cv’s graffiti online safety tom carney erie county district
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CV’s Graffiti – Online Safety Tom Carney Erie County District Judge
Tom is certified by the Minor Judiciary Education Board of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania and has 14 years of practice before the American Arbitration Association.
He is currently Committee Chair for the Erie Mayor’s Anti-Graffiti Task Force and is a
member of the Erie County Truancy Task Force and a member of the Erie County P.F.A.
Task Force.
Tom has previously worked for 20 years at International Paper having been a past
member of the United Labor Leaders, past Treasurer of the Erie AFL-CIO, former
member of the Erie Labor Congress, chief contract negotiator with International Paper
Company, and past President of United Paperworkers Local #620.
Tom is very active in the local community being Co-chairperson of Walk America for
Northwestern Pennsylvania, active with the Gifts for Kids Program, and is a member of
the Erie Times Old Newsies.
Larry Dombrowski
Larry Dombrowski is Erie County Chief County Detective; Department Head/High Tech
Crime Investigations Supervisor/DUI & Drug Task Force Investigation Supervisor. He
holds a Masters degree from Mercyhurst College in Administration of Justice. Larry has
written, received and managed over $8 million in various law enforcement grants that
have included DUI Enforcement, Drug Enforcement, Computer Forensics, Child Abuse
Investigation and Prosecution, Domestic Violence and Weed and Seed. Larry has been a
featured forensics examiner on Court TV and is the author of many articles related to law
enforcement. He is an adjunct Professor at Mercyhurst College and Edinboro State
University and is currently Chairman of the Cyber-Terrorism Committee of Pennsylvania
Region 2 Counter-Terrorism Task Force.
Viruses, Worms, and
Hackers: Protect
Your Personal
Computer
“Just Minutes to the
Internet”
The Problem….
There is a tradeoff between ease of use and security for computers
To sell more products, companies have to make computers easy to use.
However, today’s powerful computers plugged into the internet shouldn’t be treated like any other new household appliance.
The Even Greater
Problem…
The Internet is being scanned constantly by self-replicating worms and deliberate attacks.
Hackers want to exploit computers with lax security to take advantage of hard drive space and relatively fast connections.
Common Security
Problems for Home
Machines
May include: privacy invasions
backdoor/trojan infections where an unauthorized person remotely has complete control of your computer.
virus and worm infections,
spyware
warez (file-trading) servers installed,
your computer is used to attack other computers
destruction of files (data, operating system, etc)
Am I at Risk at home?
Why?
Cable modems / DSL: have a fast, always on
connection that hackers can return to again
and again. This atmosphere also provides a
good breeding ground for self-replicating
worms.
“Camping out” on a modem: keeping the same
IP address allows hackers to scan your
system and return at a later date to infect it.
Open Wireless Routers.
How to Make Your Home
Machine As Secure As
at Work
Make sure your computer has good strong passwords
Patch your machine regularly
Install an anti-spyware product
Use an anti-virus product and update it regularly
Use a router-based firewall Know what is running on your system
Use good internet hygiene
Make Sure Your Machine
Has Good Passwords
Most operating systems require a password to protect your computer from unauthorized access.
Passwords should not be dictionary words and should consist of 7+ characters of mixed case including numbers, letters, and symbols.
Some guidelines for selecting – and remembering – a strong password can be found at:
http://www.alw.nih.gov/Security/Docs/passwd.html
Operating System
Password Requirements
Windows:
Passwords required for Windows XP Pro
and Home versions, Windows 2000, and
VISTA.
Linux / Unix:
Passwords required for all flavors.
Macintosh:
Passwords required
Patch Your Machine
Regularly
Computer software vendors provide regular updates for their products that can protect against known security vulnerabilities. These updates are called patches.
Use automatic updates where possible (e.g. Windows Update) or download updates from vendors. Try to download major / “critical” patches to removable media such as CD and install them before putting your computer on the Internet for the first time.
When you hear of a new major vulnerability or patch, try to install it as soon as possible.
Protect Your Machine
From Spyware (Adware)
Spyware: software that is installed on a computer without the user’s knowledge which monitors user activity and transmits it to another computer.
Many spyware programs are set to monitor what web sites you visit and how long you visit them for, generally for advertising / marketing purposes (adware).
How Would I Get Spyware
Installed On My Machine?
Spyware is usually bundled with other software such as shareware or freeware programs (e.g. Peer to Peer file-sharing programs, games, etc). The disclosure for the spyware is usually in the fine print of the licensing agreement. Who reads these anyway?
