Challenges of Internet Security
September 9, 2008
The primary challenges of Internet security have everything to do with balancing accessibility and functionality with the three pillars of information security: confidentiality, integrity and availability.
The Internet has become an in disposable tool for research, commerce, art, education and virtually every part of modern life. It was the inquisitive, intelligent, intuitive and creative nature of humanity that created the Internet and its those same qualities that put individual systems linked directly to the Internet in peril. The three pillars of information security are at stake for all systems with connectivity to the Internet. The challenge is in the implementation of the necessary security controls to achieve those three pillars.
Confidentiality:
Confidentiality pertains to protecting sensitive information. Sensitive information can be anything from private user information to classified defense data. Many organization live and die by the protection of proprietary information from competitors. During wartime, the armed services literally LIVE or DIE based on how well certain sensitive information is guarded. In the US Department of Defense is called Operational Security. Since the Internet is a critical part of the DoD (and defense organizations around the world) the confidentiality is a HUGE challenge for their Information systems exposed to the Internet. Some of the threats to there systems include: social engineering, leaks of information and accidental release of sensitive data. All of these threats can be enabled via the Internet.
Organizations must educate their user who have access to sensitive information. I’ve heard some security professionals say that educating users is bad.
But if your users have access to sensitive information (and need to have that access to do their jobs) it is imperative that they not only know WHAT is sensitive, but WHO it can be give to, WHEN it can be shared, HOW it can be share and WHY it can be shared.
Integrity:
Data integrity is very important to all systems passing data on the Internet. Integrity has to do with whether or not the message on the other end of your connection is the same one you actually sent. Whether its your passwords being passed to your bank or the DoD passing data over the Internet, the integrity of the data is imperative. Its often taken for granted until, we are sending an email and the receiver says they got the email but the message can’t be read. Sometimes if the messages integrity is garbled or malformed it simply won’t reach its destination. If the integrity of a message can not be protected in some way or verified and checked, it is possible for someone to intercept your message, alter it, and send it on its way. Integrity is especially critical in banking and financial transactions which is why encryption and authentication take on such an important role for sensitive transactions such as ATM withdrawals, and online banking.
The challenge to maintaining Internet integrity is to ensure that link is encrypted when necessary.
Availability:
If there is no availability there is no mission, no business, no functionality. One of the major challenges of Internet security has been Denial of Services attacks. A Denial of Service attack is when your system on the Internet (or within a network) is flooded with useless traffic such that no one else (not even you) can use it. With a misconfiguration, a denial of service can happen by accident. Its important to test the availability of an online system. Its also a good practice to see what kind of availability and access you are giving. After all, too much availability can compromise the security of your system.
Most challenges of Internet security can tie into one or more of the big three: confidentiality, confidentiality or availability. With those in mind most challenges can be overcome. But the double edged sword of security.. the very nature of it on the Internet is to constantly change and evolve with the Internet. The constant change of threats to those three aspects of security is perhaps the biggest over arching challenge.
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Why is Internet Safety Important
September 3, 2008
The amazing freedom and availability of the Internet lends itself to a few major dangers: Pr0n, malware and how to perform illegal and/or dangerous activities.
Whether it is a curious person seeking these things out or the child accidentally clinking the wrong link and getting bombard with explicit pop-ups, the items lists can be harmful to an impressionable mind. Policies must be enforced.
There are a few groups that should have limited exposure to certain types of information on the Internet. Children, mentally handicapped or psychologically damaged people in settings such as schools, homes, rehabilitation or correctional facilities and group homes should be blocked, tracked and monitored while accessing the Internet. Certain information could destroy them if they don’t yet have the capacity to understand or put certain information in the proper context.
