...Computer Security Protecting Your Computer System Do’s and Don’ts Abstract This paper explores the computer security process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of computers. I will also discuss: A. The prevention measures (do’s and don’ts) to help you stop unauthorized users (also known as “intruders”) from accessing any part of your computer system. B. Detections methods that help you to determine whether or not someone attempted to break into your system; a. If an attack was successful b. If so, what they may have done. Computer Security Protecting Your Computer System Do’s and Don’ts We use computers for everything from banking and investing to shopping and communicating with others through email or chat programs. Although you may not consider your communications “top secret,” you probably do not want strangers reading your email, using your computer to attack other systems, sending forged emails from your computer, or examining personal information stored on your computer (such as financial statements). Intruders (also referred to as hackers, attackers, or crackers) may not care about your identity. Often they want to gain control of your computer so they can use it to launch attacks on other computer systems. Once an intruder takes control of your computer, they have the ability to hide their true location as they launch attacks, often against high-profile computer systems such as government or financial systems. Even if you have...
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...TITLE: PERSONAL NETWORK SECURITY INTRODUCTION: Computer security is the process of detecting unauthorised use of your computer or PC . As the old saying goes “prevention is better than cure” , going by this we realise that if we learn about the possible loopholes in the security we can prevent it in the first place. But the big question is 'why should i care about my computer security?' . We use computers for everything from banking and investing to shopping and communicating with others through email or chat programs.Although we may not consider our communiction a 'top secret' ,but you dont want others to eavesdrop on you conversations, read your mails, use your computer to attack others system , send forged mails from your computer to others or check the stuff from your computer hard drive. There are many people who whould want to break into you computer system they are generally known as hackers or crackers . More often they do this because they want to launch an attack on some computer system through your computer and other times it is done by some teenage kid who want to showcase his skills and feel proud of himself and maybe even gain some limelight. If your computer is connected to the internet then you dont need some hacker to personally attack your system . There are thousand of computer programs to do this job on the net. Even if you use your internet just to check your e-mails you could still be a huge target for attackers. Is it easy to break into my...
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...appropriate behavior in order to avert the cybercrime. Many of these policies are just adopted, but till many companies find it necessary to be tailored so that it is tailored to an organization security needs and most till need to be updated to reflect ever changing impact of the cyberspace transactions in everyday activities. Like all company document, cyberspace follows good design and various format in order to make the document not be vague and follow government policies on security design. These policies also need to be reviewed regularly to ensure that they conform to the business needs that are ever changing gin the business environment. The following are the major items involved in the cybercrime plan actions. 1. Establish security roles and responsibilities Establishing security roles and responsibility in a company is one step towards combating cybercrime. The policies should clearly define the separation of roles with responsibility depending on the system in place. This means that a system will be designed on role based control which might not be well utilized when the procedures and policies are not well defined. The extend of employees can go with a system should show how much they can access in the system and the policies should be maintained at minimum. This means that: The security procedure clearly identifies data ownership in the company and employee roles are well defined. The employees should not inherit privileges from other users. This means that necessary roles...
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...Computer Security Victoria M. Deardorff Brevard Community College April 10, 2012 This paper is written as a basic overview of computer security for the non-technical user. This paper is meant to educate the reader on practical steps that can be implemented to secure their home-based computers. Additionally, the reader will be informed of industry and government needs for and methods of computer security. With this information, the reader should gain a better understanding of why agencies and companies have their rules and regulations pertaining to computer security. What do you think when you read or hear the words “computer security”? The word security implies freedom from risk, danger, doubt, anxiety, or fear and invokes a feeling of safety and confidence. As security relates to our computers, you may immediately ask yourself if you have done everything possible to guard your personal computer as well as the information stored on that computer. Also, you may think about the companies with which you do business and ask the same question; have they done everything possible to protect my personal information? The world of computer security or information security, as it is sometimes called, continues to evolve as consumers expand the use of computer systems. “The story of network attacks, bugs, viruses, and criminal actions stretches as far as the computer industry itself. One of the first bugs to develop in a computer system was precisely that: a moth was found...
