Computer Security Threats

Threats to Computer Security

• Malware:
  • Viruses: replicate themselves by attaching to programs or files
  • Worms: self-replicating, do not need to attach to programs or files
  • Trojans: disguise themselves as legitimate software
  • Ransomware: encrypt files and demand payment
• Internal Threats:
  • Insider threats: authorized personnel with malicious intent
  • Social engineering: manipulating individuals to reveal sensitive information
• External Threats:
  • Hacking: unauthorized access to computer systems
  • Phishing: fraudulent emails, texts, or calls to obtain sensitive information
  • Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks

Security Measures

• Network Security:
  • Firewalls: control incoming and outgoing network traffic
  • Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): encrypt internet connections
• Access Control:
  • Authentication: verifying user identity (e.g., passwords, biometrics)
  • Authorization: controlling access to resources based on user identity
• Data Security:
  • Encryption: protecting data in transit and at rest
  • Backup and recovery: ensuring data availability in case of loss

Best Practices

• Password Management:
  • Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts
  • Avoid password reuse and sharing
• Software Updates:
  • Regularly update operating systems, software, and firmware
  • Enable automatic updates when possible
• Safe Browsing:
  • Avoid suspicious emails, links, and attachments
  • Keep antivirus software up to date

Incident Response

• Identification:
  • Monitor systems for signs of security breaches
  • Implement incident response plans
• Containment:
  • Isolate affected systems or networks
  • Prevent further damage
• Eradication:
  • Remove malware or other threats
  • Fix vulnerabilities
• Recovery:
  • Restore systems and data to a known good state
  • Implement additional security measures to prevent future incidents

Threats to Computer Security

• Malware: can replicate themselves and spread to other devices
  • Viruses: attach to programs or files to replicate
  • Worms: self-replicating and do not need to attach to programs or files
  • Trojans: disguise themselves as legitimate software
  • Ransomware: encrypt files and demand payment in exchange for the decryption key
• Internal Threats:
  • Insider threats: authorized personnel with malicious intent, e.g., stealing sensitive data
  • Social engineering: manipulating individuals to reveal sensitive information, e.g., phishing attacks
• External Threats:
  • Hacking: unauthorized access to computer systems, e.g., using stolen passwords
  • Phishing: fraudulent emails, texts, or calls to obtain sensitive information, e.g., login credentials
  • Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks: overwhelming systems with traffic to make them unavailable

Security Measures

• Network Security:
  • Firewalls: control incoming and outgoing network traffic, blocking unauthorized access
  • Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): encrypt internet connections to protect data in transit
• Access Control:
  • Authentication: verifying user identity using passwords, biometrics, or smart cards
  • Authorization: controlling access to resources based on user identity and role
• Data Security:
  • Encryption: protecting data in transit and at rest using algorithms like AES and RSA
  • Backup and recovery: ensuring data availability in case of loss or corruption, using techniques like RAID and backups

Best Practices

• Password Management:
  • Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts, avoiding common words and birthdates
  • Avoid password reuse and sharing, using password managers to generate and store unique passwords
• Software Updates:
  • Regularly update operating systems, software, and firmware to fix vulnerabilities and improve security
  • Enable automatic updates when possible, to ensure timely patching
• Safe Browsing:
  • Avoid suspicious emails, links, and attachments, being cautious of phishing attempts
  • Keep antivirus software up to date, using features like real-time scanning and automatic updates

Incident Response

• Identification:
  • Monitor systems for signs of security breaches, using tools like intrusion detection systems
  • Implement incident response plans, establishing procedures for containment and eradication
• Containment:
  • Isolate affected systems or networks, to prevent further damage
  • Prevent lateral movement, using techniques like network segmentation
• Eradication:
  • Remove malware or other threats, using tools like antivirus software and incident response playbooks
  • Fix vulnerabilities, patching systems and software to prevent re-infection
• Recovery:
  • Restore systems and data to a known good state, using backups and snapshots
  • Implement additional security measures to prevent future incidents, like improving access controls and network segmentation