Transcript Apps 1 Comp 1.01

Computer Applications I
Period ______Student ________________________
Competency 1 – Discuss business communication hazards, techniques,
system maintenance and navigation.
Objective 1.01 - Identify digital communication hazards.
1. What is spyware?
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A category of computer programs
that attach themselves to the
computer’s operating system
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Drains the life out of your
computer's processing power.
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Designed to track users’ Internet
habits and nag them with unwanted
sales offers or generate traffic for
the host Web site.
2. What is browser hijacking?
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An external code that changes your IE settings.
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Generally the home page will be changed and new
favorites will be added.
This may also disallow access to certain web pages,
for example the site of an anti-spyware software
manufacturer like Lavasoft. These programs can
also disable antivirus and anti-spyware software.
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Characteristics of browser hijackers
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They take advantage of IE’s ability to run ActiveX
scripts straight from a web page.
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Generally, they request permission to install themselves
through a popup that loads when visiting a certain site.
Use security holes within IE to install themselves
automatically without any user interaction.
These can be launched from popup ad windows which the
user has not even intended to view.
Make entries to the HOSTS file on your system.
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This special file directly maps web URLs to IP addresses, so
that every time you type a URL you are redirected to the IP
address of a sponsored search or perhaps an inappropriate
site.
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Browser hijacking isn't necessarily a virus,
and isn't necessarily adware, so stopping it
isn't necessarily best left to software
monitoring programs.
3. Antivirus software
Antivirus programs learn and memorize all
of the different replicating viral signatures
that are already out there (40,000 to date),
and then compare the binary signatures of
incoming files against those already-known
viral signatures to see if anything suspect is
lurking on your computer.
Antivirus software
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The software typically is kept running in
the background to check files and e-mail
messages as they are downloaded.
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A virus signature is a section of code that
can be used to identify a known virus.
Virus protection
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Install antivirus software and keep it running.
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Before downloading, make sure source is
reputable.
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When you receive a disk, scan it with antivirus
software before use.
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Never open an e-mail attachment unless the
sender is known.
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Watch for information about the latest virus threats
and keep your antivirus program up-to-date.
Purchasing guidelines
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Purchase a software that
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provides free weekly updates.
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provides the coverage necessary to maintain
the computer’s security.
Dependable brands:
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Symantec
Norton
McAfee
4. Firewalls
A firewall is either a piece of hardware or a
software program that examines data as it passes
into your computer or network and discards it if it
does not meet certain criteria.
This operation may take place at different points
in the path between the source of the data and
the application in your computer.
Packet filtering firewalls
Packet filtering firewalls work by
examining data packets as they
attempt to pass through the firewall.
They compare them to a list of rules based
on the source of the data, its intended
destination, and the connection port
between the target and source data.
Circuit level gateway firewall
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gateway is a firewall
that only allows data into
its protected network
based on requests from
computers inside that
network.
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The firewall keeps a record of requests for data that
go out, and only allows data back in that matches
that request.
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An advantage of this type of firewall is that anyone
scanning the network from outside will see only the
address of the firewall and not the rest of its
protected network.
Application level gateway firewall
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Application level gateways, or proxies, are
similar in operation to circuit level gateways
in that they act as the only entrance into or
out of a protected network and deny nonrequested data from outside.
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The major difference is in the way they handle
information.
A firewall using this method runs proxy
applications to view common types of data
before it is allowed through the firewall.
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(Proxy--A server that sits between a client application, such as a
Web browser, and a real server. It intercepts all requests to the
real server to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it
forwards the request to the real server.—www.webopedia.com)
Stateful inspection firewall
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Stateful inspection is a combination of packet
filtering with some elements of the gateway
methods.
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Essentially, it is a packet filter firewall that
examines more than just the addresses and port
information of the data. Without using proxies, it
can imitate some of the features of an application
gateway by viewing the application-specific data
sent in each packet.
6. What is a secure website?
A secure website is one that uses data
encryption to protect all information.
How can you tell a site is secure?
There are three ways to confirm that a
website is secure:
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Click the VeriSign icon to verify that the
certificate is valid.
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A secure page should include a small
padlock symbol displayed on the bottom
line of your browser.
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On a secure page, in the browser
address box, the URL will begin with an
https: prefix rather than the standard
http: prefix. The s means that the page
is secure.
7. Identify Theft
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Any instance where a person
uses someone else's
identification documents or other
identifiers in order to
impersonate that person.
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It intrudes into many areas of
people’s daily lives.
Types of identity theft
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Financial fraud - includes bank fraud, credit card
fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud,
social program fraud, tax refund fraud, mail fraud,
and several more.
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Criminal activities - involves taking on someone
else's identity in order to commit a crime, enter a
country, obtain special permits, hide one's own
identity, or commit acts of terrorism.
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Credit card fraud is identity theft in its most simple
and common form. It can be accomplished either
by a thief who steals your account number or when
your pre-approved credit card offers fall into the
wrong hands.
Examples of identity theft
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Dumpster diving - Dug out of trash cans and dumpsters
Memorization or copying by sales clerks and waiters
Removal from mailboxes: tax notices, financial statements, and
other bills
Removal from your employer's files, secretly or with an inside
accomplice
Removal from hospital records, usually with an inside accomplice
Removal from your financial lender's files
Removal from your landlord's files
Purchases (or found free) from online or offline databases
Collection from "cloned" Web sites – (someone recreates a
legitimate merchant Web site in order to capture your personal
information and credit card information when you place an order)
Stealing from a merchant database through computer hacking
Snatching by using software that mirrors keystrokes to capture
credit card account information or passwords
Ways to protect yourself
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DON'T give out your Social Security number unless it’s critical.
DESTROY any unwanted credit card offers.
ONLY include your name and address on checks.
SHRED (cross-cut) any sensitive documents before discarding.
DON'T carry your Social Security card, passport, or birth certificate
in your wallet or purse.
REVIEW your credit report annually to verify its accuracy.
NEVER give out personal information on the phone to someone you
don't know and who initiated the call.
REVIEW your credit card statement each month to make sure there
are no unauthorized charges.
DON'T mail bills or documents that contain personal data (like tax
forms or checks) from your personal mail box.
If you're ever denied credit, FIND OUT WHY.
REACT QUICKLY if a creditor calls about charges you didn't make.
GUARD deposit slips as closely as you do checks.
8. What is Netiquette?
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"Netiquette" is network etiquette, the
do's and don'ts of online
communication.
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It includes both common courtesy
online and the informal "rules of the
road" of cyberspace.
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In other words, Netiquette is a set of
rules for behaving properly online.
Core Rules of Netiquette
Rule 1: Remember the Human
Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace
Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
Rule 6: Share expert knowledge
Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control
Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy
Rule 9: Don't abuse your power
Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html