Another way to get spyware on your machine is by clicking on a deceptive pop-up message.
Consequences of
Spyware
Spyware runs in the background, using your computer’s system resources and memory to log what you are doing. This could interfere with other programs on your computer, and could even cause your computer to frequently crash or lock up.
Spyware also uses your internet connection to send information about your activities to someone else. This could cause your internet connection to slow significantly.
Malware, Viruses, and
Worms
Malware is software which has
malicious intent that is usually installed
without the owner’s knowledge.
Malware may be disguised to look like
benevolent software.
Malware, Viruses, and
Worms
Viruses are small programs which cause some unexpected event on a computer and automatically spread to other computers via e-mail, open file shares, and programs installed on the computer (e.g. Kazaa, AOL Instant Messenger, etc).
Worms are self-replicating viruses that are loaded into computer memory rather than altering files on the machine. A worm’s main goal in life is to spread to as many other machines as possible.
Examples of Malware
One example would be a virus that has a “backdoor” installed. This means that someone at a remote location has total control of your computer. That person can modify or add files to your computer, install programs, add user accounts, or even delete all of your files!
Another example is a “keylogger”, which records every stroke you enter into your keyboard. The keylogger may record a wealth of information: credit card information, passwords, chat room transcripts, private e-mail messages, etc
Scared Yet? Protect
Your Privacy!
Install software to detect and remove spyware, adware, and malware
Adaware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
Spybot S&D
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download
CNET Downloads.com
Your new best friend
Downloads are virus free and safe
Download a few tools to keep your computer running
smooth
REVO Uninstaller
Ccleaner run once a month
Keep Your Anti-virus
Program Up to Date
Update virus definitions weekly, or more often if you hear of a new virus
Set virus protection to automatically download virus definition updates if possible.
Perform a full virus scan of your hard drive(s) at least monthly (if not more often)
Install a Personal Firewall
A personal firewall is a software-based filter between your computer and the outside world that is installed on your computer to protect it from unauthorized access by other external users.
Personal firewalls are configurable to specify which incoming and outgoing programs, ports, and IP addresses can be accessed.
Recommended personal firewalls that are free for personal use:
Zonealarm
http://www.zonealarm.com
Tiny Personal Firewall
http://www.tinysoftware.com
Inexpensive Routers with
Built-In Firewalls
A firmware or hardware based firewall is a separate device that physically sits between your computer and internet connection.
This type of firewall is generally more secure than a personal firewall and saves processing time on the computer that the personal firewall would otherwise be using.
Router-based firewalls can range in price from relatively inexpensive ($70) to thousands of dollars.
This type of firewall device is highly recommended for home use and can protect many types of connections including dialup modem, cable modem, DSL, etc.
Two Inexpensive
Router-based Firewalls
Linksys Cable/DSL Router ($60)
is for Cable/DSL and quite usable for home
use (1 to 4 ports).
SMC 7004ABR ($80):
This is for Cable/DSL and also has an RS-232
port (for Internet connection via modem).
Prevent Identity Theft
When Making Online
Purchases
Look for a padlock at the bottom of web pages, indicating that the site is secured by encrypting data when submitting sensitive information such as credit card numbers or a SSN.
A secure site means that your data is encrypted during transmission. Keep in mind that it says NOTHING about how secure the data is once it is stored on a remote computer.
Prevent Identity Theft
When Making Online
Purchases
Purchase from well-known companies (Don’t buy from mass e-mail solicitation)
Realize that reputable web sites will never e-mail request for any personal information such as SSN, password, credit card or bank acct. number, etc.
Use Good Computer Hygiene
“Think before you click” THINK WEBBUGS Be careful with e-mail attachments – call or write
back to confirm before opening
Be careful about what web sites you go to.
Be careful when prompted to download software
Use good passwords and change them periodically for both machine and web sites you visit!
Don’t create non-password protected file shares
Backup data frequently
Remove internet access when it is not needed
Install minimal applications and services
To Review….
There are a lot of simple steps you can take to keep your computer secure and free of intruders. These include: Using “good” passwords
Patching your computer
Installing anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall products
Using a VPN to encrypt network traffic
Knowing what is running on your computer and turning off unnecessary software
Using good internet hygiene and purchasing habits
Remember, it is a lot easier to be proactive than to attempt to “clean up” later.
CONTACTS
Larry Dombrowski
Chief County Detective
Erie County Office of
District Attorney