Security and Internet Security Censorship Hacker Viruses - PDF document

Topics Security and Internet  Security Censorship  Hacker  Viruses Computer Literacy 1 Lecture 24  Phishing 13/11/2008  Firewall  Censorship of the Internet  2 Examples Hacking or Cracking Virus  Cracking = Subverting computer security  Inserts copies of itself into executable code without permission or documents  Motivation  Infected files transferred over the network or by direct file copy  Because I can (challenge)  E-Crime e.g. identity theft  Generally negative effect  Political (hacking into White House for example)  At the very least will loose memory and CPU  Transport, replication and effects are analogue to biological viruses 1

Ways viruses can harm Antivirus Software  Fill memory  Searches for viruses, reports it when found  Delete and corrupt files  Remove from infected memory, disks, files  Interfere with the Operating System  2 forms:  Use CPU  Scan for signature, e.g. characteristic strings of 1s  Resend private mail using mail list and 0s that uniquely identify a virus  Waste time  Look for suspicious virus-like behaviour, e.g.  Reduce productivity attempting to erase or change areas of disk  Prevent services  Software and signature needs to be updated every few days Identity theft Phishing  Someone criminal steals enough information to gain  For example you might get a mail from “RBS” more from data base that something is wrong with your account  Use credit card purchases to gain your identity and you need to submit your access details  E-Stealing passwords: for verification  Attacker runs program on your computer  Look  Mail includes link to bogus copy of bank like a login is needed  Anyone logging in gives website (sometimes it’s genuine with bogus away login and password overlays)  All personal info is useful, even your birthday  The person phishing collects your bank details when you use their bogus url 2

Spyware  Spyware is software that is installed on a computer  It’s hidden and installed without the users knowledge  It not only secretly monitors the user’s behaviour, it also collects various types of personal information such as Internet surfing habit  It can also interfere with user control of computer e.g. installing software, accessing websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses  It can change computer settings causing slow connection speeds, even loss of Internet Firewall Defend your Computer  Protect again port scans  Keep up to date with virus definitions  Hacker scans for open ports then sends in  Get a spyware eliminator malicious code, Firewall closes open ports  Use phishing filter or don’t do bank  Checks outward traffic in case your computer statements via a link send by an email (if might be used as a vessel ( Trojan ) to send something’s wrong banks usually call you) out malicious code  Turn on firewall software  Always-on connection!  Keep personal info privat 3

Censoring the Internet OpenNet Initiative  The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) categorises nations in different levels of Internet censorship  Censorship of the Internet means control or  Pervasive suppression of publishing or accessing  Substantial information on the Internet  Nominal Pervasive Substantial  Nations categorised as pervasive censors  Countries are: often censor political content and may South Korea, Saudi Arabia, United Arab retaliate against citizens who violate the Emirates, Yemen censorship with measures such as imprisonment  Examples of countries: Cuba, Iran, Maldives, Burma, China, North Korea, Syria, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam 4

Nominal Australia vs Burma  Countries are:  Australia: Australia (could soon be categorised as  Its Internet laws and censorship are the most restrictive in the Western world (in theory since substantial if they go through with their they’re not in use yet) plans), Canada (only Canadian websites are  Burma: censored not foreign ones), India, Netherlands, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey,  Has very strict Internet laws and its censorship is extreme USA Australia Australia  Nicknames for planned censorship: Great  Testing of ISP-Level Internet Content Filtering showed: Barrier Firewall, Firewall Australia, Great  One filter caused a 22% drop in speed even when it’s not Firewall Reef performing filtering  Australia wants to censor inappropriate  Only one of six filters had an acceptable level of material from the Internet performance  Most accurate filters are also slowest  Internet Service Provider (ISP) are supposed  All tested filter had serious problems with under- and over- to use content filter blocking http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7689964.stm 5

Burma Burma  Nickname: Myanmar Wide Web (MWW)  Country has Internet access since 2000  Journalists and free speech activists say the  BUT government restricts access MWW is designed to keep users away from  One way is to charge high prices to connect someone information and artistic works that could to the internet and additionally charges on a per-hour basis once connected possible undermine the regime  Most citizens don’t have the money  Websites users are able to see are pre-  Restricted is, amongst others, access to selected by official censors email provider  Free e-mail services are not allowed (because they are difficult to monitor) Burma Key Points  Security  Still, Internet cafes are common in Burma  Most internet cafes used a number of different pieces of  Why hacking? software to bypass governments proxy servers  What is a virus and what doe she do?  During the 2007 Saffron Revolution the government shut  Beware of Phishing down all internet services from its country, citing “a break in  Firewalls protect your computer an underwater-cable”  Censorship  Since then internet cafes are monitored very closely  ONI categorises countries who censor the internet  Nay Phone Latt, a blogger during that time was sentenced  Australia will become THE Western country that restricts to 20 years prison and censors the internet the most http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7721271.stm  Burma is one example for censorship of the internet in countries who are led by a military regime or a very conservative government 6