tenth edition chapter 9: privacy, crime, & security

Computers Are Your FutureTenth Edition

Chapter 9: Privacy, Crime, & Security

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 1

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permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright Copyright ©© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Publishing as Prentice HallPublishing as Prentice Hall

What You Will Learn

� Understand how technological developments are eroding privacy and anonymity.

� List the types of computer crime and cybercrime.

� List the types of computer criminals.

� Understand computer system security risks.Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3

What You Will Learn

� Describe how to protect your computer system and yourself.

� Define encryption and explain how it makes online information secure.

� Describe the issues the government faces when balancing the need to access encrypted data and the public’s right to privacy.


Privacy, Crime, & Security


Privacy in Cyberspace

� Privacy is the ability of a person or entity to control and prevent others from collecting, using, and selling personal, confidential information.

� With the use of computers and the Internet, having anonymity, the means to communicate without disclosing your identity, has become more difficult to achieve.Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 6


� Technologies that jeopardize online anonymity include:

� Cookies

� Global unique identifiers

� Ubiquitous computing

� Radio frequency identification



� After a user visits a Web site, a small text file known as a cookie may be written to the user’s hard disk by the Web site. � Although some cookies are used for justifiable reasons, this is not always the case.

� Some cookies are used to gather personal information without the user’s consent.



� Anonymous use of the Internet is made more difficult through the use of global unique identifiers (GUIDs), an identification number produced by software or a piece of hardware.

� Companies that have GUIDs integrated into their products usually do not inform the public.



� The tendency to interact with more than one computer at a time is called ubiquitous computing.

� Given that smaller devices such as smartphones can receive and transmit personal user information, if they are lost, the privacy of the user could be compromised.



� Radio frequency identification (RFID) uses radio waves to track a chip or tag. � Often used for inventory control in stores� Example of a concern about RFID technology:

� It could compromise a person’s anonymity and privacy if information stored on RFID tags attached to U.S. passports is misused



� To protect society, governments should provide privacy rights including but not limited to:� Informing users of the collection of information and its intended use.

� Allowing users to give or deny their consent to have their information collected.



� Privacy online:� Use protective software or devices such as Anonymous Surfing or IronKey Secure USB flash drives when using the Internet.

� Create e-mail addresses from free Web-based services whenever you use your e-mail address for such things as chat rooms and mailing lists.



� Privacy online (continued):

� Teach children the importance of getting permission prior to giving out personal information over the Internet.

� Before you fill out any online registration forms, make sure the privacy policy statement of a Web site states that the information provided will not be sold.



� Privacy at home:� GPS capabilities are embedded in newer cell phones so they can be located.

� Services such as Wherify and uLocate can determine the precise location of a cell phone.

� Software is available to determine and provide notification when a cell phone leaves a specific geographic area.



� Privacy at work:� Refrain from making personal calls on a work phone.

� Avoid using a company e-mail account for personal purposes.

� Assume that your actions at work are being monitored.


Computer Crime & Cybercrime

� Actions that violate the law are known as computer crimes.

� Crimes perpetrated through the use of the Internet are cybercrimes.

� The area of law dedicated to computer crime is called cyberlaw.

� Many Web sites educate users about cybercrime and cybercriminals.Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 18


� Types of computer crime

� Identify theft: A criminal gains access to personal information in order to impersonate another

� Phishing: Legitimate-looking e-mails or Web sites are created in an attempt to obtain confidential data about a person for illegal purposes.



� Types of computer crime (continued)

� Malware (short for malicious software): programs developed to intentionally harm or gain access to a computer system without permission.

� Includes spyware, viruses, worms, zombies, and Trojan horses




� Spyware: software that gathers private information and tracks Web use, and provides that information to third parties

� Adware: a form of spyware that generates annoying pop-up and banner ads

� Keyloggers: keep track of keystrokes to provide cybercriminals with confidential data




� Computer virus: code that is concealed inside a program and intended to harm or destroy files

� File infectors attach themselves to files.

� Boot sector viruses attach to the first tracks on a hard drive and execute each time you start the computer.

� Macro viruses attach to data files and take advantage of application macros.



