Security Threats And Attacks
Week 4 Case Study
Dustin Soria
Security Threats And Attacks
Week 4 Case Study
Dustin Soria
2014
2014

Recent statistics show that a large percentage of people have the idea that computer security is an issue that only affects organizations. Many people believe that, at a personal level, there is little that one can have to do with their information especially because they don’t see if someone will need their information. In contrast, there is a lot of useful information that a third party may obtain from a personal computer that the user may not even realize. For instance, a user may have sensitive information that would lead to his or her private life, secrets, or even important financial information. Such information can be used by attackers to monitor their internet activities, whether they are logged into their own personal computer on a local network, or even the internet. The victim’s sensitive information can be sold over the internet, or even to third parties such as advertisers and criminals among others. As such, it is important that serious security measures are taken to protect one’s personal computer from such security issues. There are numerous security threats that can be on a personal computer. One of the most common threats is a Virus. A Virus is a piece of software that can replicate itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. A Virus can only spread when it is transmitted by a user over a network or the Internet, and removable media such as flash drives and CD’s. (The 11 most common computer security threats) Viruses themselves are usually undetectable and attach themselves to a program or an email. With damage ranging anywhere from minimal to destructive. The best way to protect yourself here is to have an up to date antivirus installed on your computer and scan your computer thoroughly at least once a week. A Trojan horse is another Virus that does something undocumented which the programmer intended, but the user would not normally accept if they knew about the Trojan horse itself. A Trojan horse can spread to other programs, turning them into Trojans as well. (What are viruses, worms, and Trojan horses?, 2014) Spyware and Ad-ware are the next ventures. Spyware is software that is installed secretly onto a computer without the user’s knowledge. It will monitor the user’s activity or interfere with the user’s control over a personal computer. (The 11 most common computer security threats) Just like with Viruses, there is anti-Spyware programs available that can combat spyware. Ad-wares are usually attached to a program that is a freeware or shareware. Even though the program itself is free, the manufacturer of the program still makes money from selling the information the ad-ware gathers from your computer. The easiest way to prevent ad-wares from being on your computer is to not download and install free software or programs that you do not trust. If you have to have the program installed, make sure you use a firewall to help monitor the incoming and outgoing traffic. Now how do hackers get into your system? Hackers can use something called a “Key Logger”, which is a device or program that records all the real time activity of a computer user including the keyboards keystrokes they make. In turn, obtaining access to personal information and accounts from the logins and passwords obtained. Hackers can also obtain access through source routing. They may be able to break through other, less secure networks to then jump to yours. (Security Attacks) To close out types of attacks, let’s discuss Spoofing. Any internet connected device necessarily sends IP diagrams into the network. Such internet data packets carry the senders IP address as well as application layer data. If the attacker obtains control over the software running on the network device, they can easily modify the devices protocols to place an arbitrary IP address into the data packets source address field. This process is called Spoofing. There are definitely more techniques that a hacker could use to gain access to a system, but the list would go on and on. Taking what you have learned here, will still help you with spotting potential security threats and preventing attacks from hackers. Make sure to stay up to date as technology changes.

Reference Page
References
Security Attacks. (n.d.). Retrieved from comptechdoc: http://www.comptechdoc.org/independent/security/recommendations/secattacks.html
The 11 most common computer security threats. (n.d.). Retrieved from symantec-Norton.com: http://www.symantec-norton.com/11-most-common-computer-security-threats_k13.aspx
What are viruses, worms, and Trojan horses? (2014). Retrieved from University Information Technology Services: https://kb.iu.edu/data/aehm.html