CYBER SECURITY & CYBER SECURITY 101
Our increasing reliance on computer systems and the Internet to store and share critical data, and conduct business transactions (banking, online purchases, bill payments, etc.), has made life much more convenient for everyone. But this trend towards interconnectedness has a flip-side: anyone with a minimal budget, technical knowledge, and appropriate tools now can potentially gain access to, steal, abuse, or destroy electronically available data.
When a cyber attack does occur, it often falls to cyber forensics specialists to identify the perpetrator. Their work involves everything from piecing together networks to reassembling broken disks scavenged from the trash. Their goal is to find the weakest link in cyber defenses, whether computer or user, and recreate the chain of evidence today, the moSt prevalent Cyber threats and Challenges are:
MALWARE, short for malicious software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The term “computer virus” is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses. They can enter computer systems through many channels, such as thumb drives or email attachments.
BOTNETS, a collection of software robots, or bots, that run autonomously and automatically. The term is often associated with malicious software but it can also refer to the network of computers using the software. While botnets are often named after their malicious software name, there are typically multiple botnets in operation using the same malicious software families, but operated by different criminal entities.
THREATS TO MOBILE DEVICES. as cell phones are used more commonly to access the Internet, they become more vulnerable to the same types of attacks that plague other networked computing architecture, such as viruses.
THE EVOLVING CYBER CRIME ECONOMY, the business of creating and using malicious software for commercial profit is expanding rapidly. Cyber crime business includes anything from phishing for credit card numbers to breaking into online bank accounts and selling malware kits.
CYBER WARFARE, the use of computers and the Internet in conducting warfare in cyberspace. a common tactic is Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks (DOS), in which a large numbers of computers controlled by one person are used to launch a DOS attack against systems.
Tips for cyber security:
- Install and use firewalls
- Update your computer(s) with the latest vendor security patches
- Use strong passwords (at least eight characters, including numerals and symbols)
- Change your password regularly and use different passwords for different accounts
- Don't use free or unknown thumb drives (can carry viruses)
- Always use security software tools (anti-virus, anti-spyware programs, spyware)
- Frequently back up your files and data to prevent information loss
- Use email junk filters
- Never open suspicious-looking e-mail attachments
- Don't click on Web links in e-mails if you are unsure of their origin
- Know who you are dealing with online
- Keep your web browser and operating system up to date
- Don't make payments over the Internet at airports (can easily be interfered with)
- Make sure that the web sites for bank transactions you are using is secure (https-sites, rather than http sites)
Links to relevant organizations:
- National Cyber Security Alliance: http://www.staysafeonline.org
- Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center: http://www.dc3.mil
- FBI Cyber Crime Center: http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/cyberhome.htm
- Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section:http://www.cybercrime.gov/index.html
- Computer Security Institute's Computer Crime Survey: http://www.gocsi.com/forms/csi_survey.jhtml
- General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems: http://www.gd-ais.com/cyber
- Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division: http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/editorial_0839.shtm
