to experts, wireless technologies are still underdeveloped that makes them vulnerable to the intrusion, including hacking and cracking as well as illegal computer activities. At the same time, experts argue that wireless technologies are vulnerable to natural disasters as much as conventional technologies are. custom research paper
As for interviews with average users, they contained the following questions:
1 How would you define wireless technologies?
2 how often do you use wireless technologies?
3 Do you find wireless technologies easy to use?
4 Do you prefer wireless technologies to conventional technologies?
5 What are advantages of wireless technologies compared to conventional technologies?
6 What are disadvantages of wireless technologies compared to conventional technologies?
7 Have you ever experienced any difficulties while using wireless technologies?
8 Do you think your private information is secure, when you use wireless technologies?
9 Have you ever heard of or witnessed problems related to data protection of wireless technologies?
10 What is your forecast concerning the future of wireless technologies?
Average users pointed out that they use wireless technologies on the regular basis but often they fail to assess adequately risks and threats they are exposed to while using wireless technologies. Many respondents argued that they were unaware of possible risks and threats. At the same time, they are accustomed to wireless technologies and they are not ready to refuse from them, even in face of risk of losing important information or private information.
Questionnaires basically supported interviews. To put it more precisely, the questionnaire for IT specialists included the following questions:
1 How would you define the current use of wireless technologies:
A wide
B sufficient
C poor
2 How would you define the level of reliability of wireless technologies:
A high
B medium (comparable to conventional technologies)
C low
3 Compared to conventional technologies, wireless technologies are:
A better
B equal
C worse
4 Rate threats to wireless technologies
A natural disasters
B hacking/cracking
C illegal computer activities
D others
5 What are the prospects of wireless technologies:
A they will substitute conventional technologies
B they will co-exist with conventional technologies
C they will be unable to compete with conventional technologies
6 what measures that can be used to prevent hacking/cracking and illegal computer activities are the most effective:
A technological improvements
B legislative changes
C both aforementioned
D others
7 Can wireless technologies be protected effectively from natural disasters:
A yes
B no
8 Do you believe measures used to enhance data security in conventional technologies will work effectively in wireless technologies:
A yes
B will have partial positive effect
C no
9 Can wireless technologies be safe in the future?
A yes
B no
10 Can wireless technologies be user-friendly and secure?
A yes
B yes but technological improvements are needed
C no
Basically, IT specialists proved that wireless technologies are imperfect and they identified hacking and cracking along with illegal computer activities as the major threats for wireless technologies. At the same time, they supported their responses in the interviews. In such a way, they revealed the fact that wireless technologies, in spite of their seeming security, fail to protect data from intrusion. On the other hand, IT professionals paid little attention to natural disasters as the major threat to wireless technologies.
In contrast, questionnaire for experts revealed their concerns with multiple threats wireless technologies are exposed to and they responded the following questions:
1 How would you define the current use of wireless technologies:
A wide
B sufficient
C poor
2 How would you define the level of reliability of wireless technologies:
A high
B medium (comparable to conventional technologies)
C low
3 Compared to conventional technologies, wireless technologies are:
A better
B equal
C worse
4 Rate threats to wireless technologies
A natural disasters
B hacking/cracking
C illegal computer activities
D others
5 What are the prospects of wireless technologies:
A they will substitute conventional technologies
B they will co-exist with conventional technologies
C they will be unable to compete with conventional technologies
6 what measures that can be used to prevent hacking/cracking and illegal computer activities are the most effective:
A technological improvements
B legislative changes
C both aforementioned
D others
7 Can wireless technologies be protected effectively from natural disasters:
A yes
B no
8 Do you believe measures used to enhance data security in conventional technologies will work effectively in wireless technologies:
A yes
B will have partial positive effect
C no
9 Can developers of wireless technologies protect data and information?
A yes
B no
10 Can wireless technologies be user-friendly and secure?
A yes
B yes but technological improvements are needed
C no
Experts argued that natural disasters may expose wireless technologies to significant threats and basically the results of the questionnaires supported their responses in the interview. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that experts still insisted that, in spite of the existence of such threat as natural disasters, human-related threats are more serious because they are more widely-spread, whereas, in the future, these threats are likely to increase.
Questionnaire for average users included the following questions:
1 Define what type of user of wireless technologies you are
A proficient
B advanced
C average
D beginner
2 How often do you use wireless technologies:
A daily
B weekly
C monthly
3 How often do you experience problems while using wireless technologies:
A frequently
B occasionally
C seldom
4 Have you ever lost information or suffered intrusion with the use of or while using wireless technologies:
A yes
B no
5 You consider wireless technologies:
A secure
B partially secure
C insecure
6 Do you believe wireless technologies are more secure compared to conventional technologies:
A yes
B no
7 What technologies do you prefer:
A wireless
B conventional
8 Will you use wireless technologies if you feel them being insecure in terms of your data protection:
A yes
B no
9 Do you believe wireless technologies can be more secure than they are at the moment:
A yes
B no
10 Do you believe wireless technologies will replace conventional ones:
A yes
B no
Average users revealed the fact that they were not fully aware of possible risks but they admitted the possibility of information breaches in the result or in the course of using wireless technologies.
In such a way, interviews and questionnaires revealed the fact that such threats as hacking and cracking and illegal computer activities are the major threats wireless technologies are vulnerable to. At the same time, average users are not always aware of such risks. Therefore, the problem may aggravate, if it remains unresolved.
In this regard, focus groups and the analysis of other studies helped to identify the major ways for the prevention of the aforementioned threats. First, IT specialists and experts recommend developing new information systems, which could be more effective in regard to the use of wireless technologies. Second, IT specialists and experts recommended to increase the awareness of users to protect their communication, while using wireless technologies. Remarkably, the control group also suggested this idea. In addition, some IT specialists suggested the possibility of the further progress of wireless technologies, which could be more secure in terms of the data protection compared to current technologies.
Discussion
The findings of the current study reveals the fact that the problem of external threats to data and information stored and transmitted via wireless technologies exists. In this regard, the major threats are human-related ones, especially hacking and cracking, whereas illegal computer activities are secondary at the moment. However, in the future, illegal computer activities can become more widely-spread along with the expansion of wireless technologies and their mass implementation. At the same time, natural disasters also expose wireless technologies and their users to certain risks but these risks are comparable to risks associated with conventional technologies. In this regard, specialists suggest developing new information systems, which take into consideration specificities of wireless technologies and increase the effectiveness of the data protection while using wireless technologies. At the same time, the increase of awareness of users of existing risks may be an effective preventive measure as well because many users have proved to be careless in relation to using wireless technologies and they have had a low level of data security concerns. In addition, the current study reveals the fact that IT specialists, experts and users are quite optimistic in regard to the future development of wireless technologies, because users are ready to use wireless technologies even more than they do now, whereas IT specialists and experts forecast the further progress and wider use of wireless technologies.
Conclusion
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the current study has revealed the fact that wireless technologies keep progressing and their use is likely to increase in the future. At the moment, it is possible to identify human-related threats, such as hacking/cracking and illegal computer activities, as the major threats to wireless technologies and their users. At the same time, natural disasters may be also quite harmful for wireless technologies. Therefore, the further development of wireless technologies should involve the development of effective information systems and focus on the data protection as one of the primary concerns of developers of wireless technologies. They should pay more attention to possible threats and forecast human-related threats as well as develop effective preventive measures to minimize such threats. As for natural disasters and environmental threats, they are hard to forecast but still improvements are needed to make wireless technologies less vulnerable to the negative impact of natural or environmental factors.
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