Tag Archives: Computer network security

A zombie computer or “bot” lets an unauthorized person gain control over it, a hacker, a malicious website or email or a tainted USB thumb drive is typically the source of infection. The zombie or bot patiently waits to be summoned to perform some nefarious task often as a part of an army of tens of thousands or even millions of zombie PCs called a botnet. Attackers can access list of zombie PCs and activate them to help execute DoS (Daniel of service) attacks against web site, to host phishing web sites or to send spam email message, tracing an attack back to its source leads only to an unwitting victim rather than the true attackers. Zombie infections are good at hiding so they are not noticed and escape removal, they often have file and process names similar or even identical to normal system file names and processes so users …

Most System Administrators are not security specialists. Keeping the network secure is one of many responsibilities, and it is usually not a priority until disaster strikes. How to Cheat at Securing Your Network is the perfect book for this audience. The book takes the huge amount of information available on network security and distils it into concise recommendations and instructions, using real-world, step-by-step instruction. The latest addition to the bestselling “How to Cheat…” series of IT handbooks, this book clearly identifies the primary vulnerabilities of most computer networks, including user access, remote access, messaging, wireless hacking, media, email threats, storage devices, and web applications. Solutions are provided for each type of threat, with emphasis on intrusion detection, prevention, and disaster recovery. General Security Concepts: Access Control, Authentication, and Auditing See how AAA is made up of three distinct but interdependent parts: access control, authentication, and auditing. General Security Concepts: Attacks …

Comfortable? Enjoying your coffee at the corner café while watching the world go by? And so you should, it’s a lovely day outside. You’ve even got your notebook on the table, finishing some work; life is good.  But what about the guy up the back? Think he’s also enjoying a large decaf while working out of the office? No, he’s actually enjoying himself looking at the websites you’re visiting and busily searching your notebook and taking everything he’s interested in. Public place vs. private property it may sound far-fetched, but this happens every day to people using unprotected public Wi-Fi networks. While the wireless network at your home or business is (hopefully always) protected by decent levels of encryption using WPA or WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) certified programs, many public Wi-Fi hot spots do not provide such basic security. But why is encryption so important? And is it difficult to organize? Keep it to …

Cyber criminals are carrying out reconnaissance mission on PCs, so they can tailor their attacks, according to Security Company, when hackers find a computer that is vulnerable to attack, they infect it with a small piece of malicious software called a downloader this will initially “sniff” around the victim’s PC, looking for other vulnerabilities, it can find out which operating system and security software the victim is using, and by identifying the IP address, the software can identify in which country the victim lives and the internet service provider they use. It will also look for other vulnerabilities in third party application, such as QuickTime, that the criminals can later exploit, other analysis is over, and the information is sent back to the servers used by the criminals controlling the attack, they can then tweak malicious software such as keystroke loggers and download the ones that can get the most …

When it comes to information security, your biggest vulnerability is not necessarily your computers. It’s your users. Every day, employees make glaring errors such as posting their passwords where others can see them, downloading and opening e-mail attachments that contain viruses, and failing to shut down their computers at night. Human error, not system weaknesses, is the leading cause of serious security violations, according to the “Committing to Security Benchmark Study” sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). Because human actions greatly affect computer security, you must educate your employees, IT staff, and management to make security a priority and develop good security habits. If you don’t feel confident supplying that information, hire an outside consultant. Organizations such as the SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute, the Computer Security Institute, and the MIS Training Institute specialize in such training and can help companies worldwide. General user training: Focus on …