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New Microsoft Word Document
New Microsoft Word Document
1. Why are computer systems so vulnerable? Describe the most common security
threats against Information Systems
The computer system are so vulnerable because
Operating systems have fewer vulnerabilities that can lead to massive Internet
worms. For instance, during 2002-2005, Microsoft Windows worms like Blaster,
Nachi, Sasser and Zotob infected a large number of systems on the Internet On
the other hand, vulnerabilities found anti-virus, backup or other application
software, can result in worms. There is growth in the number of client-side
vulnerabilities, including vulnerabilities in browsers, in office software, in
media players and in other desktop applications. These vulnerabilities are being
discovered on multiple operating systems and are being massively exploited in
the wild, often to drive recruitment for botnets. Users who are allowed by their
employers to browse the Internet have become a source of major security risk for
their organizations. A few years back securing servers and services was seen as
the primary task for securing an organization. Today it is equally important,
perhaps even more important, to prevent users having their computers compromised
via malicious web pages or other client-targeting attacks. Attackers are finding
more creative ways to obtain sensitive data from organization
virus-It is a malicious program, using this program it will damage our system,
by injecting the virus in to another programs or files, so that it will regrade
our system performance. virus will come to the system with user interaction
only.
A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file enabling it to spread
from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Like a human
virus, a computer virus can range in severity: some may cause only mildly
annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software or files.
Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may
exist on our computer but it actually cannot infect our computer unless we run
or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be
spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it
going.
People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing
infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail
worm-It is also one type of virus, using this program it will damage our system
like virus, not only system it will spread's through out the network and checks
for honey pot of our os, and enter in to the os,it will regrade ur system
performence and also it will eat our network bandwidth also.
A worm is similar to a virus by design and is considered to be a sub-class of a
virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the
capability to travel without any human action. A worm takes advantage of file or
information transport features on our system, which is what allows it to travel
unaided.
The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on our
system, so rather than our computer sending out a single worm, it could send out
hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect.
One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in
our e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to
everyone listed in each of the receiver's address book, and the manifest
continues on down the line.
Due to the copying nature of a worm and its capability to travel across networks
the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory
(or network bandwidth), causing Web servers, network servers and individual
computers to stop responding.
3.What is a computer crime? Provide two examples of crime in which computers are
targets and two examples in which computers are used as instruments of crime.
A computer crime is any illegal action where the data on a computer is accessed
without permission. This access doesn't have to result in loss of data or even
data modifications. Arguably the worst computer crime occurs when there are no
indications that data was accessed.
Computer crime is often attributed to rogue hackers and crackers, but
increasingly organized crime groups have realized the relative ease of stealing
data with relative low-level of risk
Computer as a target The attack seeks to deny the legitimate users or owners
of thesystem access to their data or computers. A Denial-of-Service (a.k.a., DOS
or DDOS) attack or a virus that renders the computer inoperable would be
examples of this category.
Computer As the Target
Crimes in which the computer is the target include such offenses as theft of
intellectual property, theft of marketing information (e.g., customer lists,
pricing data, or marketing plans), or blackmail based on information gained from
computerized files (e.g., medical information, personal history, or sexual
preference). Unlawful access to criminal justice and other government records is
another crime that targets the computer directly. This crime covers changing a
criminal history; modifying want and warrant information; creating a driver's
license, passport, or another document for identification purposes; changing tax
records; or gaining access to intelligence files.
One of the best examples of a crime in which the computer is the target can
be found in the book The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll. The book recounts the true
story of a hacker from Hanover, Germany, who infiltrated a number of computers
in the United States, including those of universities, the military, and
government contractors. The hacker attempted to locate and steal national
security information in order to sell it to foreign governments, a clear
illustration of making computers the targets of crime
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