1. Online Safety

2. Introduction The Internet is a very public place Need to be cautious Minimize your personal risk while online Exposure to: viruses, worms, phishing scams, hoaxes, adware, and spyware Importance of acceptable use policies and passwords

3. Learning Targets I Can… Learn why your computer is not secure on the Internet unless you make it secure Understand and learn the difference between the terms: viruses, worms, phishing scams, hoaxes, adware, spyware, and learn how to prevent exposure to these threats to your computer and personal privacy Know ways to protect your computer and personal information while you are online

4. Why Is My Computer Not Secure? Every time you connect to the Internet you enter a very public space What you do online may be visible or monitored by other people, such as network administrators, that may be invisible to you Important to be responsible when connected to the internet and minimize your personal risk

5. What is a Virus? Small program written to alter the way a computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user A virus must meet two criteria: o Must execute itself, it will often place its own code in the path of execution of another program o Must replicate itself, replaces other executable files with a copy of the virus infected file Can infect desktop computers and network servers

6. Benign viruses – will do no real damage to your computer, conceal themselves and display a message of some sort at some time o Replicate themselves and take up resources, disk space, and CPU time Malignant viruses – tries to inflict damage to your computer, alters files or programs so that they do not work properly o Programs may terminate abnormally, cause incorrect information to be written to your documents, alter directory information, delete files, or even erase your entire hard drive

7. A computer virus is a threat to the security and integrity of your computer system Causes loss or alteration of programs and data Spread from program to program, computer to computer, or system to system without direct human intervention or even intention

8. What is a Worm? Programs that replicate themselves from system to system without the use of a host file Depends on active network connections

9. What is a Trojan Horse? Imposters – files that claim to be something desirable but, in fact, are malicious Do not replicate themselves Contain malicious code that when triggered can cause loss, or even theft, of data Must be invited onto your computer – for example, by opening an email attachment or downloading and running a file from the Internet

10. How Do I Protect My Computer From Viruses? No absolute protection to prevent computer viruses entirely, but protection is necessary to limit the chance of an infection Some ways to protect your computer are: o Implement safe computing practices o Use up-to-date antivirus software o Have clean, up-to-date backups of all your important data o Scan all removable media, downloads, and email attachments; always scan any new files before executing them

11. Some ways to protect your computer are: o Implement safe computing practices o Use up-to-date antivirus software o Have clean, up-to-date backups of all your important data o Scan all removable media, downloads, and email attachments; always scan any new files before executing them o Take removable media out of the computer when finished with them and especially before starting or restarting the computer o Don’t let your email system automatically open documents or execute file attachments o Don’t use illegal software, since they have a higher chance of being infected than legitimate commercial or shareware software o Make sure anyone who uses your computer also follows your safe computing practice

12. Most effective way to protect your computer is to install antivirus software on to your computer Antivirus software applications which find virus infections and can automatically contain or delete them o Symantec Norton Antivirus o Dr. Solomon’s Anti-Virus o McAfee Virus Scan Need to update frequently to protect from new viruses

13. What is Phishing? An attempt to get you to reveal logins, passwords, account numbers and other personal information Phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with o ISP o Bank o Credit card company o Online payment service (PayPal) o Government agency

14. The message usually says you need to “update” or “validate” your account information It might threaten dire consequences if you do not respond You are directed to a web site that looks like a legitimate organization’s site The purpose of the bogus site is to trick you into divulging your personal information so the phishers can steal your personal information

15. How Do I Respond to a Phishing Attempt? If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the message Legitimate companies do not ask for this information via email If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization using a telephone number you know to be genuine Open a new Internet browser session and type the company’s correct Web address; do not cut and paste the link in the message

16. What is a Hoax? Usually arrive in the form of an email Disregard the hoax emails Contain bogus warning usually intent only on frightening or misleading users Delete hoax emails It is possible to be emailed an infected executable file or document containing a macro virus, by simply reading your email you will not get a computer virus; you would have to open the file attachment to actually get a virus

17. What are Adware and Spyware? Adware is unwanted advertising banners, pop- ups, pop-unders, etc., in your web browser Spyware is a catchall term for several topics of malicious software o Consists of computer software that gathers information about a computer user without the user’s knowledge or informed consent, then transmits this information to an external entity Consequences of spyware infection o Loss of privacy o Substantial loss of system performance o Major stability issues – frequent system crashes or hang-ups

18. How Does It Get Onto Your Computer? Attached to other software that you intentionally install Freeware and Shareware programs that you download over the net include from one to several parasite programs that will silently install themselves as you install the desired software Through email – usually announce themselves Visiting a web site that hosts them – drive-by installation

19. Summary The Internet is a very public space Need to be cautious for your personal safety online Difference between harmful viruses, worms phishing scams, hoaxes, adware, and spyware Protecting your computer from each

20. Skyward Activity Complete the accompanying Skyward activity after viewing the information