INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY: SECURITY Taylor Moncrief

WHAT IS SECURITY?• All types of security, including the shield of computers, is

the process of protecting something from unauthorized users.

• In the “technology world”, it includes the protection of hardware, software, and data.

• Everyone should be aware of the potential consequences of security problems!

ARE YOU WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE?• Authentication- This is what requires users to prove their

identify to a system

• These techniques can be divided into three different categories. Something you know, something you have, and something you are.

Something you Know Something you Have Something you Are

Passwords and Pins• Use more than 12

Characters• Change passwords

frequently • Never write them down

A physical object• Key• Security Tokens (resembles a

keychain that the is owned by the owner and easily carried)

Biometrics• Fingerprints, Iris Patterns, face

shape, and voice patterns.

HACKING (CRACKING)• Gaining Unauthorized access

to computer systems

• Social Engineering- Involves simply tricking the user into revealing their password or other data.

• A Password Cracker- a program designed to guess passwords

• Packet Sniffer- program that captures data as it travels over networks.

VIRUSESAre malicious programs designed to replicate themselves and cause damage to computer systems.

Triggered when a user opens the program or attachment.

Deleting or overwriting filesWiping the hard disk

Worms Trojan Horses Spyware

Similar to viruses, but spread without any user interaction

Instead of spreading on their own, Trojan horses rely on tricking the user into downloading and running them

Form of malware which monitor the users activities without their knowledge or permission.

INFILTRATING THE PENTAGON• Lost thumb drive found in the parking lot of a US Military

base

• An employee inserted it into a military laptop

• Leading to the “most significant breach ever of US military computer networks

• This flash drive was placed in the car park by a foreign intelligence agency, and was infected with Agent.BTZ worm

• Took over a year to remove the work from compromised systems.

SPAM• Unwanted messages that are sent to many users at once

• Spammers technique is to entice users to opening the emails One Day after Michael Jackson’s death, spam emails began to offer

information about his death.

• Impacts of spam are the potential exposure to malware infected attachments, which can have a serious impact on businesses. This can slow down email servers, consuming disk space and bandwidth.

PHISHING AND IDENTITY THEFT

• Phishing is the way hackers attempt to impersonate genuine organizations in order to fool the user into providing sensitive data and passwords.

• Identity Theft is the stealing of somebody's personal data in order to impersonate them.

• Both of these actions are used to draw money from victims accounts or commit further crime.

ENCRYPTION

Is needed to protect data from unauthorized access when it is sent over an untrusted network, like the internet. They use specific keys to transform a message into a form not understandable until the message is received.

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PHYSICAL SECURITY• Measures are intended to prevent intruders from gaining

access to a computer system

• Basic physical security includes locks on computer room doors and computer cabinets , as well as alarms and body guards.

WORKS CITED

"Information Technology in a Global Society (ITGS) Textbook." ITGS Textbook. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.