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...Information Security refers to the processes and methodologies which are designed and implemented to protect print, electronic, or any other form of confidential, private and sensitive information or data from unauthorized access, use, misuse, disclosure, destruction, modification, or disruption. Wikipedia says, "Information security means protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. The terms information security, computer security and information assurance are frequently used interchangeably. These fields are interrelated and share the common goals of protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information; however, there are some subtle differences between them. These differences lie primarily in the approach to the subject, the methodologies used, and the areas of concentration. Information security is concerned with the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data regardless of the form the data may take: electronic, print, or other forms." Computer Security is concerned with the risks related to computer use, and ensures the availability, integrity and confidentiality of information managed by the computer system, permitting authorized users to carry out legitimate and useful tasks within a secure computing environment. ---Information security and computer systems are closely tied entities, these fields are interrelated and share ...
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...NAME: COMPUTER SECURITY COURSE CODE: CSC3207 Instructions: Answer all questions. Duration: 1hour. Date sat. 15th April 2012 Test is out of 40marks. 1. Is magnetic media safe for data storage? Elaborate on your answer. 6mks NO. - It is volatile. - A lot of vigilance is required (no exposure to heat, sun light etc) - Forensics (data recovery tools undermine some operations like delete) YES, if care and precautions are adhered to. (state those precautions here) 2. State two technical challenges of the FLASH architecture 5mks -The number of read/write cycles -The power MUST-BE-ON requirement - Erasure failures Read page 414 of “Hardware Based Security” 3. A good security practice is to continuously review and appropriately modify misuse case presentations of a system. What approaches would you consider to maintain an up-to-date misuse case presentation for a given system? 6mks Consider using a team for periodical review and analysis and different design and implementation sections of the system. - Periodically review the existing use-case based on the pre-existing knowledge base. - Brainstorm on the basis of existing system resources and identify representative risks. - Redefining the use-cases and mis-use cases incase of new threats Sources of information here include - Audit logs and security checks ...
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...Contents 1.1) Computer threats categories 2 This attack covers: 2 2.) Bob signs up for internet banking. 3 2.1) how the security scheme works 3 2.2) is it secure against dongle theft 3 2.3) if safe from eavesdropping, does this eliminate need for dongle 3 2.4) the cryptographic primitives used 3 2.5) purpose of the serial number 3 2.6) does the serial number need to be randomly generated 3 Computer security and protecting our systems 4 Bibliography 5 Question 1 1.1) Computer threats categories This attack covers: i) Deliberate acts are the main threat category for this type of attack because the hacker is deliberately trying to cause harm. It also deliberates acts of espionage or trespass; deliberate acts of sabotage or vandalism; and deliberate acts of theft. ii) Compromises to intellectual property – copying of files, defacing the web page, and stealing credit card numbers iii) Technical failures. For instance, if part of the organizations software has an unknown trap door, then this type of hacker attack could occur. iv) The final category is management failure. This hacker attack could happen if management were to have a lack of sufficient planning and foresight to anticipate the technology need for evolving business requirements. Question 2 2.) Bob signs up for internet banking. 2.1) how the security scheme works The security token contains a secret key that is used...
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...Computer Network Security Alternatives Computer network security and integrity is a large concern among all types and sizes of companies. The options for solving security risks are as varied as the companies themselves. However, it is possible to break down the methods for dealing with security risks into three major categories. Companies have the option to: 1. Select best of breed products for their various security needs and assemble the products together to form their own customized solutions. 2. Purchase a security suite that contains security products that will address their various security needs. 3. Outsource security to another company rather than handle it internally. This paper will summarize primary research conducted by Kang-hun Lee, Yonghoon Choi, Mike Loveridge, Tom Gonzales and David Linford over a three month period to determine market trends in the security software industry. A survey instrument was prepared to capture the following data. 1. What do companies consider threats to their network environment? 2. What preferences do they have regarding specific security services? 3. What sort of security option do they prefer when choosing between: best of breed, suites or outsourcing. Findings and analysis Once the data were collected, we were able to organize and analyze the results. This section will both specify the analytical procedures we used as well as report on the findings. There are three (will be more when other...
