Risks to Data and Personal Information PDF

Chapter 6. Risks to Data and Personal Information Risks to Data and Personal Information Huge amounts of data are transmitted and stored digitally, and a lot of this data contains personal or financial information. Because of this, digital systems are targeted by criminals who try to access da...

Chapter 6. Risks to Data and Personal Information Risks to Data and Personal Information Huge amounts of data are transmitted and stored digitally, and a lot of this data contains personal or financial information. Because of this, digital systems are targeted by criminals who try to access data so that they can use it to commit fraud or identity theft. Risks to Data and Personal Information Figure: The amount of data communicated online in order to carry personal and financial information is almost unimaginable Unauthorized Access Access to networks by users who are not permitted to access them is called unauthorized access. Unauthorized users can attempt to gain access to networks directly by themselves. Alternatively, they may create software that runs thousands of times per second on devices, inputting multiple login details in order to attempt to gain access to networks with poor security. Sometimes, devices on a network can be targeted by unauthorized users in order to be used as botnets. Botnets are groups of computers that have their resources used for harmful purposes, such as running and spreading malware. Deliberate damage by malware Malware can show messages, play sounds, delete files or reprogram systems to perform tasks that will harm the system and the connected hardware. Some malware (known as ransomware) threatens to delete a user’s files or places restrictions on a user’s access to software or resources until money is paid, usually to an anonymous account. These messages are usually very threatening and distressing for users. They are often written in a way that makes the user believe that they must pay quickly. This puts pressure on the user to act before they have time to think clearly about the threat and how to manage it.  Activities Activity 1 Research Stuxnet malware and the damage that it caused to nuclear facilities in Iran. Figure: Ransomware Accidental deletion Users can sometimes delete files or even the entire contents of a drive by mistake. This can happen if: ✓they press a key on a keyboard by accident ✓they format media on the wrong storage device ✓their device loses power unexpectedly Theft of Personal Data Criminals use a number of methods to steal personal data. Phishing Phishing is a technique used by criminals to get personal information and payment details from users. It involves sending large numbers of messages that appear to be from real organizations, such as shops, banks or charities. Phishing messages are often sent as emails. These emails ask the user to provide their information by replying to the message or following a hyperlink that opens a webpage into which the user is asked to type their personal details. Sometimes, phishing messages are highly customized or personalized and are targeted at a smaller number of particular users. This technique has become known as spear phishing. Phishing Figure: Some phishing emails are less believable than others; the email address can be a giveaway as to the authenticity of the sender Phishing Phishing messages can also be sent via SMS or instant message apps so that users open the fake webpage in a mobile browser. Users may not realize that the webpage is fake, particularly if they have never seen the company’s real webpage in a mobile browser. As a result, they might type in their username and password details and reveal this personal data to the criminals. Pharming Like phishing, pharming is a technique used by criminals to gain personal information and payment details from users. Criminals create fake versions of trusted websites to trick users into entering their login details, which are then used by the criminals to access users’ accounts. There are two main methods by which users are directed to a pharming site. Two Methods of Pharming ✓ Internet traffic going to the real website is redirected to the fake website, so that users think they are visiting the real thing. ✓ Criminals do this by altering the domain name servers to make internet traffic go to their fake site. ✓ They can also use malware to redirect web requests. Two Methods of Pharming ✓ Often, the URL of a pharming website is designed to be very similar to the URL of the real website. ✓ This means that if a user misspells the URL when typing it into the address bar of their web browser, they could go to the pharming site by mistake. ✓ For example, if the URL of a real bank is http://moneybank.lk and the criminals create a website with the URL http://moneybamk.lk, it could be easy for the user to make a mistake and arrive at the fake website. Figure: A fake webform, linked from an SMS message and opened in a mobile browser Figure: Users should always check the URL of websites that they visit to make sure that they are not fake websites Methods to Secure Data and Personal Information Online Much of the data transmitted online is sensitive and valuable, and it is important to protect that data from unauthorized access. There are several different methods used to secure data and personal information. 1. Firewalls Firewalls control the data travelling into and out of a network. They examine the network addresses and ports of the data. They then compare those details to a list of rules that can be changed by network administrators. The list of rules determines what traffic should be allowed to travel into and out of the network. In this way, firewalls can prevent unauthorized access to a network and protect the network from malware. 1. Firewalls Firewall contains a blacklist and whitelist of IP/MAC addresses It prevent the data flow if in blacklist It allowed if in whitelist 2. Encryption Encryption uses a key to scramble data into an unreadable form. If encrypted data is intercepted on the network, it is useless unless the interceptor has or can identify the key.  3. Passwords, PINs and biometrics Passwords, PINs and biometrics are used online to authenticate a user so that they can access an online system, such as webmail or an online bank account. Users should make sure that their password is: ✓more than eight characters long ✓made up of random characters ✓a mix of letters, numbers and (that is, not common words, names or dates) symbols ✓changed frequently ✓a mix of uppercase and lowercase ✓something that they have not used before letters 3. Passwords, PINs and biometrics When entering a password or a PIN, the characters are often masked so that anyone watching the screen cannot see what is typed. Some services allow the password to be remembered. This is not recommended for multiple users of computers with stand-alone operating systems, as it may mean that another user can access someone else’s accounts. Network operating systems are more secure and will not allow different users to see each other’s stored passwords. 4. CAPTCHA tests and security questions When users create an online account, they may be given a test called a CAPTCHA test. CAPTCHA tests are used to make sure that data is entered by a human and not by an automatic software program known as a bot or web robot. Some CAPTCHA tests work by asking users to enter a randomly generated series of letters and numbers that are displayed on the screen. Automatic software cannot read the letters displayed, or enter them into the required field, so this is used to distinguish human users from bots.  