Home Users and Computer Security

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Home Users and Computer Security; A college-level argument synthesis
Tweet Topic Started: Jul 21 2011, 01:43 PM (313 Views)
Cy-Fox	Jul 21 2011, 01:43 PM Post #1
We are still watching Posts: 3,486 Group: =SB= Kings Member #3,975 Joined: November 29, 2007 Gender: Male Country: United States of America Steam ID: cy-fox	The following is an argument synthesis I just completed for my college composition class: The average person sees a computer as simply a system that acts as a storage device and a gateway to the Internet. What they do not understand, that these two functions can conspire to serve as a great threat to their privacy. The average user needs to be informed about current security issues as well as preventative and reactive measures to these threats. Staying in the dark puts the user at a risk of at a minimum, having their system crippled. In the worst case scenario, their system could be penetrated and vital information needed to steal their identity could be obtained. According to the latest annual threat report issued by the security software developer Symantec, over 286 million unique threats were encountered and identified. A 93 percent increase in Web based attacks was observed in 2010, the increase noted from statistics taken in the 2009 annual report. Accordingly, 6,253 new vulnerabilities in popular operating systems and applications such as Windows were recorded along with a 42 percent increase in vulnerabilities found in mobile phone based applications since 2009. While this is important for administrators and technicians, the most jarring statistics for the home user to notice comes from the observation that 260,000 identities were compromised and that stolen credit cards average in price from $0.07 to $100 per card. In competing security firm McAfee’s first quarterly threat report of 2011, the report notes the rising presence of a new class of malicious software known as “bankers”. Bankers use special methods to appear as if they are a legitimate program or page operating on the behalf of well-known businesses such as UPS, FedEx, the United States Postal Service and the United States Internal Revenue Service. The report also notes the rise of the use of trap sites that appear in search results as being relevant to current events. In its words: “Many of these sites correspond to high-impact news events such as the assassination attempt on U.S Representative Gabrielle Giffords, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and major sporting dates” (McAfee 1). UK based security firm Sophos (a competitor to both Symantec and McAfee, whose products are noted to be in use at Terra State Community College) also issued a threat report for 2011, based on data from the previous year. The report says that Sophos’ research laboratory analyzed 95,000 pieces of malware a day in 2010; which equates to an estimated total of 34,675,000 items. Of a primary concern to Sophos is the advent of malicious software that masquerades as a legitimate security product. Known as “scareware” or “rogueware”, Sophos says: “The user receives a warning that their system is infected with some nasty malware and is forced to pay for a “full” version of the software to remove the threat. Of course, paying money to the bad guys doesn’t provide any protection. In most cases there’s no real danger, and in many cases they’re actually installing additional malware on the system and taking credit card information,” (Sophos 1). Another concern of interest to Sophos is the abuse of special marketing tools known as search engine optimizers. In their words: “The search engine is our gateway to the Web, and cybercriminals are skilled at manipulating search results from the engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo! to lure victims to their malicious pages. These pages host security risks and browser exploits just waiting to infect users who are directed to these sites,” (Sophos 2). To the common user, Sophos specifically focuses on the issue of social engineering techniques being used on social network websites. Social engineering by their definition “is a catch-all term for psychological tricks used to persuade people to undermine their own online security,” (Sophos 3). According to the report, the social networking website Facebook recorded half a billion active users, making it a popular target. One method of attack is called “clickjacking”. The mechanism, as explained by Sophos: “These attacks use maliciously created pages where the true function of a button is concealed beneath an opaque layer showing something entirely different. Often sharing or “liking” the content in question sends the attack out to contacts through newsfeeds and status updates, propagating the scam,” (Sophos 4). For the mobile user, Sophos makes special mentions for the Android and iPhone platforms. The main problem on the iPhone according to Sophos is jailbreaking, which is a special routine that unlocks mobile security settings ostensibly for the reason of allowing the phone to have added functions. Unfortunately, jailbreaking opens the iPhone to an increased risk of executing malicious code and in Sophos’ words: “Jailbreaking [..] undermines Apple’s inherent security model and opens the user to more risk from social engineering tricks,” (Sophos 5). In conclusion, when a home user enters the Internet, they are unknowingly sailing into a dangerous sea littered with hazards. In order to minimize your exposure to the threats mentioned, a combination of software and education is necessary. Major operating system applications such as Windows, Mac OS X and Linux have security updates issued on differentiating schedules. These updates patch previously overlooked vulnerabilities and as such are extremely necessary to keep up on and depending on how things are configured; these updates may be implemented automatically. To proactively repel and react to software threats such as viruses and malware, antivirus and antimalware software is also necessary. Free and commercial products are available, and reviews are issued regularly. A qualified technician’s opinion or thorough scrutiny of product reviews will yield the best solution for your needs. As for social engineering threats, it is best to examine what is being presented to you. If any kind of a warning flag pops up, do not commit any actions that a page or e-mail may suggest. For example, if you receive an e-mail purported to be from your bank, requesting your online banking password, it is likely to be a scam. The bank can directly make any changes to your account at its branches and headquarters, and any technical issues would be handled on-site by their IT staff. In a legitimate situation, they would not need to request the password to your account. Regardless of the situation, security should always be kept in consideration. Works Cited Symantec Corporation. “Symantec Internet Security Threat Report 2010” Link. Accessed 14 July 2011 McAfee Corporation. “McAfee Threats Report: First Quarter 2011” Link. Accessed 14 July 2011 Sophos Labs. “Sophos Security Threat Report 2011” Link. Accessed 14 July 2011



Fwiss	Jul 21 2011, 05:14 PM Post #2
Sandopolis Act 1 Posts: 1,567 Group: S Rank Hero Member #9,080 Joined: June 18, 2008 Gender: Male Steam ID: fwiss1174	Not to mention any ten year old who knows 30 minutes of VB and can make a YouTube can steal an idiot's info. Also, aren't these so-called 'bankers' and phishers one in the same? Are quotes really necessary if I use the term 'so-called'? Also, never heard of Sophos. What are your opinions on keeping viruses on VMs and talking to them every day? Edited by Fwiss, Jul 21 2011, 05:15 PM.
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Cy-Fox	Jul 21 2011, 06:56 PM Post #3
We are still watching Posts: 3,486 Group: =SB= Kings Member #3,975 Joined: November 29, 2007 Gender: Male Country: United States of America Steam ID: cy-fox	I really wouldn't touch viruses unless you had a very good controlled environment to tear one apart in. As in a separate dedicated computer that isn't hooked into a network, and maybe with a VM to dissect it in to boot.



Fwiss	Jul 21 2011, 07:46 PM Post #4
Sandopolis Act 1 Posts: 1,567 Group: S Rank Hero Member #9,080 Joined: June 18, 2008 Gender: Male Steam ID: fwiss1174	Don't worry, I keep in my school's computer lab, not my home computer. I'm not dum.
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