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...CHAPTER 3 CO M P U TE R A N D I NT E R N E T C R IME QUOTE In view of all the deadly computer viruses that have been spreading lately, Weekend Update would like to remind you: when you link up to another computer, you’re linking up to every computer that that computer has ever linked up to. —Dennis Miller, Saturday Night Live, U.S. television show VIGNETTE Treatment of Sasser Worm Author Sends Wrong Message Unleashed in April 2004, the Sasser worm hit IT systems around the world hard and fast. Unlike most computer viruses before it, the Sasser worm didn’t spread through e-mail, but moved undetected across the Internet from computer to computer. It exploited a weakness in Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems. By the first weekend in May, American Express, the Associated Press, the British Coast Guard, universities, and hospitals reported that the Sasser worm had swamped their systems. Computer troubles led Delta Airlines to cancel 40 flights and delay many others. Microsoft quickly posted a $250,000 reward, and by mid-May, authorities apprehended Sven Jaschen, a German teenager. Jaschen confessed and was convicted after a three-day trial. Jaschen could have received up to five years in prison, but because he was tried as a minor, the court suspended his 21-month sentence, leaving him with only 30 hours of community service. Copyright © 2007 by Thomson Course Technology. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by federal copyright...
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...Computer Security Careers Blake Eubank Harrisburg Community College 1 A. After going to http://www.giac.org I learned it is a great place to get certified in more than 20 different specialized information security areas. It targets specific skills sets rather than generalizing. They offer more disciplines and focus on the skills required to master specific jobs. (Northcutt, 2011) The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) is a non-profit organization which provides forums, education, and publications for its security professional members. The main goal of ISSA is to promote leadership which will ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information resources. Members include all levels of security professionals in a variety of different fields including government, public, and private sectors. (ISSA.org. 2011) Technology in Action doesn’t really cover computer security careers, it does reference the Information Systems Security Association web site on page 469 but no further discussion can be found in the text. (Evans, 2011) B. On the Helium web site author Chris Stubbs explains that one of the basic skills needed for any computer user is the ability to type. (Stubbs, 2009) In my opinion you don’t have to be able to type fast you just need a working knowledge of the QWERTY keyboard. Dan Morrill on it.toolbox.com references network engineering skills as the third and sixth most important information security skills needed out of the top...
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...Discussion Questions - Unit 1 1. Consider the information stored on your personal computer. Do you, at this moment, have information stored in your computer that is critical to your personal life? If that information became compromised or lost, what effect would it have on you? (150 - 200 words) I do have personal information stored on my computer that is very critical to my personal life. My personal computer holds credit card numbers, bank account details, passwords, medical information, websites I have visited, personal family pictures, some private letters and all my business ideas. Basically my whole life is on my personal computer and if it fell into the wrong hands someone might use it to commit fraud against me. I will have to take action quickly to minimize the potential for the theft of my identity. I will have to close compromised credit card accounts immediately and put an initial fraud alert on my credit report. I will have to place new passwords on old and new accounts that I open. I think getting my personal information compromised would leave me very paranoid and I will be watching for signs that my information is being misused and I think at the end it will leave me feeling much violated. 2. What is a mission statement? What is a vision statement? What is a values statement? Why are they important? What do they contain? Provide an example of one of the three. (150 - 200 words) A mission statement is a clear definition of what an organization is, the...
