5.3 Cyber Security

Security Threats

Denial Of Service

  • Malware downloaded to several computers
  • turning It into a bot/zombie
  • creating a network of bots/zombies
  • Third party/hacker initiating the attack
  • Bots send requests to a web server at the same time
  • The web server falls due to the requests
  • Legitimate requests cannot reach the web server

Aims of a DDOS Attack

Solution?

  • Proxy server
  • Firewall
  • Users scanning their computers with anti-malware

Annotation of Denial Of Service Attack

Phishing

  • legitimate looking email sent to user
  • encourages user to click a link that directs user to a fake website
  • User encouraged to enter personal details into a fake website // designed
  • to obtain personal details from a user

Solution?

  • always check browser url
  • Make use of antivirus/anti-malware software. Perform regular scans

Pharming

Solution?

  • avoid opening emails from unknown senders
  • check emails for inconsistent logos, grammatical mistakes
  • check sender email address for incorrect spelling

Brute Force Attack

Solution?

  • use of two factor authentication
  • Use of strong + unpredictable passwords

Data Interception

Solution?

  • Encryption on Files (will not prevent but can make attackers effort to steal data harder)
  • Use of Firewall
  • Use of WEP (encryption protocol for wireless networks)

Hacking

  • Gaining unauthorised access to a computer system without the owners permission
  • Can lead to identity theft
  • Can lead to data being deleted
  • Can lead to data being corrupted

Solution?

  • Use of a firewall
  • Encryption of files (will not prevent but can make attackers effort to steal data harder)
  • Make use of strong passwords

Social Engineering

  • when a cybercriminal creates a social situation that can lead to a potential victim dropping their guard
  • It involves the manipulation of people into breaking their normal security procedures and not following best practice

Different social engineering threats

  • Instant messaging-Malicious links are embedded into instant messages
  • Scareware-This is often done using a pop-up message that claims that the user’s computer is infected with a virus; the user is told they need to download the fake anti-virus immediately
  • Emails/phishing scams-The user is tricked by the apparent genuineness of an email and opens a link in the email; this redirects their browser to a fake website
  • Baiting-The cybercriminal leaves a malware-infected memory stick somewhere where it can be found; the finder picks up the memory stick and plugs it into their computer (just to see who it belongs to) and unwittingly downloads malicious malware
  • Phone calls-For example, a so-called IT professional calls the user on their mobile claiming their device has been compromised in some way; the user is advised to download some special software that allows the cybercriminal to take over the user’s device giving them access to personal information

Solution?

  • User education on such threats to keep users cautious in these situations

Malware

Virus

  • Programs or program code that replicate (copies themselves) with the intention of deleting or corrupting files, or causing a computer to malfunction
  • Must be triggered by the activation of a host.
  • Often sent as email attachments

Solution for Virus

  • Never open emails from unknown sources
  • Don’t install non-original software
  • Always run up-to date virus scanner

Worm

  • Stand alone malware that can self-replicate. Intention is to spread to other computers and corrupt whole networks
  • They remain inside applications which allows them to move throughout networks.
  • Worms replicate without targeting and infecting specific files on a computer
  • rely on security failures within networks to permit them to spread unhindered.

Adware

  • flood an end-user with unwanted advertising
  • Not harmful
  • Highlight weaknesses in user’s security defences
  • Hard to remove – as it is difficult to determine whether or not it is harmful
  • Hijack a browser and create its own default search requests

Trojan horse

  • Is a program which is often disguised as legitimate software but with malicious instructions embedded within it.
  • Replaces all or part of the legitimate software with the intent of carrying out some harm to the user’s computer system.
  • Usually arrives as an email attachment or are downloaded from an infected website and must be executed by the end user.
  • Once installed into the user’s computer, it will give cyber criminals access to personal information

Spyware

  • Sotware that gathers information by monitoring key presses
  • Information collected is sent back to the attacker
  • Software may allow other spyware to be installed to read cookie data and change user default web browser

Solution for Spyware

  • Use of anti-spyware software
  • using a mouse to select characters from passwords rather than typing
  • using an on screen keyboard for entering passwords

Ransomware

  • Programs that encrypt data on a user’s computer and hold the data hostage.
  • It will lock your screen until the demands of the cyber criminals have been met.
  • The cyber criminal waits until the ransom money is paid and sometimes the decryption key is then sent to the user.
  • It can be installed on a user’s computer by way of a Trojan horse or through social engineering

Solution for Ransomware

  • make use of anti-virus/anti-malware software
  • Always run up-to date virus scanner

Solutions for security threats

Access Levels

  • Providing users with different permission for the data
  • Limiting access to reading data// limiting the data that can be viewed
  • Limiting access to editing data
  • Normally linked to a username

Antivirus/Antispyware

  • Scans files for viruses // detects/identifies a virus
  • Can constantly run in background
  • Can run a scheduled scan
  • Can automatically updating virus definitions
  • Can quarantine a virus
  • Can delete a virus
  • Completes heuristic checking
  • Notifies user of a possible virus

Authentication (passwords)

  • Use of strong passwords when creating accounts
  • Passwords should not be short in length (eg 8 characters)
  • passwords should use upper and lowercase
  • passwords should contain symbols(eg. !$#&)
  • password attempts should be limited(eg. not allow the user to re-enter a password for a set time period after 3 failed attempts, this prevents brute force attacks)

Authentication (two-step verification)

  • Requires two methods of authentication to verify a user
  • user enters a password..
  • ..and a secret combination of characters sent to an email assigned to the account
  • access is granted when both are correct
  • often used with online payments and signing into accounts

Firewall/Proxy

  • Checks all incoming and outgoing traffic
  • store whitelist/blacklist ip addresses
  • Can block incoming/outgoing signals
  • Can block unauthorised access
  • keeps logs of all traffic
  • Can be hardware OR software (OR Both)

Difference between Firewall and Proxy

  • Proxy can hide a users IP address, a firewall does not hide the users ip address
  • Proxy intention is to divert an attack from a server, a firewall is to stop anauthorised access
  • proxy examins requests for a website but a firewall does not
  • proxy allows faster access to a web page using cache but a firewall does not
  • proxy can hide internal network from internet but a firewall cannot

Biometrics

  • Fingerprint: 1) very easy to use. 2) small storage requirements.3) can make mistakes if skin is dirty or damaged.4) considered intrusive as it is used in criminal identification
  • Retina: 1)High accuracy as the human retina cannot be replicated.2)Relatively slow to verify a retina.3)Very expensive to install and setup
  • Facial Recognition: 1)non-intrusive method.2)relatively inexpensive.3)can be affected by many factors such as lighting aging,glasses etc
  • Voice Recognition: 1)Non-intrusive. 2)Quick verification time 3)relatively inexpensive. 4)low accuracy, a cold can change a persons voice.5)peoples voices can be recorded to trick voice recognition.

SSL

  • Secure sockets Layer
  • It encrypts data being transmitted
  • Makes use of public and private keys