Protection from Pornography & Malware
In a professional setting there should be a written policy against accessing and/or downloading unacceptable material such as pornography. These items should be actively blocked whether in a working environment or at home among minors accessing the same system. Allowing impressionable or fragile minds unlimited access to certain graphic material is irresponsible. The law is also a good reason why Internet safety is important. If you are the owner or charged with immediate control of the system being used for illegal activity, you could be partially or wholly liable for the activity. An example is substitute teacher Julie Amero
On October 19, 2004, Julie Amero was substituting for a seventh-grade language class at Kelly Middle School in Norwich, Connecticut. The teacher’s computer was accessed by pupils while the regular teacher, Matthew Napp, was out of the room. When Julie took charge, the computer started showing pornographic images.
On January 5, 2007, Amero was convicted in Norwich Superior Court on four counts of risk of injury to a minor, or impairing the morals of a child. Her sentencing was delayed four times after her conviction, with both the prosecution and judge not satisfied that all aspects of the case had been assessed.[1] The felony charges for which she was originally convicted carry a maximum prison sentence of 40 years
- wikipedia
The Kelly Middle School systems were actually infected with malware that allowed the explicit pictures to pop up.
Access to Dangerous information
From the Columbine shooters to the Virginia Tech massacre, most of the killers had a recorded history of mental illness and/or psychologically instability. In many cases, they used public and/or home computers belonging to their parents to research bomb making or even purchase guns.
Controlling access is the best way to get on the Internet safely. Maintaining privacy of users is another important step in Internet safety, however that is a matter of educating users particularly if the frequent Social networks such as facebook or myspace. They need to be instructed about the dangers of stalkers, perverts and predators looking specifically for impressionable minds.
We are the keepers of these impressionable and fragile minds. That is the reason Internet safety is important and why we must be mindful of these subjects.
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Which Is Faster Wireless Router Or Wired Internet
May 7, 2008
Wireless Routers vs Wired Router
Overview: Routers, switches and hubs (1) (a.ka Internetworking devices) give you access to the Internet (2) via some sort of ISP device (broadband modem, DSL ect) (3). The speed onto the actual Internet depends on the service you have purchased with your local ISP (4). They are the gatekeepers (AT&T, Comcast, Verison, Local ISP ect). This usually creates a bit of a bottleneck because your local area network (LAN) is much faster than your connection to the actual Internet. You actual connection to the Internet is controlled by your ISP. Wired LANs will allow you to get from 100-1000Mb/second, Wireless will get from from 10-250Mb (depending on how far from the wireless router you are and what type you get).
ISPs allow you to go anywhere from 56Kbs – 12Mbs:
Dial-up: 56Kbs – (4 minutes to download 1.7MB file)
DSL: up to 6Mbs – (2 seconds to download 1.7MB file)
Cable: up to 12Mbs – (1 second to download 1.7MB file)
*the math: 1.7 Mega Bytes is 13,600,000 bits (per second) of data divided by n, where n is your speed (i.e. 56K = 56,000 bits per second)
**There is a technology called WiMax Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (802.16e) coming out that will allow wireless to go directly in your home from the ISP at 70Mb/second and that will beat every currently on the market.
If you have a home LAN (more than one computer in your home linked together connected to the Internet), your network is passing data at about 100Mb/second – which is really fast for even really large files. But this is where the Wireless vs. Wired Internet comes in. Don’t confuse your internal network speed with your connection to the Internet (see overview).
Should you go with a wireless or a wired router?
Any wireless router you get will have both options available, so you are better off getting a wireless. The cost isn’t usually that different unless you want a high end wireless which will usually be between $20-$50 more.
Which Switch is Faster, wireless or wired?
It really depends on what kind you get. However, the fastest wired router will beat the pants off of the fastest wireless. Wired routers go up to 100-1000Mb. Of course, I high end wireless can have everything a high end router has (including those super 1000Mb speeds).
SUPER HIGH END HOME ROUTER
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Prevent Computer Viruses
December 26, 2006
In the last three years or so I haven’t had a single computer virus on my main system unless I put it there on purpose. I use a very simple method to prevent computer viruses and malware from ever getting on my system.
check it out here: http://elamb.org/hacked/how-to-prevent-computer-virus.htm
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Spy on Co-workers, Spouse and Kids
November 14, 2006
a message to a reader.