� Rogue forms of malware include:

� Time bomb: A virus program that remains dormant on a computer system until it is activated by a specific event

� Worm: Similar to a virus but does not need the action of a user to execute the code and cause damage



� Denial of service (DoS) attack

� Assaults an Internet server with so many requests that it cannot function

� Accomplished through zombies, individual computers in a botnet—a group of “hijacked” computers.



� Trojan horse

� Normal-looking program that includes concealed instructions

� Created to cause harm



� As the stealing of private and confidential information increases, the possibility of fraud also increases.

� The physical stealing of computer equipment is also growing, especially computer components such as microprocessors and chips.



� Types of fraud and theft

� Memory shaving: only a portion of RAM is stolen to make the theft less evident

� Password stealing: unauthorized gathering of passwords



� Techniques to obtain passwords



� Types of fraud and theft (continued)

� Salami shaving: an embezzlement tool in which a program takes a little money from numerous accounts

� Data diddling: individuals change data so that it is hard to determine that the resulting theft has occurred



� Types of fraud and theft (continued)

� Forgery: information is transmitted over the Internet as if from a user by an illegal source that appears to be legitimate.

� A high percentage of cybercrimes go unreported because of blackmail.



� Crackers

� Cybergangs

� Virus authors

� Swindlers

� Shills

� Cyberstalkers

� Sexual predators

� Cyberbullies


� Types of computer criminals



� Examples of Internet Scams


� Cyberstalkers use the Internet, social networking sites, and e-mail to harass or threaten an individual.

� Most perpetrators are men.

� Most victims are college-age women.

� Cyberbullies send threatening messages via e-mail or text messages.

� Cyberbullying involves minors.


Security

� Computer security risk is:

� Any intentional or unintentional action that results in damaging a computer system and/or its data

� Increased by wireless LANs because transmissions occur over shared airwaves instead of dedicated lines.


Security

� Security options available for wireless networks include:

� WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)

� WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

� WPA2


Security

� Threats to the security of computer systems include:

� Corporate espionage

� Information warfare

� Security loophole detection programs

� Attacks on safety-critical systems

� Terrorism


Security

� To reduce security risks:

� Use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which supplies additional power during power outages or electrical current fluctuations to prevent damage or loss to computer components and/or data.

� Control access to computer systems though appropriate password selection and know-and-have authentication.


Security

� To reduce security risks (continued):

� Use biometric authentication—the use of voice recognition, retinal scans, and fingerprint scans for authentication purposes.

� Incorporate firewalls, which can be hardware or software, to prevent unauthorized access.


Security

� Avoiding scams on the Internet and preventing cyberstalking

� Use common sense.

� Don’t give out personal information.

� Be cynical of information provided in chat rooms.

� Read documents carefully.

� Remain cautious when using the Internet.


The Encryption Debate

� Cryptography

� The study of encoding messages

� Encryption

� Method of coding or mixing up a message so that it cannot be understood by unintended recipients



� Public Key Encryption

� Uses two keys

� Public key to encrypt

� Private key to decrypt

� Used in e-commerce

� Used to implement

� Digital signatures, which guarantee that messages haven’t been tampered with

� Digital certificates, which validate identity



� Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

� Uniform set of encryption standards

� Several corporate PKI proposals, including Live ID

� Many fear monopoly if PKI is chosen

� U.S. government proposal

� Included a backdoor that enabled message code to be cracked

� Considered an invasion of privacy



� Government Solution

� The right to privacy often conflicts with need to know.

� The U.S. government continues its search for ways to balance the public’s right to privacy and the government’s need to know.


What You’ve Learned

� The lack of complete federal regulations to protect the right to privacy for individuals has resulted in numerous Web sites collecting and accumulating personal information.

� Computer crime and cybercrime are on the rise, including such crimes as identity theft, malware, fraud, and theft.



� Computer criminals, such as crackers, cybergang members, and virus authors, are often the cause of the increase in computer security risks.

� Security risks are events, actions, and situations that could lead to losses.



� Although no computer system can be totally safe, you can take simple steps to protect your computer and data.

� Encryption can be used to guard privacy online through public key encryption.

� The government must keep trying to find a balance between its need to know and the privacy rights of individuals.


tenth edition chapter 9: privacy, crime, & security

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