Security & Protection

The internet has no doubt enriched lives of many but it has also presented us with a new set of problems.  One of the problems that must be tackled is security.  There are many aspects of security when dealing with internet connectivity.

Network security concentrates on protecting a network from threats.  The intelligence for security mechanisms usually reside on dedicated hardware, increasingly these are appliances.

Host security deals with the problem of securing individual computers, these computers may be part of a larger network or a single machine that may also connect to other networks, including the Internet.

This article is mainly concerned with host security.

Let’s look at the various security threats that one has to deal with.

Spam

Spam is “junk mail.”  In the industry it is referred to as Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE).  Many countries have made the transmitting of spam illegal but the problem still remains.  On it’s own, spam, is an annoyance.  It is a tool for distributing malicious software, this is what makes it a threat.

Spam can be dealt on the email server and also on the users PC.  Various anti-spam packages are available in the market for individual users.

 
 Malware

A collective term for software that is meant to cause harm to computer systems.  Various  different types of malware exist such as:

Viruses
Trojans
Spyware

The boundary lines that differentiate these various threats are blurring. 

Viruses and Trojans replicate and move to other machines either via a network or via portable storage.  The software codes are designed to operate in stealth mode and users  are oblivious to what is happening.

Spyware reside on machines and gathers various information on user behavior.  Spyware may also redirect user traffic to other sites.


Malware can be transmitted via email, instant messages, software programs or even data files (eg. mp3’s).

Identity theft (Phishing)

Identity theft is to do with gathering information on users and using this information to ones advantage.  This may be credit card codes, paypal (or some other digital cash service) details, bank account details etc.  Identity theft may be through masquerading (eg. appear to be a bank website), using keylogging or by the use of spyware.


Operating System and Application Software Vulnerabilities

Apple’s Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows are notorious for security holes and there are monthly patches released to deal with threats as they are discovered.  These patches are available for download  but are usually automatically downloaded and the user prompted before applying.  Other than up to date patches, a firewall is required to deal with attacks directed to computers.  A firewall is really a sentry that decides what to allow through and what to block out.

The security landscape is continually changing and so is the approach in dealing with them.  In the past, users would purchase an Anti-Virus program to deal with viruses, an anti-spam program to filter out spam, a firewall to protect against direct attacks.

Security vendors now market Security Suites that address the various threats in a single software package.

Connects recommends security suites from TrendMicro (http://www.trendmicro.com) and Panda (http://www.pandasecurity.com) .

Please contact us for further information.