# Module 4: Introduction Component security is concerned with the security of the computer hardware itself. For example, under certain circumstances it is possible to read the memory (RAM) of a computer by forcing it to reboot ([cold boot attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_boot_attack)). These types of attacks are often very sophisticated and require physical access to a device. For this reason, we will not describe them here. However, we would like to highlight some important points where human behaviour plays an important role. On the developer side, it is important to be aware of security issues that may be based on attacks from the hardware side. Therefore, it is important for hardware vendors to create policies and structures that make it easier to keep hardware security in mind. If hardware security is an important issue in an organisation, it is necessary to make users aware of it and provide them with information on the appropriate countermeasures (e.g. putting a laptop in a locker). In this way, certain types of attack can be mitigated.