So like many people these days I have a wireless home network. Everything from my printer to my families laptops / iPhones can and are connected to it. After doing some research I found that I was sitting right out in the open, a target for anybody who happened to be out wardriving.
War drive? You mean like a food drive right?
Not at all. Wardriving is when black hatted hackers will drive around neighborhoods and attack unsecured or weak wireless networks people use. If you still don't follow, watch this news report to get a better idea of the threats out there.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3538299n
What have I been doing!?
After watching the news report and all that I've learned, I found that I have left myself completely wide open! I pride myself on being as safe as possible when it comes to my life online, only to find out I left the network I use everyday completely open to anyone who wishes to use it! So with that being said it's time to make a few changes.
First things first I ditched the Network ID I was using (How touched in the head could I be using my real name as my network name!?). Good, now that nobody knows my name or what kind of router I have it's time to shut down me broadcasting a signal to the world.
It was literally as simple as clicking a check box. Done and done!
So after turning off my broadcast signal I decided I wasn't satisfied. Being as paranoid as I am about my information, I decided to take things a bit further. Luckily my router has security features to allow only certain wireless cards to connect.
So how safe are you?
Feeling like you might be exposed? Well after you secure your own network with data encryption, passwords and you make sure you aren't broadcasting to anybody, check to see if someone has a P2P (peer to peer) client on your computer. Here is a list of the most popular ones. (From http://security.getnetwise.org/tips/filesharing/about-filesharing)
Windows Programs:
Aimster
Audio Galaxy
Bearshare
Gnotella
Gnucleus
Grokster
iMesh
KaZaa
Limewire
Morpheus
SwapNut
WinMX
Mac Programs:
Aimster
Limewire
Mactella
If so, you are at risk. P2P services are nothing but breeding grounds for hackers and those who wish to hurt you. Just get rid of them. If it is an type of executable, chances are it's going to do some harm. Hope you found some of this information useful, if so happy computing to you!
What, there's bad people online!?
Yes, there are people online who are out to get you. Either your personal information or to mess with your computer. I've learned a lot, how to identify threats and make sure they don't get to me. It's because of this I've decided to do things a little differently when using the internet at home, at work or at school. Firstly at home I always keep my computer up to date and especially my antivirus. It takes a lot to get me to trust something I'm downloading. I stay away from shady websites, never give out any personal information and always keep my bank accounts away from my computer completely. Haven't had a problem ever using the computer! Here you can see a report of how well my system has held up since I last installed windows.
At school, I refuse to log into any of my personal accounts (whether it be my email, facebook ect) I stick only to the secure Angel site that is protected by the school. This way I am sure that none of my information is stolen or used in a way that I don't know about. I never touch the internet at work. I know the network is unsafe and unsecured so I simply refuse to use it at all. But if I was to use it, I would follow the same steps I take at school. No personal information, not to download anything that I don't need or don't know what it is and to stay away from any shady sites. There is nothing worse than not only losing all your information but risking your companies information as well!
Know Your Enemy, Cause they Know You!
Before you can begin to secure your system you need to be able to identify all the threats out there. Whether it be from someone phishing for your information to a nasty virus looking to cause you some trouble, knowing the enemy is one of the best ways to assure you are safe when online. Wanna know how many different virus' are out there or how many threats there really are? Take a look at this webpage and click the tabs to see all the different kind of threats out there. http://www.symantec.com/security_response/ It is because of this I have made some adjustments to my security at home. Below is a picture of the basic setup of my router.
As you can see, my routers firewall is NOT disabled and I have made sure not to respond to pings on port 80 (default internet port). Next you need a good antivirus software, personally I choose Kaspersky because Norton and McAfee have had issues in the past of releasing / spreading exploits to boost their sales. Below is a list of some of the helpful tools that comes with Kaspersky.
Ahhh nothing like a finely tuned, secure machine to get the blood pumping. As you can see I have some great tools to great a backup disc, tune up my browser, permanently delete sensitive data and everything else in the picture above. Of course you need to keep your AV up to date or it does you absolutely no good (what's the point of having protection that's good only against threats from a few months ago?). Lets imagine the worst has happened, someone gets to my system and removes all the files in my System32 folder. My OS is done, I need to reformat to be able to use my computer again. What about all my pictures, music, videos and school work? Ahaha! Thanks to the beauty of cloud computing, I don't have to worry about losing that information ever again. Dropbox is a free cloud service that gives you 2gb of storage on their secure network. All the files get automatically synced and I can just download them again when I fix my computer. Check it out!
To basically sum everything up, here's a basic guideline to how your security should be.