A personal note about monitoring: I spied on my wife and I’ll just say that there are somethings you may not want to know. Now, I know that a spouse and a child are totally different issues, I would just like you to realize the power of these tools. You must also take great care in making absolutely CERTAIN they don’t find out you are spying, because trust is sometimes impossible to get back. It can be like throwing gas on a candle flame. There are also tools that can counter the spying tools.
With all that being said: I’ve got two beautiful little girls and when they are old enough I will DEFINITELY spy on them. Its not so much my lack of trust on them, as it is my knowledge of predators on the Net.
keylogger - software or device that monitors every key stroke. Used by parents, spouses, bosses and covert, subversive spying. Typically only for a local machine (you install it on a system then have to get on that machine to get the data off of it when they are gone.)
network keylogger - keylogger for every computer on a network managed from a primary computer. These are more expensive but can give real-time spying.
Stealth mode - keyloggers/spy software usually has a key stroke like Ctrl+Alt+6 that will allow you to make the application run completely undetected.
These tools range from 30-day free demos to $300 for some of the better tools. I won’t spend less than $29 dollars if you are not computer savy. There are $10 one that are created by independent hackers but you have to know computer well to use them.
(look through this list - look for fairly priced software that looks easy to use and have the ability to send information to you via network, email or share drive. If you can get the spy data when they go to school or work then you don’t need it emailed or networked.
Don’t worry about technical stuff, they will usually tell you exactly how to use it unless you get some 10 dollar product made for hackers.)
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Security Forums Directory
July 21, 2006
Easily locate forums and newsgroups related to security. Why isn’t elamb.org on there? Oh, well.
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McAfee Reveals 'OneCare' Competitor, Falcon
May 31, 2006
McAfee announced today an all-in-one security subscription service codenamed Falcon. Falcon will contain all major security suite components as well as PC backup and tune-up tools. It's essentially a competitor to Microsoft's Windows OneCare, expected soon, and Symantec's Genesis (also a codename), due out this fall.
Symantec has a lawsuit against Microsoft based on allegde “misappropiation of intellectual property.”
<sarcasm>
</sarcasm>
What blows my mind is how Microsoft continues to get away with this.
Microsoft Innovator's Copy & Conquer
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Delete Search Results: Cover your tracks
May 31, 2006
Ever search for something questionable on someone else system and go into a hyperventilation panic when you notice that their computer is retaining the keywords you typed into their search engine?
You typed in “boobies” on your mom's computer and now the word pops up everytime you type a “B”!!
Perhaps it was your spouses system and your were searching for evidence of pornography.
Maybe it was your kids computer and you want to make sure they are o.k. mentally.
Maybe your Internet connection has been down for a while and you’ve had to use your friends system or a public system.
Whatever the case maybe it is none of my business. And you don’t want it to be the business of the other who will use the system after you.
Here are two simple techniques to get rid of those bad keywords.
For Window XP “Recently Opened Documents”:
To delete “my Recent Documents”
Right – Click on the “Start” button
Select “Properties”
On the Start Menu Tab, Select “Customize”
Select the “Advance Tab”
Select the “Clear List” button at the bottom. Don’t worry, it will NOT delete the files. (Deselect the checkbox if you don’t want the system to track previously opened files)
For Windows XP, Internet Explorer:
In IE, Select “Tools”
Go to “Internet Option” at the bottom of the Tools list
Under Temporary Internet Files select “Delete Cookies” and “Delete Files”
To delete the history of the websites you searched select “Clear History”
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18 Days of Reckless Computing
May 31, 2006
Someone over at wired gives tests his new Dell to see how many viruses and how much malware it takes to get the Geek Squad to call it a total loss.
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10 Security Suite Reviews : Who's Got Your Back
May 30, 2006
All-in-One Security
Suites of antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software can provide convenient, solid protection against today's worst threats. Our tests of ten contenders show who's got your back.
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