Cyber Security

• Brute Force Attack:

  • Hackers try to guess your password by trying all the different combinations of letters, numbers and symbols.
  • Effect:
  • Hacker gets access to user’s personal data
  • To remove risk:
  • Use stronger passwords with more characters and symbols
• Data Interception:

  • This involves stealing data by tapping into a wired or a wireless transmission line
  • Wardriving - The act of locating and using wireless internet connections illegally
  • Packet Sniffing - Uses Packet sniffers to examine packets sent over a line; all the data collected is sent back to the attacker
  • Effect:
  • It can cause a computer to crash
  • Can delete or corrupt files/data
  • To remove risk:
  • Install anti-virus software
  • Don’t use software from unknown sources
  • Be careful when opening emails from unknown
• Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS)

  • An attempt at preventing users from accessing part of a network
  • Usually temporary but may be damaging
  • An attacker may be able to prevent the user from:
  • Accessing their emails
  • Accessing websites
  • Accessing online services
• Hacking

  • The act of gaining illegal access to a computer system
  • Effect:
  • This leads to identity theft, gaining personal information
  • Data can be deleted, changed or corrupted
  • To remove risk:
  • Firewalls
  • Strong passwords/ user IDs
  • Use of anti-hacking software
  • Difference between hacking and cracking
  • Hacking breaks into computer systems to steal data
  • Cracking is when someone edits a program code, malicious
• Malware

  • Stands for Malicious Software
  • Virus - A program that can replicate itself with the intention of deleting or corrupting files, causing a computer malfunction
  • Ransomware - Attackers encrypt the user’s data until a certain amount of money is paid
  • Adware - Displays unwanted ads on the user’s screen
  • Trojan Horse - Programs that are disguised as legitimate software
  • Spyware - Sends data about all the activities of the user to the attacker
  • Worms - Programs that can replicate themselves with the intention of corrupting the entire network instead of the computer alone
• Phishing

  • Attackers send legitimate-looking emails to bait the user into giving out their information.
  • To remove risk:
  • Don’t open links from unknown receivers
  • Use anti-phishing tools
  • Block pop-up ads
  • Have an up-to-date browser
• Pharming

  • The attacker installs a malicious code on the computer, which redirects the user to fake websites
  • Effect:
  • The user gives out login details and other personal details
  • To remove risk:
  • Using anti-virus software
  • Checking the spelling and the weblink carefully
  • Make sure that the green padlock is present in the URL bar
• Social Engineering: attackers create a social situation which leads to victims giving out their details 
• Keeping data safe from threats

  • Access Levels
  • Antivirus
  • Authentication
  • Two-Step Verification
  • Automatic Software Updates
  • Spelling and Tone
  • Firewalls
  • Proxy Servers
  • Privacy Settings
  • SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
• Access Levels - having different levels of access for different people
• Antivirus - protects user’s computer from malware attacks
• Authentication - user proving who they are
• Two-Step Verification - requires two methods of authentication to prove who the user is
• Automatic Software Updates - latest updates contain patches which improve device security
• Spelling and Tone - fake emails tend to have wrong spelling and grammar and the tone would also seem urgen
• Firewalls - hardware or software which monitors the traffic between a network and the user’s computer
• Proxy Servers - Acts as an intermediate between the user’s computer and the web server. They are used for -

  • Filtering Internet traffic
  • Keeping the user’s IP Address Confidential
  • Blocking access to certain websites
  • Attacks like DDoS and hacking attack the proxy server, keeping the web server safe.
  • Acts as a firewall as well.
• Privacy Settings - used to limit who can access and see a user’s profile
• SSL (Secure Socket Layer) - set of rules used while communicating with other users on the internet.
• Biometric Methods:

  • Benefits:
  • Fingerprint Scans: very easy to use, require very low storage space to store
  • Retina Scan: very high accuracy, impossible to replicate a person’s retina
  • Face Recognition: non-intrusive method, relatively cheaper
  • Voice Recognition: non-Intrusive method, done quickly and relatively cheaper
• Biometric Methods:

  • Drawbacks:
  • Fingerprint Scans: can’t be used if the finger gets dirty or damaged
  • Retina Scan: very intrusive, takes longer to verify, expensive install, set up
  • Face Recognition: can’t identify if there are any changes
  • Voice Recognition: voices can be recorded and verified, but low accuracy can make voice identification impossible.