1. Chapter 9 Securing Your System: Digital Data and Devices
Sophie Patterson

2. Cybercrime and Identity Theft
Cybercrime: any criminal action perpetrated primarily through the use of a computer
Cybercriminals: individuals who use computers, networks, and the Internet to perpetrate crime
Identity theft: process by which someone uses personal information about someone else to assume the victim’s identity for the purpose of defrauding another
Types of cybercrime include identity theft, credit card fraud, computer viruses, illegal access of computer systems, and auction fraud
Computer users must take precautions to protect themselves
Thieves will steal personal information like your name, address, Social Security number, birth date, bank account number and credit card information
Sophie Patterson

3. Computer Viruses
Computer virus: a program that attaches itself to another program and attempts to spread to other computers when files are exchanged
Catch a virus by downloading infected audio and video files
Six categories of computer viruses
Boot-sensor viruses
Logic bombs and time bombs
Worms
Scripts and macro viruses
viruses
Encryption viruses
Viruses tend to hide within the code of a host program and avoid detection which makes them extremely dangerous
These files come from peer-to-peer file-sharing sites is the main source of infections
Sophie Patterson

4. Preventing Virus Infections
Antivirus software
This software should be updated on a regular basis
Periodically run a complete virus scan to ensure that no viruses have made it onto your hard drive
Antivirus software is designed to detect viruses and protect your computer and files from harm
This ensures that no viruses have made it onto your hard drive
Sophie Patterson

5. Understanding Hackers
Hacker: anyone who breaks into a computer system unlawfully
Different kinds of hackers
Once they gain access they can potentially steal personal or other important information, damage and destroy data, or use the computer to attack other computers
Can use software to break into almost any computer connected to the Internet (unless precautions are taken)
White-hat hackers (ethical trackers), black-hat hackers, grey-hat hackers are three examples
Sophie Patterson

6. Restricting Access to Digital Assets
Firewall: a software program or hardware device designed to protect computers from hackers
Software and hardware firewalls – equal protection
Firewalls block access to logical ports and keep your computer’s network address secure
Both Windows and OS X include reliable firewalls
One should consider installing both firewalls for maximum protection
Sophie Patterson

7. Password Protection
Secure passwords contain a mixture of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols that are at least 14 characters long
Online password checkers can be used to evaluate strength of password
Most operating systems have built in password protection for files and the entire desktop
One good tester is passwordmeter.com
Sophie Patterson

8. Surfing the Internet Anonymously
Current versions of popular browsers include tools that hide your surfing activities by not recording websites that you visit or files that you download
Portable privacy devises provide an even higher level of surfing privacy
Google Chrome’s Incognito feature is one of the most popular tools for this purpose
Ironkey.com or the Ironkey Personal Flash Drive can be plugged into your computer and will store all of your cookies, passwords, history, etc
Sophie Patterson

9. Managing Online Annoyances
Malware: software that has a malicious intent
3 forms of malware – adware, spyware, and viruses
Spam: unwanted/junk
A spam filter can be selected in your account that places spam messages into a special folder that does not show in your inbox
Cookies: small text files that some websites automatically store on your hard drive when you visit them
Adware is software that displays sponsored advertisements – an annoyance
Spyware is an unwanted piggyback program that downloads with other software – it transmits information about you without you knowing to be used for marketing purposes
Companies get addresses from a list they purchase or from purchasing from a company
Sophie Patterson

10. Protecting Personal Information
A rule of thumb is to reveal as little information as possible on the internet
Social media profiles should be kept private so the public eye cannot see
Identity thieves want your Social Security number, phone number, date of birth, and street address because those are just the four things they need to steal your identity
Sophie Patterson

11. This is a survey done and asks adult users if they could find this information publically on the internet
Sophie Patterson

12. Backing Up Your Data Three major threats your data faces:
1. Unauthorized access
2. Tampering
3. Destruction
One needs to back up program files and data files
Losing data unintentionally is much more likely than a hacker stealing your data
Program files include files used to install software
Data files are ones you have created or purchased (papers, spreadsheets, music, photos, etc)
Sophie Patterson

13. Social Engineering
Social engineering: any technique that uses social skills to generate human interaction that entices individuals to reveal sensitive information
Pretexting is used to lure their victims
Doesn’t often involve the use of a computer or face-to-face interactions because it is easier to manipulate someone when you don’t have to look at them (telephone scams are common)
Pretexting involves creating a scenario that sounds legitimate enough that someone will trust you
Caller says he is from your bank and that someone tried to use your account so you need to confirm a few personal details about yourself
Sophie Patterson

14. Protecting Your Physical Computing Assets
Safe environments for electronic devices
Clean environments
Power surges
Protection from theft
Installation of software
Devices should be kept in a clean environment without dust and other particles
Also keep out of extreme temps (hot or cold)
Protect devices from power surges by hooking them up through surge protectors
One can install software that will set off an alarm if moved, help recover the computer if stolen, or allow you to lock or wipe the contents of the device
Sophie Patterson

15. Assigned Questions What do computer viruses do?
A virus’s main purpose is to replicate itself and copy its code into as many other host files as possible
Name and describe a minimum of 6 different viruses.
Boot-sensor viruses: virus that replicates itself onto a hard drive's master boot record
Logic bombs and time bombs: logic bomb is a virus that is triggered when certain logical conditions are met; time bomb is a virus that is triggered by the passage of time or on a certain date
Worms: program that attempts to travel between systems through network connections to spread infections
Scripts and macro viruses: script virus is a series of commands that is executed without your knowledge; macro virus attaches itself to a document that uses macros
viruses: virus transmitted by that often uses the address book in the victim’s system to distribute itself
Encryption viruses: malicious program that searches for common data files and compresses them into a file using a complex encryption key, thereby rendering the files unusable
Sophie Patterson

16. Assigned Questions (cont.)
What are distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks? Using Google, give an example of a DDoS attack.
DDoS: an automated attack that’s launched from more than one zombie computer at the same time
A global hacking collective Anonymous sought to take down Donald Trump’s campaign website in hope that it will end Trump’s bid for the White House
What is a firewall? Which is better, a software firewall or a hardware firewall?
Firewall: a software program or hardware device designed to protect computers from hackers
Both of them will protect you from hackers; one type is not better than the other
Describe a concern of employers about the new type of productivity drain referred to as cyberloafing or cyberslacking.
Employees are being paid to work, but while they are supposed to be working they are doing other things on their computers and that is not what employers are paying them to do
Sophie Patterson