Always keep your AV up to date
NEVER download anything that you don't trust or know what it is
Look into a cloud or online backup service to keep your files safe offsite
Make sure to configure your firewall settings properly
The Trojans did a long time ago, but it still goes on today!
Another important tip is to be aware of fake antivirus programs. Just because something seems like a legit program doesn't mean it is. It could possibly be just another scam to get your money or mess with your system. If you take a look at this video, you'll get a lot more information on these fake AV programs and how you can be sure to avoid them! Always stick with the most reputable sources and be sure not to download anything that seems to good to be true!
In addition to fake AV's, you need to be sure your computer isn't a zombie. A zombie is an infected computer that someone else has access to that will be used to do harm in some way. A zombie is just 1 computer in a whole network of infected computers called a botnet. These botnets can be used to send massive amounts of spam, or even worse perform DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. You can read more about this here. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/technology/internet/21botnet.html
Think you have been infected and your computer is now a mindless killing machine? Fear not, this webpage has all the information you need to turn your computer from killer, to a well tamed, flawlessly working machine in now time. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-fix-zombie-computer.htm
How simple it really is!
Here is a screenshot of me updating my AV. It as simple as clicking a button!
I've been using the computers on campus to do most of my work, as such I needed to update and badly!
Back to the Future? Kinda.
Here is a short video I made explaining how to do a system restore. It was a spur of the moment idea so excuse the lack of professionalism.
My tale is a simple one, plain and simple I messed up. It was a late night and I was browsing around on an image board trying to kill some time. Seeing nothing interesting I decided to fire up some World of Warcraft.
After about an hour or so once again I lost interest. So I decided to check back on the image board and something finally caught my attention. That's where I got myself into some trouble. The old saying that "if it's to good to be true, it probably is" rang true. I couldn't believe it, the owner of the website was going to make someone a moderator (one of the most sought after positions of power on the website)!
The poster posted a link to a tinychat room where he would broadcast who he would make a moderator. The only thing that seemed a bit suspicious was the address was in all caps (TlNYCHAT.COM/MODDD). A red flag should have gone up but it didn't.. When I visited the page it looked very legit and it asked me to run java so I could see the webcam and hear the broadcast. I hit run in anticipation and hopes of becoming a "mod" on the website. That's when everything went wrong.
It soon hit me that I was the victim of a java drive-by. My mouse started to go haywire and the internet was laggy and unresponsive half the time. I quickly checked my process' and there was nothing strange going on there. I soon realized the hacker melted the process into one of my windows process'. He infected one of the core process' or drivers windows loads on start up.
Instantly I was sent into a rage!
I quickly unplugged my internet cord and did a full system wipe on my system. I knew this wasn't anything serious enough to be a rootkit so I felt safe wiping my hard drive and re-installing my operating system.
For a more detailed explanation read below or click here. This is taken from wikipedia:
Downloads which a person authorized but without understanding the consequences (e.g. downloads which install an unknown or counterfeit executable program, ActiveX component, or Javaapplet).
Drive-by downloads may happen when visiting a website, viewing an e-mail message or by clicking on a deceptive pop-up window:[2] by clicking on the window in the mistaken belief that, for instance, an error report from the computer' operating system itself is being acknowledged, or that an innocuous advertisement pop-up is being dismissed. In such cases, the "supplier" may claim that the person "consented" to the download although actually unaware of having started an unwanted or malicious software download. Websites that exploit the Windows Metafile vulnerability (eliminated by aWindows update of 5 January 2006) may provide examples of drive-by downloads of this sort. Hackers use different techniques to obfuscate the malicious code so that antivirus softwares aren't able to recognize the code and it is executed in hidden iframes so that the user can't recognize it visible - and even for experienced user it is hard to read.[3]A drive-by install (or installation) is a similar event. It refers to installation rather than download (though sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably).
There are more ways for hackers or scammers to get your information and cause you a headache. Check this video below to learn about phishing and how to be aware of it!
So, what changes can we make to help protect ourselves online? If you haven't read my VPN post, read it here!
Being anonymous online doesn't do much if you allow people into your computer. There are plenty of ways for unwanted visitors to gain access to your system with or without your permission. This is where we need to take a step back, use some critical thinking skills and some common sense to make sure our business stays our business!
Deep Packet Whaaaaaat?
Just because a website has a secure (https:) it doesn't mean they won't take any and all information they can from you. Many companies have turned to deep packet inspection to gather data about you. This means every time you go to a website, search for anything online or enter in your information they log it and hold onto it. It's terrifying to think everything you do online is being watched by someone else. This is what deep packet inspection is in essence. Companies use it on you, then sell your information off to advertisers in an attempt to get you to buy products you didn't know you needed.
Have no fear, helpful tips are here!
