Social Responsibility

Computer security risk • any event or action that could cause a loss of or

damage to computer hardware, software, data, information or processing capability.

• Some breaches to computer security are accidental. • Others are planned intrusions. • Some intruders do not damage, they merely access

data, information or programs on the computer before logging off again.

• Other intruders indicate some evidence of their presence either by leaving a message or by deliberately altering or damaging data.

Computer security risk

• An intentional breach of computer security often involves a deliberate act that is against the law.

• Any illegal act involving a computer is generally related to as computer crime.

• The term cyber crime refers to online or Internet-based illegal acts.

• Cyber crime is one of the biggest priorities of the justice system.

Computer security risk

• Perpetrators of cyber crime and other intrusions fall into seven basic categories: – Hacker– Cracker– script kiddie– corporate spy– unethical employee– cyber extortionist– cyber terrorist

Task

• Research each of the seven categories

• Give a short summary of each of them and the impacts their actions have on society and the general public

Internet and Network Attacks

• Information transmitted over networks has a higher degree of security risk than information kept on a company's premises.

• In a business, network administrators usually take measures to protect a network from security risks.

• On the Internet, where there is no central administrator, the security risk is even higher.

Internet and Network Attacks• To determine if your computer is vulnerable to an Internet or network attack

you could use an online security service.

• An online security service is a Web site that evaluates your computer to check for Internet and email vulnerabilities. The service then provides recommendations of how to address the vulnerabilities.

Find and name two…if possible compare and chose the best option for you needs…the schools needs

• Companies and individuals requiring assistance or information about Internet security breaches can visit the Web site for the Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (CERT/CC)

• This is an American federally funded Internet security research centre.

• Is there an Australian equivalent???

Internet and Network Attacks

• Internet and network attacks that jeopardise security include:

• Viruses• worms • Trojan horses• Botnets• denial of service attacks• backdoors • spoofing

Computer Viruses

• Every unprotected computer is susceptible to viruses

• A computer virus is a potentially damaging computer program that affects, or infects, a computer negatively by altering the way the computer works without the user's knowledge or permission.

• Once the virus infects the computer it can spread throughout causing damage to files and system software.

Worms and Trojan Horses• A worm is:– a program that copies itself repeatedly– for example in memory or on a network– using up resources and possibly shutting down the computer

or network.

• A Trojan horse (named after the Greek myth) is:– a program that hides within or looks like a legitimate

program.– A certain condition or action usually triggers it.– Unlike a virus or worm it does not replicate itself to other

computers.

Malware

• Computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses are classified as malware (short for malicious software) are:– programs that act without the users knowledge and

deliberately alter the computers operations. – Other classes of malware include:

• backdoors and spyware. – Although malware often falls into one of these classes,

they often will have characteristics of one or more.• E.g.

– MyDoom and Blaster are worms– Melissa has elements of a virus, worm and Trojan.

Task

Research safeguards against viruses, worms and Trojan horses.

• What are precautions a user can take to stop them?

• If they become infected what can they do to remove it?

• What would you be your advice to a small business owner wishing to protect his LAN?

Botnets• A botnet is a group of compromised computers connected to a

network such as the Internet that are being used as part of a network that attacks other networks.

• A compromised computer, known as a zombie, is one whose owner is unaware the computer is being controlled by an outsider.

• A "bot" is a program that performs a repetitive task on a network.

• Cyber criminals install malicious bots on unprotected computers to create a botnet, also affectionately known as a zombie army.

• The perpetrator then uses the botnet to spam email, spread viruses and other malware, or commit a distributed denial of service attack.

Denial of Service Attacks:• A denial of service attack, or DoS attack, is an assault whose purpose is to

disrupt computer access to an Internet service such as the Web or email. • Perpetrators carry out DoS attacks in a variety of ways.

– E.g.• they use an unsuspecting computer to send an influx of confusing data messages or useless

traffic to a computer network. • The victim computer network eventually jams, blocking legitimate visitors from accessing

the network.