Figure : CAPTCHA tests can play audio versions for users who cannot read the text Figure : Image identification CAPTCHA tests are another way Figure : CAPTCHA tests can ask users to of checking that users are human complete more challenging tasks 4. CAPTCHA tests and security questions reCAPTCHA tests work in the same way as CAPTCHA tests, but they use extracts of text from scanned books or a selection of images that share common features. When a user solves a reCAPTCHA test, their solution is used to help digitize books and annotate images. This helps to make more books available online and improves the information provided in online maps and other services. 5. Anti-malware Anti-malware prevents malware from accessing or operating on computers. It scans computer files in real time and allows users to scan files, folders, disks or whole systems. 5.1. Anti-virus A virus is malware that uses networks to spread to connected devices. Viruses are spread via communication software such as email or web browsers or by being loaded into a computer’s memory from external storage such as USB flash drives. Viruses often look like normal files. However, they have unique virus definitions that can be identified by anti- virus software. Anti-virus software constantly checks files that are downloaded and loaded by a computer for signs of virus definitions. If the anti-virus software finds a match, it quarantines the files so that it cannot be run. Figure : A virus checker can quarantine an infected file so that it cannot infect other files 5.1. Anti-virus Anti-virus software has to be updated regularly because virus code can be changed, either automatically or by the developers of the virus. There is a constant battle between people who create the threats to data and people who create software to protect data. Anti-virus utilities are often combined with software that protects against adware and spyware. For this reason, anti-virus software is often known more generally as anti- malware. Figure : Viruses are often spread by email 5.2. Anti-adware Adware displays unwanted adverts to users. Anti-adware software detects, quarantines and removes adware. 5.3. Anti-spyware Spyware secretly monitors and records computer data and user input. For example, a keylogger is a type of spyware that monitors and records actions such as key presses or mouse movements. Criminals can then analyze this information to identify a user’s passwords for websites, or financial data such as credit card numbers and security codes. Anti-spyware software detects, quarantines and removes spyware. 6. Access rights and file permissions Permissions can be set for access to files, folders or drives, allowing users to read only or read and write to the file. 7. Secure websites Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used to exchange data between a web server and a client (that is, a computer that is accessing the web server). However, data transferred using HTTP is not secure, so Hypertext Transfer Protocol secure (HTTPS) was developed. HTTPS authenticates payment servers and provides encryption using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and, more recently, Transport Layer Security (TLS). HTTPS keeps communications private and provides security for users’ online accounts. Web browsers often show that a website is secure by displaying a green padlock in the address bar. 8. Email attachments and web links Users should always be careful when opening email attachments or hyperlinks in emails and other messages. This is because some are fake and designed to steal users’ personal information. 8. Email attachments and web links Users should ensure that their anti-malware software is up to date and be especially careful if: they do not recognize the sender the text is general, impersonal or irrelevant to the user the text contains spelling or grammatical errors the attached file is an executable file such as an.exe or.zip file the text contains a message telling the user to do something immediately the user does not recognize the URL 9. Backup procedures Backups create one or more copies of data. A backup is usually stored to an external storage device. This makes the data more secure, because the backup files will be safe even if the original storage device fails or is damaged, lost or stolen. Backups can also be saved to online storage. This means that a copy of the data is held in two different geographical locations. Backing up to online storage can be slower because the process uses an internet connection. 9. Backup procedures Users need to decide how many files to back up and how often they should back them up. More regular backups will require more storage space. However, less frequent backups may result in a loss of data (for example, if that data has not been backed up recently). Loss of files or damage to files can be caused by: ✓theft ✓flooding or fire ✓malware ✓power cuts 9. Backup procedures Good ideas for backup procedures are as follows. Set automatic backups. Do not use optical media because they deteriorate over time and are fragile. Schedule backups for late in the evening when users will not be using the data that is being backed up in order to avoid conflicts. Create more than one copy. Keep one copy of a folder containing important files backed up using online storage. Store copies at multiple locations. Store important data in a fireproof safe. Online Payment Systems Online Payment Systems People can pay for goods and services online using various payment systems. These systems send payment details across networks to computers that process the payments. Figure: Many countries are moving quickly towards a cashless society Figure: The percentage of people using non-cash payments differs in different countries around the world Figure: Mobile payments are a growing area Online third-party payment processors Online third-party payment processors like PayPal or Skrill allow users to create an account so that they can send and receive money using email accounts for identification. Users can also use systems that link with online shopping applications, which can make shopping easier and faster. Bank Cards Bank cards allow customers to pay for goods and services online and in shops. When paying online, you usually need to enter the: ✓ card number ✓ expiry date (and sometimes the start date) of the card ✓ name on the card ✓ three- or four-digit card security code (CSC) When a user chooses to use a card online, they are sometimes asked to authenticate the payment by entering a password using a secure system. These systems are used by financial organizations such as Mastercard, which operates the Mastercard Secure Code system. Figure: A bank card contains a number of security and identifying features Figure: Systems are used to authenticate people using payment cards online Figure: Criminals can use card readers or apps on NFC-enabled devices such as smartphones and smartwatches in order to commit fraud Contactless cards using NFC Near field communication (NFC) is used in payment cards to allow the transfer of payment data. The payment does not require a PIN or any form of user-authentication. If a card reader is in range and requesting payment, then the contactless card will take payment up to a maximum amount. This amount is limited, so that any people using card readers or apps to commit fraud can only steal a small amount. NFC cards can be wrapped in foil to prevent the very weak signal from being intercepted by criminals.  Old Questions Describe how the firewall acts on the data that has been sent to the laptop.