Computer Security and

Safety, Ethics and Privacy

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 Objectives Overview

Describe various
types of computer Identify safeguards
Define the term,
attacks, and identify against hardware
computer security risk
ways to safeguard theft and vandalism
against these attacks

Explain the ways Recognize issues

software related to intellectual
manufacturers protect property rights, codes
against software of conduct and green
piracy computing

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 Objectives of Computer Security
• AVAILABILITY - To protect a computer system’s
valuable resources, such as information, hardware,
and software.
• CONFIDENTIALITY - To prevent unauthorized users
(also known as "intruders") from accessing any part
of the computer system.
• INTEGRITY-To detect whether or not someone
attempted to break into the system, if they were
successful, and what they may have done.

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• PRIVACY-The issues that deal with the
collection and use of data about
individuals.
• EXACTNESS-The ethical issue
concerned with the correctness of data
collected
• ACCESS-The ethical issue that involves
who is able to read and use data.
• IDENTITY THEFT-impersonation by a
thief of someone’s identity for the
purpose of economic gain.
 Computer Security Risks
• A computer security risk is any event or action that
could cause a loss of or damage to computer
hardware, software, data, information, or processing
capability
• A cybercrime is an online or Internet-based illegal
act

Hackers Script Kiddies Corporate Spies

Cyberextortionists Cyberterrorists
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 DEFINITIONS
• Hacker- someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or
computer network. A Cracker does the same thing but for malicious purposes.
• ScriptKiddie-a non-expert who breaks into computer systems by using pre-
packaged automated tools written by others, usually with little understanding of
the underlying concept.
• Corporate Spies- espionage conducted for commercial purposes.
• CyberExtortionists-an individual or group who uses email as an offensive
force. The group or individual usually sends a company a threatening email
stating that they have received confidential information about their company and
will exploit a security leak or launch an attack that will harm the company's
network. The message sent through the email usually demands money in
exchange for the prevention of the attack
• CyberTerrorists-the use of Internet based attacks in terrorist activities, including
acts of deliberate, large-scale disruption of computer networks, especially of
personal computers attached to the Internet, by the means of tools such
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Computer Security Risks

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Common Internet and Network Attacks
Computer
Worm Trojan Horse
Virus
• Affects a • Copies itself • A malicious
computer repeatedly, program that
negatively by hides within or
using up looks like a
altering the way resources and
the computer legitimate
works possibly program
• Spreads and may shutting down • Unlike a virus and
damage files and the computer worm, it does not
system software replicate
or network

• Viruses, worms and Trojan horses are classified as malware

• Programs that act without user’s knowledge and deliberately alter
the computer’s operations
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 Internet and Network Attacks
• An infected computer has one or more of the
following symptoms:
Operating system Available Screen displays
Files become
runs much slower memory is less unusual message
corrupted
than usual than expected or image

Unknown
Music or unusual Existing Programs or files
programs or files
sound plays programs and do not work
mysteriously
randomly files disappear properly
appear

System Operating system

Operating system
properties shuts down
does not start up
change unexpectedly
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 How to deal with Malware
• Install Anti-virus and anti-malware software. Anti-malware programs
can combat/fight malware in two ways:
1. They can provide real time protection against the installation of
malware software on a computer. This type of malware protection
works the same way as that of antivirus protection in that the anti-
malware software scans all incoming network data for malware and
blocks any threats it comes across.
2. Anti-malware software programs can be used solely for detection
and removal of malware software that has already been installed
onto a computer. This type of anti-malware software scans the
contents of the Windows registry, operating system files, and
installed programs on a computer and will provide a list of any
threats found, allowing the user to choose which files to delete or
keep, or to compare this list to a list of known malware components,
removing files that match.
 Categories of Computer Crimes
• Damage: loss of data or damage to
equipment.
• Theft: of data or equipment, of computer time
by employees.
• Manipulation: crackers break in to do harm,
viruses and worms do harm to programs and
data, or tie up services.

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Internet and Network Attacks

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Safety Precautions

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 Internet and Network Attacks
• A botnet is a group of compromised computers connected to a
network
– A compromised computer is known as a zombie
– Owner is unaware that the computer is being controlled remotely by an
outsider
• A denial of service attack (DoS attack) disrupts computer access
to Internet services
• A back door is a program or set of instructions in a program that
allow users to bypass security controls
• Spoofing is a technique intruders use to make their network or
Internet transmission appear legitimate
– IP spoofing occurs when an intruder computer fools a network into
believing its IP address is from a trusted source
– Perpetrators of IP spoofing trick their victims into interacting with a phony
Web site

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 Internet and Network
Attacks Mitigation
• A firewall is hardware and/or software that protects
a network’s resources from intrusion by users on
another network
• Intrusion Detection Software is used to identify
possible security breaches
– It automatically analyzes network traffic, assesses vulnerabilities
identifies unauthorized intrusions and notifies network administrators
• A Honeypot is a vulnerable computer that is set up
to entice an intruder to break into it.
– Appears real to the attacker
• Audit Trails An audit trail is a series of records of computer events, about an operating
system, an application, or user activities.
• A computer system may have several audit trails, each devoted to a particular type of 15
activity.
 Unauthorized Access and Use

Unauthorized use is
Unauthorized access
the use of a computer
is the use of a
or its data for
computer or network
unapproved or possibly
without permission
illegal activities

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 Unauthorized Access and Use
• Organizations take several
measures to help prevent
unauthorized access and use
– Acceptable use policy (AUP)
– Disable file and printer sharing
– Firewalls
– Intrusion detection software
– Access Controls
• Who, when, what
• Implementation in a two-phase
process (Identification and
Authentication)
• (usernames and passwords,
possessed objects, CAPTCHAs and
biometrics)
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Passwords- Good Practice
• Avoid writing on sticky notes
• Do not share
• Change password often
• Have a few passwords to avoid forgetting
them