• A more devastating type of DoS attack is the DDoS (distributed DoS) attack– multiple unsuspecting computers are used to attack multiple computer networks.

• DDoS attacks have been able to temporarily stop operations at websites including:– Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay and CNN– Any others you know of?? Anonymous???

Back Doors• A back door is a program or set of instructions in a

program that allow users to bypass security controls when accessing a program, computer, or network.

• Once perpetrators gain access to unsecure computers they often – install a back door– or modify an existing program to include a back door– allows them to continue to access the computer without the

user's knowledge. • Some worms leave back doors, which have been used to

distribute junk email from the unsuspecting victim computers.

Spoofing• Spoofing is a technique intruders use to make their network or

Internet transmission seem legitimate to the victim computer or user.

• Several types of spoofing schemes exist. – Email spoofing

• occurs when the sender's address or other components of the email header are altered so it appears the email originated from a different sender.

• used for spam and phishing scams. – IP spoofing

• occurs when an intruder computer fools a network into believing its IP address is associated with a trusted source.

• Perpetrators of IP spoofing trick their victims into interacting with the phony Web site. – E.g.

» the victim may provide confidential information or download files containing viruses, worms or other malware.

Task

Safeguards against Botnets, DoS Attacks, Back Doors and Spoofing:• Some antivirus programs protect from these

forms of attacks but they are not the final line when it comes to protecting a network or individual computer from attacks.

• What are some of the other ways a computer can be protected? Provide information on your answers and explain why they are so useful.

How should virus authors be punished?

• Punishment in the US is about the same as auto theft – 18 months to 4 years in prison

• Is this punishment suitable?• Organisations can exaggerate damages

• Some believe that lax security on the part of the internet users is to blame and those who help to spread the virus unwittingly should be punished as well

• Should government make new laws?• Should virus authors be punished in terms of the relative damage caused?

• International problem - How do countries coordinate law enforcement and punishment?

Payload

• The destructive event or prank the program is intended to deliver

Symptoms

• Screen displays unusual message or image• Music or unusual sounds play randomly• Memory is less than expected• Existing programs or files disappear• Files become corrupted• Programs or files do not work properly• Unknown programs or files mysteriously appear• System properties change• Operating system runs slower than normal

Delivery methods

1. When user opens an infected file2. Runs an infected program3. Boots the computer with infected removable

material in a drive, or plugged into a port4. Connects an unprotected computer to a

network5. Opening email attachments

180,000 known viruses (?)

http://www.ted.com/talks/mikko_hypponen_fighting_viruses_defending_the_net.html

Unauthorised access and use• Unauthorised access is the use of a computer or network

without permission. • Unauthorised use is the use of a computer or its data for

unapproved or possibly illegal activities.– includes a variety of activities:

• an employee using an organisation’s computer to send personal email messages

• an employee using a word-processing program to keep track of his or her child's soccer league scores

• someone gaining access to a bank computer and performing an unauthorised transfer

– For the home user most unauthorised use occurs on computers that have always-on Internet connections, such as through DSL lines.

Safeguarding Measures• Companies take several measures to help prevent unauthorised usage.

• acceptable use policy– identifies which activities the computer and network can be used for.– identify the acceptable use of computers for personal reasons. – Some companies prohibit such use entirely. – Others allow employees to use it on their own time such as lunch breaks.– Whatever the policy, a company should document and explain it to employees.

Task: What is the acceptable use policy at Trinity? Where is it documented?

• To protect your own personal computers from unauthorised use you should always make sure that file and printer sharing is disabled on your Internet connection. This security measure attempts to ensure that others cannot access your files or your printer.

• • Other measures that safeguard against unauthorised access include firewalls and

intrusion detection software as well as authenticating users.

