IT Security

1. IT Security

2. Threats: A threat is anything that can cause harm. • Countermeasures:A countermeasure is any step you take to ward off a threat – to protect yourself, your data, or your computer from harm.

3. Threats to Users Identity Theft : Identity theft occurs when someone impersonates you by using your name, social security number, or other personal information to obtain documents or credit in your name.

4. Methods • Shoulder surfing • Snagging • Dumpster Diving • Social Engineering • High tech methods

5. Online spying tools • Cookies: A cookie is a small text file that a web server asks your browser to place on your computer. The cookie contains information identifies your computer (IP address), you(use name or email address) & information about your visit to the web site.

6. A Cookie can record - Last time you visited the web site - Pages you downloaded - Time you spent before leaving

7. Web Bugs: A web bug is a small image file that can be embedded in a web page or an HTML format email message. It allows the bug’s creator to track many of your online activities.

8. A web bug can record - Web pages you view • Keywords you type in a search engine • Personal Information you enter in a form of web pages

9. Spyware The term spyware is used to refer to many different kinds of software that can track a computer user’s activities and report them to someone else. Spyware can record individual keystrokes, web usages, email addresses, personal information. Generally the program transmits the collected data via email email or web page.

10. Spam Spam is junk e-mail sent by an organization or individual to a mass audience of Internet users who have expressed no interest in the product or service being marketed. The correct term for spam is unsolicited commercial email (UCE)

11. Threats to Hardware Power related threats Power problems affect computers in two ways: 1. Power fluctuations 2. Power failure

12. Theft and Vandalism A burglar or vandal can do tremendous damage to a Computer, resulting in total loss of the system and the data it stores. The best way to keep thieves and vandals Theft and at bay is to keep you system in a secure area. Special locks are available that can attach a

13. system unit , monitor, or other equipment to a desk. Making it difficult to move.

14. Natural Disasters Disaster planning addresses natural and man made disasters. Things like earthquakes and hurricanes are hard to predict and impossible to prevent. So a well thought-out plan can minimize the loss of information and interruption of work should a disaster occur.

15. Threats to Data There are three general categories of threat: • Malicious code and Malware • Criminal Acts • Cyberterrorism

16. Malicious code and Malware The term malware describes viruses, worms, Trojan horse attack applets and attack scripts. These virulent programs represent the most common threat to your information.

17. Cybercrime The use of computer to carry out any conventional criminal act, such as fraud, is called cybercrime. Criminal actions included setting up fraudulent bank web sites to steal account information, auction fraud & nondelivery of merchantdise.

18. Hacking Hacking remains the most common form of cybercrime, and it continues to grow in popularity. A hacker is someone who uses a computer and network or Internet connection to intrude into another computer or system to perform an illegal act.

19. Common hacking Methods Sniffing: The term sniffing refers to findings a user’s password. There are three ways to sniff a password: password sharing, password guessing, password capture.

20. Social Engineering: Social Engineering used to be called “running a confidence game”. A hacker may contact potential victims by phone or email , and ask the victims to provide password information for an apparently legitimate reason. This method also called phishing.

21. Spoofing: Hackers may alter an email header to make it appear that a request for information originated from another address.