Safe Computing Outreach Joseph Howard Undergraduate Research Assistant 05/01/2015 Disclaimer: This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant No ). Opinions, findings, and conclusions/recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

Research Purpose  Perform research to help fulfill outreach portion of research grant.  Review Texas Tech IT Divisions Safe Computing program  Review the Cyber Security classes course materials  Make recommendations to Texas Tech IT Divisions Safe Computing program based off of my findings in the Cyber Security course materials.

The Modern World We Live In Because of the internet, life has never been easier.  Online shopping  Social networking sites  Online banking/investments 

New Dangers Also, because of the growth in popularity of the internet, there are new threats emerging that we have never had to experience  As the internet grows, so does danger  Old malware use to be created by mischievous programmers.  Present day malware is dangerous and utilized by criminals.  SAFE COMPUTING PRACTICES ARE ESSENTIAL!!!

Common Threats Although there are countless attacks that cyber criminals use, these are the most common categories  Viruses  Worms  Trojans  Spyware  Spam  Ransomeware

Safe Computing Practices

Anti-malware is a very easy to use defense mechanism to help protect your computer  Scan your computer regularly  Regularly check for updates  Understand that anti-malware will not completely secure you computer Anti-Malware Utilization

A common way for a computer to be infected is the user unwittingly installing the malware themselves.  Scan all new files coming onto to your computer  Be cautious of file types. Be Cautious of Files Being Put On your Computer

In addition to the previous tips here are some additional general tips  Make sure you change name and passwords for new electronic devices  Be cautious of public Wi-Fi  Keep up to date with widespread computer threats via news or internet  Encrypt sensitive information  Be conscious of potential threats General Tips

Some malwares have some specific defenses not applicable to others. For these you have to use specific techniques  Some software trick users into installing spyware on to their computers by stating that spyware will be installed, but they will hide it in all of the other licensing agreement text  A lot of spam includes an unsubscribe button  What this button does is confirm that this is a legitimate address and will send you even more spam  Limit or completely restrict your browsers use of cookies Malware Specific Caution

If your precautions, fail it is important to be able to recognize an attack. Fortunately. with many of these types of malware. there are some telltale signs of infection Recognizing Attacks

 “deteriorating computer responsiveness, unexpected and sustained churning” [1:363]  “sudden sluggishness of user applications, unexplained freezing of applications or unexpected error messages” [1:363]  “unscheduled hardware resets and crashes, sudden antivirus alarm activity” [1:363]  “disk error messages, saved documents that open as DOT files” [1:363]  “applications that disappear or will not execute” [1:363] Evidence of Viruses

 “unrecognized new process running, startup messages indicating that new software has been (or is being) installed (registry updating)” [1: 372]  “unresponsiveness of applications to normal commands, unusual redirection of normal web requests to unknown sites” [1: 372]  “unexpected or unscheduled modem connection activity” [1: 372]  “unexpected remote logon prompts at unusual times or unfamiliar logon prompt panels (this may result from routine software upgrades or session resets but can also indicate Trojan keylogging or password capturing software)” [1: 372]  “sudden or unexpected termination of antivirus scanning software or personal firewall software ( either at startup or when user attempts to load)” [1: 372] Evidence of Trojans

 Because of how connected we are by the internet, proper knowledge on how to safely browse the internet is crucial  Stay up to date  Be cautious Conclusion

References [1] Kim, David, and Michael Solomon. Fundamentals Of Information Systems Security, Second Edition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, Print.

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