Safeguarding Measures

• Protecting your own personal computers:– always make sure that file and printer sharing is

disabled on your Internet connection.– This security measure attempts to ensure that others

cannot access your files or your printer.• Other measures that safeguard against

unauthorised access include:– Firewalls– intrusion detection software – authenticating users

Identifying and Authenticating Users

• Many companies use access controls to minimise the chance that:– a perpetrator intentionally may access – or an employee accidentally access

• confidential information they don't have rights to • An access control is a security measure that:– defines who can access a computer. – the computer should also maintain an audit trail that

records in a file both successful and unsuccessful password attempts.

Identification and Authentication• Many systems implement access controls using a

two-phase process called identification and authentication. – Identification verifies an individual is a valid user– Authentication verifies that individual is who they

claim to be. • Three methods include:– user names and passwords– possessed objects– biometric devices.

User Name and Passwords

• A user name is a unique combination of characters, such as letters or numbers, that identify one specific user.

• A password is a private combination of letters or numbers associated with that user name to allow them access to certain resources.

• Task: Look into user names and passwords in more depth and find out how companies use them on their networks.

Possessed Objects

• Any item that you carry with you to gain access to a computer or computer facility

• The most common example of this is a bank card– Used to gain access to your account funds through

an Automatic Teller Machine– often used in conjunction with a personal

identification number (PIN)• Random number verification device ???

Biometric Devices

• Authenticates a person's identity by:– translating a personal characteristic

• E.g. a users voice or fingerprint– into a digital code – compared with a digital code stored on the computer.

• Task: Look further into biometric devices. What are some examples? How do they work? What are advantages and disadvantages of this technology?

• Why aren’t we using fingerprint scanners at Trinity?

Ethics and Society• As with any powerful technology, computers can be used for both

good and bad intentions. • The standards that determine whether an action is perceived as good

or bad are known as ethics. • Computer ethics govern the use of computers and information

systems. • Six frequently discussed areas of computer ethics are:

– unauthorised use of computers and networks– software theft (piracy)– information accuracy– intellectual property rights– codes of conduct– information privacy

Information Accuracy• Information accuracy today is a concern because many users

access information maintained by other people on the Internet. • Do not assume everything that you read on the Internet is true • Be aware that the company providing the information may not

always be the creator of the information.

• In addition to concerns about the accuracy of computer input, some individuals and organisations raise questions of ethics in using computers to alter output, primarily graphical output such as retouched photographs.

• Using graphics equipment and software users can digitise photographs, adding and removing parts of the original images.

Ethics and Society• A company requires employees to wear badges that track their whereabouts while at work.• A supervisor reads an employees email.• An employee uses his computer at work to send email messages to a friend.• An employee sends an email message to several co-workers and blind copies to his supervisor.• An employee forwards an email to a third party without permission from the sender.• An employee uses her computer at work to complete an assignment for school.• The vice president of your Student Government Associate downloads a photograph from the Web and uses it in a flier to

recruit members.• A student copies text from the Web and uses it in a research paper for his English class.• An employee sends political campaign material to individuals on her employer's mailing list.• As an employee in the registration office, you have access to students grades. You look up grades for your friends, so they do

not have to wait for delivery of their reports in the mail• An employee makes a copy of software and installs it on her home computer. No one uses her home computer while she's at

work, and she uses her home computer only to finish projects from work.• An employee who has been laid off installs a virus on his employer's computer.• A person designing a Web page finds one on the Web similar to his requirements, copies it, modifies it and publishes it as his

own.• A student researches using only the Web to write a report.• In a society in which all transactions occur online (a cashless society), the government tracks every transaction you make and

automatically deducts taxes from your bank account.• Someone copies a well-known novel to the Web and encourages others to read it.• A person accesses a company's network and reports to the company and vulnerabilities discovered.

• As you can see that while the laws and standards may be very black and white, whether an activity is ethical or unethical raises questions that highlight the shades of grey. Some of the questions are very easy to answer in terms of whether they were ethical or not where as others are more difficult to answer.

