Social networking sites, sometimes referred to as “friend-of-a-friend” sites, build upon the concept of traditional social networks where you are connected to new people through people you already know. The purpose of some networking sites may be purely social, allowing users to establish friendships or romantic relationships, while others may focus on establishing business connections.
Ridding a network of Windows computers of a virus or worm can seem impossible. Viruses may cause computers to reboot and infect new machines while you are in the process of removing them. Through the use of the live-software installer, Knoppix provides a solution to this catch-22.
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We know you’ve heeded our constant exhortations to run a personal firewall, an antivirus product, and a spyware sniffer/remover. And naturally, you update all of them religiously. Of course you do. So now you’re completely safe, right?
Wrong.
Q: I have heard about cyber thieves copying everything you type on the computer. Is this possible? How can I protect myself? — A.C., Philadelphia, Pa.
A: This type of criminal activity is called keylogging, and it is the next generation of cyber crime, even more insidious than phishing (the act of sending e-mails in an attempt to scam computer users into surrendering private information that can be used for identity theft).
Dealing with spyware, adware, and other malware has become a daily challenge for IT staff. There’s no lack of potential solutions on the market, but finding an effective solution is a whole other challenge. Many products only react to spyware once an infection has occurred. The real answer to the spyware problem has to be proactive prevention – blocking spyware from entering the network and preventing pre-existing spyware installations from activating. Rather than address the spyware security problem with the traditional ‘point solution’ approach, FaceTime takes a broader view. Spyware applications are addressed as part of the broader problems posed by greynets , which encompass both legitimate and unauthorized applications that share a key common attribute – they are not controlled by existing corporate security procedures. IM, P2P, Web browsing, and other greynets can:
Q: Nearly every day, I hear of some new Internet threat. What can I do to protect myself from spyware and other online hazards?
A: (Attorney General Rob McKenna) Here are some of the hazards, and ways to protect yourself:
Spyware: deceptive software that can monitor, collect and transmit personal information; change settings affecting privacy and security; and take control of your computer.
If you are looking for cool cyber security posters about security best practices or wondering how to report a suspicious cyber incident, check out these set of posters from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Homeland Security also has a set of posters with physical security guidance as well as a downloadable brochure that combines information for both the online and physical world.
The network security firm Sophos estimates that an unprotected computer has a 40 percent chance of being infected by a malicious worm within 10 minutes of being connected to the Internet. After an hour, the odds rise to 94 percent.
Malware attacks is a growing phenomenon. One particular malware that is frighteningly powerful is Haxdoor which is a backdoor pharming rootkit that steals your confidential information.
It can hide its presence (processes and files) on an infected system, so it can be only detected by anti-virus programs that use kernel drivers and by rootkit .
Spyware is a major problem infecting personal computers in the Cadillac area and throughout the world. Some experts believe that it is now a more serious problem than Internet viruses.