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 Strong vs. Weak Passwords
• A strong password is one that is designed to be hard for a person or
program to discover.
• It is sufficiently long, random by the user who chose it, so that “guessing”
for it will require a long time. Examples of strong passwords: J*p2zeO4!F
or #79kLLwyee. Strong passwords are normally at least eight characters
long with a mix of character types, do not contain user name or other real
name and they do not contain a complete dictionary word.
• A weak password is one that is short or is a default, or which can be
rapidly guessed by searching a subset of all possible passwords such as
words in the dictionary, proper names, words based on the user name or
common variations on these themes. Example of weak passwords:
admin, 4321 or test.
• Weak passwords provide attackers with easy access to computers or
networks, while strong passwords are considerably harder to crack.
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 Characteristics that make a
password difficult to guess.
• Should be at least eight characters long
• Should have at least three of the following four elements
– One or more uppercase letters (A – Z)
– One or more lowercase letters (a – z)
– One or more numerals (0 – 9)
– One or more special characters or punctuation marks
(!@#%*& . , ; ?)
• Should not consist of dictionary words
• Should never be the same as the user’s login name or contain
the login name.
• Should not consist of the user’s first or last name, family
member’s name, birth dates, pet names, or any other item that
is identified with the user.
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 Hardware theft

Physical access Cables to lock

Alarm systems
controls equipment

Passwords,
Real time location
possessed objects,
system
and biometrics

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 Software Theft
• Software theft occurs when someone:

Intentionally
Steals software
erases
media
programs

Illegally
Illegally copies
registers and/or
a program
activates a
(piracy)
program
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 Software Theft
• A single-user license agreement (EULA)typically
contains the following conditions:

Permitted to
• Install the software on one computer
• Make one copy of the software
• Remove the software from your computer before giving it away or selling it
Not permitted to
• Install the software on a network
• Give copies to friends or colleagues while continuing to use the software
• Export the software
• Rent or lease the software

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 Information Theft
• Information theft occurs when someone steals
personal or confidential information
• Encryption is a process of converting readable data
into unreadable characters to prevent unauthorized
access
– Transforms plaintext to ciphertext

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 Public Key Encryption

Digital Certificates are notices that guarantee a user

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or a website is legitimate
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 Other Risks: System Failure
• A system failure is the prolonged
malfunction of a computer
• A variety of factors can lead to system failure,
including:
– Aging hardware
– Natural disasters
– Electrical power problems
• Noise, undervoltages, and overvoltages
– Errors in computer programs
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 System Failure
• Uninterruptable Power supplies (UPS) and
surge protectors to protect from system
failures caused by electrical power variations

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 Backing Up – The Ultimate
Safeguard
• A backup is a duplicate of a file, program, or
disk that can be used if the original is lost,
damaged, or destroyed
– To back up a file means to make a copy of it
• Offsite backups are stored in a location
separate from the computer site
Cloud
Storage

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 Health Concerns of Computer
Use
• The widespread use
of computers has led
to health concerns
– Repetitive strain
injury (RSI)
– Computer vision
syndrome (CVS)
– Computer Addiction

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 Health Concerns of Computer
Use
• Ergonomics is an
applied science
devoted to
incorporating
comfort, efficiency,
and safety into the
design of items in
the workplace

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 Ethics and Society
• Computer ethics are
the moral guidelines
that govern the use of
computers and
information systems
• IP refers to the unique
and original works
(ideas, writings,
processes, logos,
product names)
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 Ethics and Society

Intellectual property rights are the rights to which

creators are entitled for their work

• A copyright gives authors and artists exclusive rights to duplicate,

publish and sell their materials

An IT code of conduct is a written guideline that helps

determine whether a specific computer action is ethical
or unethical

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Sample Code of Conduct

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 Ethics and Society

• Green computing involves reducing the electricity

and environmental waste while using a computer

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 Concerns on the Web
• A cookie is a small text file that a Web server stores
on your computer
• Web sites use cookies for a variety of reasons:

Assist with
Allow for Store users’
online
personalization passwords
shopping

Track how
Target
often users visit
advertisements
a site
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 Types of Cookies
• Traditional cookies monitor your activities at a
single site. When you leave the site, the cookie
becomes dormant.
• Ad Network cookies monitor your activities across
all sites you visit. Once deposited on your hard
drive, they are continually active collecting
information on your Web activities.
• There are specialized programs, called cookie-cutter
programs, that allow users to selectively filter or
block the most intrusive ad network cookies while
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 Concerns on the Web
• Spam is an
unsolicited e-mail
message or
newsgroup posting
– E-mail filtering blocks
e-mail messages from
designated sources
– Anti-spam programs
attempt to remove
spam before it reaches
your inbox
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Concerns on the Web
• Phishing is a scam in
which a perpetrator
sends an official looking
e-mail message that
attempts to obtain your
personal and financial
information
– Phishing filters
• Pharming is a scam
where a perpetrator
attempts to obtain your
personal and financial
information via spoofing

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 Concerns on the Web
• Spyware- A program
placed without user’s
knowledge to secretly
collect information
• Adware- Displays online
advertisement in a
banner or pop-up window
on web pages.
• Snoopware- is electronic
surveillance software
used by an employer to
monitor employees’ e-
mail and computer files.
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 Some Ethical Issues

Social engineering is defined as gaining unauthorized

access or obtaining confidential information by taking
advantage of trust and naivety.

Employee monitoring involves the use of computers to

observe, record, and review an employee’s use of a computer

Content Filtering is the process of restricting access to certain

material on the Web

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