Intellectual Property Rights• Intellectual property refers to unique and original works such

as:– Ideas– Inventions– Art– Writings– Processes– company and product names– logos

• Intellectual property rights are the rights to which creators are entitled for their work.

• Certain issues arise surrounding IP today because many of these works are available digitally.

Copyright• A copyright gives authors and artists exclusive rights to:

– Duplicate– Publish– sell their materials.

• A copyright protects any tangible form of expression.

• A common infringement of copyright is piracy. • People pirate (illegally copy) software, movies and music.• NOT clear-cut with respect to the law– Because copyright law gives the public fair use to

copyrighted material.• The issues surround the phrase, fair use, which allows use for

educational and critical purposes.

Fair Use• This vague definition is subject to widespread interpretation and raises

many questions:

– Should individuals be able to download contents of your Web site, modify it and then it on the Web again as their own?

– Should a faculty member have the right to print material from the Web and distribute it to all members of a class for teaching purposes only?

– Should someone be able to scan photographs or pages from a book, publish them to the Web, and allow others to download them?

– Should someone be able to put lyrics to a song on the Web?

– Should students be able to post their essays and exams they have written on the Web, making it tempting for others to copy them?

Codes of Conduct• Recognising that individuals need specific standards for the ethical use of computers, a

number of IT related organisations established an IT Codes of Conduct. • An IT code of conduct is

– a written guideline that helps determine whether a specific computer action is ethical or unethical

• Sample IT Codes of Conduct• 1. Computers may not be used to harm other people.• 2. Employees may not interfere with others' computer work.• 3. Employees may not meddle in others' computer files.• 4. Computers may not be used to steal.• 5. Computers may not be used to bear false witness.• 6. Employees may not copy or use software illegally.• 7. Employees may not use others' computer resources without authorisation.• 8. Employees may not use others' intellectual property as their own.• 9. Employees shall consider the social impact of programs and systems they design.• 10. Employees always should use computers in a way that demonstrates consideration and

respect to others.

Task

• Discuss and then write an IT Code of Conduct for Trinity College…

Privacy

• A growing concern– control of what information one reveals about

oneself over the Internet– who can access that information

• These concerns include whether:– email can be stored or read by third parties without

consent– third parties can track the web sites you have visited– web sites which are visited collect, store, and possibly

share personally identifiable information about users.

Cookies

• An HTTP cookie is – data stored on a user's computer that assists in

automated access to websites or web features, or other state information required in complex web sites.

• Data may also be used for user-tracking by storing special usage history data in a cookie.– concern in the field of privacy. – Some types of cookies are classified as a tracking cookie.

• Usually cookies used for legitimate technical purposes, cases of abuse DO occur.

Cookies

• Flash cookies, also known as Local Shared Objects, work the same ways as normal cookies and are used by the Adobe Flash Player to store information at the user's computer.

• They exhibit a similar privacy risk as normal cookies, but are not as easily blocked, meaning that the option in most browsers to not accept cookies does not affect flash cookies.

• One way to view and control them is with browser extensions or add-ons.

Electronic Profiling

• Many people have digital cameras and post their photos online.

• The people depicted in these photos might not want to have them appear on the Internet.

• The same is happening with YouTube. • When you subscribe to a Web site, a product or

database of your personal Internet presence is becoming bigger and more profound.

Electronic Profiling – Search Engines

• Search engines have the ability to track a user’s searches. • Personal information can be revealed through searches including:

– search items used– the time of the search– Patterns– More ????

• Search engines have claimed a necessity to retain such information in order to:– provide better services– protect against security pressure– protect against fraud

• A search engine takes all of its users and assigns each one a specific ID number.

Spam• Spam is– the use of electronic messaging systems • including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems

– to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. • Spamming remains economically viable because:– advertisers have no operating costs beyond the

management of their mailing lists– it is difficult to hold senders accountable for their

mass mailings.

Spam• Increasingly, e-mail spam today is sent via "zombie networks“

– networks of virus- or worm-infected personal computers in homes and offices around the globe

– many modern worms install a backdoor which allows the spammer access to the computer and use it for malicious purposes.