There are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself from spying eyes.
Firstly is to always read the terms of service! Make sure you know what companies are going to do with your information (they are required to tell you!).
Always check your bank and credit statements for weird transactions or payments you don't remember making. Contact the bank or credit card provider immediately!
Get anti-virus software and make sure it's always up to date!
If you don't feel safe giving a company your information, DON'T! There's nothing saying you need to!
Java drive-by??
It's scary to think but there are exploits out there that will give hackers the ability to get into your computer using Java! This one is simple enough to combat, don't run ANY java applications you don't trust. If it doesn't seem 1000% legitimate, don't run it. One wrong click and your whole life can become someone else's!
There are many ways the internet can affect you including personally, professionally and collegiality. These elements of the digital citizenship (which can be seen here) all play a role in our lives. Let's discuss shall we?
Your Personal Life!
It's no secret that you use the internet (almost everyone does these days!) The element I believe affects your personal life on the web is digital communication. This has revolutionized our world completely and we all enjoy the benefits it brings! We can now instantly communicate with almost anybody in the world at anytime! Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, instant messages, cell phones and texting, Skype, online gaming and online forums have made it possible to share and communicate anything we want! You can share stories, movies, pictures and music. You can have a conversation about a topic of interest such as gardening (which you can view here) The ability to share information and just connect with people have made the world an incredible place. Digital communication is the way of the future and is here to stay! It has so many benefits and we all use it everyday!
College! Hooray for school online!
Moving on, what about school? Sure we can all communicate on a personal level, but what about in a classroom setting? Is that possible online? Do people even know how to use the technology to allow this to happen? This is where digital literacy comes into play. Most people can read and write just fine. The words do you no good if you can't get them out to the person you're trying to reach. In our modern world we need to be able to use the tools at our disposal to become better digital citizens! For example, lets say you create a song and want to share it with the world. If you don't know how to use any of the tools out there in order to share your song with the world it gets lost and forgotten. This is why we need to be better educated and have better digital literacy. I predict that sometime in the future digital learning will replace the old systems we have in place currently. We must be able to learn and find information quickly and have the ability to understand it.
Virus'! Virus' Everywhere!
What about your job? Let's say you have 5 min to yourself and you want to be entertained. Little to you know you have just infected your workplace computer and it has spread across the entire network! Everyone's e-mail and data has been removed and you cost your company thousands of dollars in damage! This is where digital security comes into play. We have to understand and recognize any threats that may be online and what to do when we encounter them. If you can't handle a computer and keep it secure no company in the world would want to hire a security risk! You need to understand that there are people out there trying to get into your computer. We must learn how they do it, why they do it and what we can do to stop it! Especially on the job where the risk becomes that much greater. You have to have a job to survive and support yourself, the last thing you would want to do is let a hacker or virus into your employers network and in turn ruin everything. Be safe and be smart!
Employers have even started looking at potential employees facebooks and other social forums to see how worthy they are of a job! Anything you post online can and will be found. Think of how scary that is.. You upload a photo or video of you doing something you definitely wouldn't want your boss seeing and when you don't get the job you're left wondering why. Check out the article "Employers, Get Outta My Facebook" to see how the whole hiring process is changing.
Hello CIS205, I want to take a minute to give you all some additional security tips when you're online. If you don't know what a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is, let me explain. What a VPN does is connects your computer to a server somewhere else in the world and it allows you to use the IP address of that server while hiding your own! Here's a little flow chart to help you understand
Your computer (with your real IP) ---> VPN Server (that gives you a "fake" IP) ----> Internet
If you still don't completely understand, hopefully a real world example will help you out. If you go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ you will see all the information anybody in the world could have just by obtaining your IP. Check this out:
With a VPN however, your IP gets masked and all your data gets encrypted! That way any login information or passwords you send online are encrypted before they get encrypted by the website you visit (ex. Paypal encrypts the data you send them once you login, with a VPN the data is encrypted once and then a second time by Paypal) Same website only I'm connected to a VPN:
As you can see, my IP now shows that I live in Switzerland! All the information that can be obtained by your IP changes (It's the internet, never good to show anything about yourself!). So if you want to add a bit more security to your online browsing habits, I would highly recommend purchasing a subscription to a VPN.
Talk about cost, it's about 9$ US a month for this service (including the firewall protection that encrypts your data). That's a pretty small amount to keep hackers and other people who wish to do you harm at bay! Hope this helps and happy surfing!
Alright, well this seems simple enough. I've created this blog as a requirement for my CIS 205 class. I've tried blogging before but never really stuck with it. I understand why it's useful and how fun it can be, I just never really can find the time. Hopefully this one sticks and more then a few people follow it!