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...8/31/14 Computer Operation and Security Task 1 AMI - 6 beeps AMI – BIOS cannot switch CPU into protected mode Phoenix - beep - pause - beep beep beep - pause - beep beep beep beep- pause - beep beep + 1-3-4-3 Phoenix – Test 512K base memory Task 2 Both hardware and software firewalls prevent unauthorized access and unauthorized use to the network. These firewalls ignore information that is not secured and comes from locations that are unknown and suspicious. Hardware firewalls can be stand-alone and/or in broadband routers. Hardware firewalls does not necessarily have to be configured and can protect all machines on a local network. Hardware firewalls examine packet headers by using a packet filter. Based on previously stored information and rules, the packet is then forwarded to its destination or dropped. Hardware firewalls determine whether the information packets are safe based on the ports and URL. 8/31/14 Software firewalls are installed on a specific computer as opposed to supporting a whole network. It protects against remote access to control your computer. It can also block the running of potentially unsafe applications on your computer. Software firewalls normally uses minimal system resources and runs in the background constantly to ensure protection for the computer. Software firewalls need to be kept up-to-date to ensure the best level of protection from newer viruses and malicious content. It is best to always test both hardware firewalls...
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...The term cybercrime became often term being heard by people nowadays. In the early world, it was not a big deal and still can be controlled. Unfortunately, when there is a tremendous increasing number of connected people and devices, it is a bigger risk there to be resolved. A rough definition for the term cybercrime is a crime which is influenced by some kind of computer or cyber aspect. To be more specific, it is a crime that has illegal activities through it by using computers or network or hardware devices as its primary medium for some commissions. The commissions depend on how huge the illegal activities are. There are lots of cases that the performers of the cybercrime gained millions or even billions from the activities that illegally conduct by them. Sounds so good to be a rich mankind? It won’t be long. Just remember, justice always strikes the best at the end. One of the facts to discuss about cybercrime that is highly appropriate to talk about is how it surpassed illegal drug trafficking as an instant criminal moneymaker. Apart from that, it is so surprising to know that somebody’s identity is stolen so quickly as fast as within only 3 seconds due to cybercrime. Besides that, for us to deeply concern, we need to realize that our unprotected PCs can become affected in a bad way and it takes only four minutes right after it connect to the internet. To those who never worried about these matters before, the moment you knew it, you should really be careful when you want...
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...Michael Anderson Principles of Info Security Professor Corey Jackson Outline In order for a company to be successful it needs to ensure that the security of its network is up to par and can protect the data from 2.0 Incident-Response Policy for Gem Infosys. |Gem Infosys Policy Sections | |1.0 |Identification of Incidents/Threats | | |Gem Infosys incident-response policy requires that every personnel including the Information Security Office (ISO), report suspicious| | |activity during system usage, or while conducting a proactive monitoring of the organization’s network and information system | | |activities (Yale University Policy, 2012; SANS Institute, 2001). Reports will be done via incident reporting system tickets which | | |shall be sent to the authorized individuals or departments. | | |Symptoms of Computer Security Incidents; | | |System alarm from incorporated intrusion detection tools | | |Unsuccessful login attempts ...
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...Computer and Network security Problem statement Unauthorized Access “As the threat of unauthorized access grows companies and people continue to look for security to upgrade.” (Howard, 2009)``Unauthorized access'' is a very high-level term that can refer to a number of different sorts of attacks. The goal of these attacks is to access some resource that your machine should not provide the attacker. For example, a host might be a web server, and should provide anyone with requested web pages. However, that host should not provide command shell access without being sure that the person making such a request is someone who should get it, such as a local administrator. What network security is The history of network security “Sense the 1980’s networks have become more complex, so the need for security has become more complex.” (Mowers, 2006) The need for network security is a relatively new requirement. Prior to the 1980s most computers were not networked. It was not due to lack of desire to network them; it was more a result of the lack of technology. People or organizations could be interconnected over the shared network. It was no longer necessary to connect systems in a point-to-point configuration. Vulnerabilities were introduced with the deployment of this distributed environment utilizing shared, packet switched networks employing protocols such as TCP/IP and the concept of trusted systems. Systems on the network "trusted" each other. This situation was frequently...
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