• An industry of e-mail address harvesting is dedicated to collecting email addresses and selling compiled databases.

• Some of these address harvesting approaches rely on users not reading the fine print of agreements, resulting in them agreeing to send messages indiscriminately to their contacts.

Phishing• Phishing is a criminally fraudulent process of trying to obtain

sensitive information such as:– user names– Passwords– credit card or bank information

• It is an internet crime in which someone masquerades as a trustworthy entity in some form of electronic communication

• Typically carried out by e-mail spoofing or instant messaging

• Often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one.

Health Concerns and Personal Welfare

• Users are a key component in any information system.

• Protecting the user is just as important as protecting the hardware, software and data.

• Widespread use of computers has led to some

important health and personal safety concerns• Users should be proactive and minimise their

chance of risk.

RSI

• A repetitive strain injury (RSI) is:– an injury or disorder of the muscles, nerves, tendons,

ligaments and joints. • Computer-related RSI's include:– tendonitis– carpal tunnel syndrome

• one of the leading causes of work related injury.• Industry-specific and task-specific guidelines are

designed to prevent workplace injuries with respect to computer usage.

TASK

• Research tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome and find out what they are?

• Include information on causes, treatments and symptoms in your notes.

• Preventative measures when designing a system….

Preventative Exercises• Eye exercises:• Every 10 to 15 minutes take an eye break.

– Look into the distance and focus on an object for 20 to 30 seconds. – Roll your eyes in a complete circle.– Close your eyes and rest them for at least one minute.

• Blink your eyes every five seconds.• Place your display device about an arms length away from your eyes with the top of

your screen at eye level or below.• Use large fonts• If you wear glasses ask your doctor for glasses specific to your computer usage• Adjust the lighting • Hand exercises:• Spread fingers apart for several seconds while keeping wrists straight• Gently push back fingers and then your thumb.• Dangle arms loosely at sides and then shake arms and arms

Personal Welfare and Safety• Originally for military and academic purposes now accessible by

everyone

• anybody can upload content • The Internet is not one network but many

– it is a network of networks• does not provide one type of service offering but many –

– Increasing • Services have many different characteristics• The ethics debate has to take account of this

– how we approach chat rooms many not be how we approach newsgroups, especially where children are concerned.

Personal Welfare and Safety

• As professionals and students studying this particular area we need to make sure that we are not only well informed about the technical practices but how to use our systems appropriately.

• If we are educated in the ethical side as well as the technical side we are better equipped to make well informed arguments as to why and how networks can better enhance our lives.

Cyber Bullying• Cyber bullying involves:

– the use of technology to personally attack or harass an individual. – It can be committed through the use of:

• the Internet on social networking sites• over mobile devices• gaming technologies.

• It causes emotional and psychological distress for the person being bullied, impacting on their confidence and self esteem.

• Cyber bullying makes the victims feel unsafe because they can still be bullied while their at home.

• Acts of cyber bullying can include:– rumours spread over the Internet– posting defamatory comments on social networking sites– excluding an individual from an online group – sending unwanted text, email or instant messages.

Statistics• A quarter of Australian children report they have been cyber bullied. • Cyber-bullying is more prevalent in older children:

– 31% of 14-17 year olds reporting that they have been cyber-bullied– 21% of 10-13 year olds (Microsoft/Galaxy Research, 2008).

• 22% of parents of children aged 4-18 admit they have no control over their children's online activities.

• Although most parents (78 %) claim to control their children's computer use, only one-in-three has Internet filtering in place.

• 760,000 teenagers are allowed to have computers in their bedrooms.

• 40% of parents are restricting Internet use to shared family areas with • 42 % say they never check the history of websites their kids have been visiting.

TASK

• While we are aware of the effects of cyber bullying and threats to our personal welfare through computer systems

• What can we do as individuals to better equip ourselves and to stop it from happening to others?