Security of Electronic Business Transactions by Natural Persons in Slovenia and Worldwide

The diploma thesis will address the topic of electronic business transactions. The focus will be primarily on the security issues of electronic business transactions by natural persons and on the possibilities of computer protection against various online fraud schemes. The Internet offers a multitude of services that are used for e-business, the most well-known, popular and most frequently used services being the World Wide Web and e-mail. Hypothesis No. 2, that viruses are the greatest threat to e-business today, has been refuted on the basis of the survey results. Of course, for each form of threat to e-business and computer crime, there are appropriate security measures that users must be well acquainted with if they wish to ensure safe and reliable use of e-business.

Problem

The diploma thesis will address the topic of electronic business transactions. The focus will be primarily on the security issues of electronic business transactions by natural persons and on the possibilities of computer protection against various online fraud schemes. In recent years, access to information technology has expanded to users from all over the world.

Today, computers and Internet access are present in almost every household, and an increasing number of natural persons, primarily due to the pace of life dictated by modern times, carry out their work, studies, shopping and bill payments from their home computer using the Internet. The profession refers to this method of conducting business as electronic business with end users. With the growing number of individuals using e-business, we can also expect an increase in threats to e-business.

There are many forms of threats to e-business and computer crime. The former include general threats and dangers as well as accidents due to human factors and hardware damage and failures. Computer crime, on the other hand, refers to situations involving theft or misuse of (personal) data and the discovery of viruses, worms, or parasitic programmes.

Of course, for every threat and form of computer crime, there is an appropriate security measure. However, it must be mentioned that the security measures available to end users do not represent one hundred per cent protection against dangers, but they are nevertheless essential for reducing the number of accidents and cases of computer crime. Therefore, to ensure the security and reliability of e-business use, thorough knowledge of how computer systems operate and the computer protection options available is absolutely necessary.

Among these, anti-virus programmes are the most well-known to natural persons, as every user has encountered a computer virus at some point. Today, millions of computers are connected to the Internet. It is the largest global network of data and people who provide or use this data.

The influence of the Internet can be felt in all aspects of their lives. Its introduction has changed their way of working, learning and entertainment.

Solution and Method

The Internet offers a multitude of services that are used for e-business, the most well-known, popular and most frequently used services being the World Wide Web and e-mail. The profession defines e-business as the electronic exchange of data between companies, government public services and individuals. Some research has shown that the largest share of e-business is represented by business-to-business e-commerce, but with the increasing accessibility of natural persons to the Internet, e-business with end users is also developing.

The Internet is currently used by 15 to 22 per cent of the world's population, so the potential for development is still very large. The introduction of e-business has enabled users to carry out a variety of services, such as purchasing, selling, stock market transactions, payments, education, work, etc., all from home. They can access, use and transmit information through simple and uncomplicated procedures.

Ultimately, this creates significant savings in both time and money. With the growing number of individuals using e-business, we can expect an increase in the number of computer abuses and fraud schemes. There are many forms of threats to e-business and computer crime.

The former, that is, forms of threats to e-business, include general threats and dangers as well as accidents due to human factors, hardware damage and failures. Computer crime, on the other hand, refers to situations involving the discovery of viruses, worms or parasitic programmes on their computer, theft and misuse of data. The latter represents the greatest threat to e-business for natural persons in Slovenia.

HYPOTHESIS NO.

Results

2, that viruses are the greatest threat to e-business today, has been refuted on the basis of the survey results. Of course, for each form of threat to e-business and computer crime, there are appropriate security measures that users must be well acquainted with if they wish to ensure safe and reliable use of e-business. Despite all security mechanisms, it remains true that most system intrusions occur due to user errors, inattention and thoughtlessness.

In principle, every e-business user should adhere to at least the basic security commandments. They should have the latest version of anti-virus software and firewall installed, use the latest version of the operating system, and handle passwords confidentially. That users worldwide are well aware of the necessity of ensuring e-business security, and that they are well acquainted with the operation of computer systems and security mechanisms, is confirmed by the results of international statistics, which show that the number of reported and recorded online fraud cases has been in steep decline over the past two years.

HYPOTHESIS NO. 1, that online fraud affecting natural persons at home and worldwide has been rising steeply in recent years, is partially confirmed, as the number of recorded and reported online fraud cases gradually declined from 2006 to 2008. Domestic e-business users are also not lagging behind the world in terms of awareness.

All users included in the analysis of this research answered that they use at least one security mechanism to protect against online fraud. HYPOTHESIS NO. 3, that natural persons most frequently use anti-virus programmes to protect against online fraud, is confirmed, as the majority of surveyed domestic e-business users use anti-virus programmes, which they also regularly upgrade and update.

In conclusion, it should be added that it would be sensible to include in the research findings based on the structure of respondents by age and level of education. The data are interesting as they allow us to determine which are the target groups for raising awareness about the importance of electronic business security. The research has shown that e-business is most common among users aged between 25 and 64 years.

According to the structure by level of education, the majority of respondents have secondary general education and higher education or more. From these results, it can be concluded that this population also had a decisive influence on the survey responses provided. Thus, it can be concluded that awareness about the importance and relevance of electronic business security should be raised primarily among this target group of users.

Without doubt, the Internet is one of the greatest inventions of modern society, and the time will come when electronic business will become the only form of conducting business.