Cybersecurity: Playing Defense and Offense in Cyberspace and the Economy

In the early years of cyberattacks, organizations would wait to be attacked before they developed a comprehensive plan and response to the attacker. The attack would render the organizations' network presence useless and down for days. Several reasons cyberattacks could severely cripple a network in the early days of this malicious behavior are not enough concentrated research on defending and preventing and the lack of a coordinated effort between private industry and the government.

Since the first well known and wide spread cyberattack in the mid-1990's, many professionals in public and private organizations have diligently been studying and working on the problem of cyberattacks. Initially security companies like Norton, McAfee, Trend Micro, etc. approached the problem from a reactive posture. They knew hackers/malicious attackers were going to strike. The goal of what is now called Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) was to detect a malicious attacker before an anti-virus, Trojan horse, or worm was used to strike. If the attacker was able to strike the network, security professionals would dissect the code. Once the code was dissected, a response or "fix" was applied to the infected machine(s). The "fix" is now called a signature and they are consistently downloaded over the network as weekly updates to defend against known attacks. Although IDS is a wait and see posture, security professionals have gotten much more sophisticated in their approach and it continues to evolve as part of the arsenal.

Security professionals began looking at the problem from a preventive angle. This moved the cybersecurity industry from defensive to offensive mode. They were now troubleshooting how to prevent an attack on a system or network. Based on this line of thinking, an Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) called Snort (2010) was soon introduced. Snort is a combination IDS and IPS open source software available for FREE download. Using IDS/IPS software like Snort allows security professionals to be proactive in the cybersecurity arena. Though IPS allows security professionals to play offense as well as defense, they do not rest on their laurels nor do they stop monitoring the work of malicious attackers which fuels creativity, imagination, and innovation. It also allows security professionals that defend the cyberworld to stay equal or one step ahead of attackers.

Cybersecurity also plays an offensive and defensive role in the economy. In its cybersecurity commercial, The University of Maryland University College (2012) states there will be "fifty-thousand jobs available in cybersecurity over the next ten years." The school has been running this commercial for more than two years. When the commercial first began running they quoted thirty-thousand jobs. They have obviously adjusted the forecast higher based upon studies as well as the government and private industry identifying cybersecurity as a critical need to defend critical infrastructure.

Cybersecurity can play economic defense by protecting these jobs which deal with national security concerns and must remain the in the United States. The cybersecurity industry is driven by national security in the government realm and intellectual property (IP) in the private industry space. Many U.S. companies complain to the government about foreign countries hi-jacking their software ideas and inventions through state sponsored and organized crime hackers. Given that foreign countries condone state sponsored national security and intellectual property attacks, it would be to the benefit of companies to find human capital within the shores of the United States to perform the duties and tasks needed.

On the offensive side, Cybersecurity can spur development and increase the skill sets of residents in counties like Prince George's County, Maryland which sits in the epicenter of Cybersecurity for the state of Maryland and the nation. Prince George's Community College is the home of Cyberwatch and the central hub for cybersecurity training and best practices that gets pushed out to other community colleges that are part of the consortium. The goal of these community colleges is to align the education offered to students with skills that companies say are needed to be "workforce ready." It is also a rich recruiting ground for tech companies across the country to identify and hire human capital to put on the front lines of the U.S. fight in cybersecurity. As Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski (2012) says, the students are trained to be "cyberwarriors" and in turn workforce ready.

In conclusion, cybersecurity has come a long way since the publicized hacking cases of the 1990's (Krebs, 2003). These cases brought awareness to the need for the best and brightest to enter the field of computer and network security with the purpose of devising strategies and techniques to defend against "bad actors" that would use technology to commit malicious acts. Because computer and network security require STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) skills, the pool of U.S. born applicants is presently small. This presents an economic development opportunity for locales that use their community colleges as technology training grounds that are closely aligned with technology companies who need the human capital. The overarching goal of the stakeholders is to produce "workforce ready" students.

Reference

"Cybersecurity Degree". University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, MD. WRC-TV, Washington, DC. 12 Oct. 2012

Krebs, B. (2003). A short history of computer viruses and attacks. Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50636-2002Jun26.html

Mikulski, B. (2012, February 23). General format. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWNTOi3pEhg

Snort. (2010). About snort.

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Staying Clear of Threats and Attacks While Online

With the majority of the people in the world today having daily access to the internet, their lives are to a big extent dependent on the internet to facilitate and effectively go about their businesses. The IT world has had a very big impact on the way that people are able to lead their lives and even interact with each other all made easy by the internet. But many of these achievements are offset by some very unfortunate incidences which have been brought about by the very large numbers of attacks which happen day in and day out. Most disheartening is the fact that the attacks are in most cases perpetrated on the unsuspecting users of the internet bringing them losses in in terms of data, personal information, time, and financial resources. Some of the threats and the attacks have been in the form of malware, scams, identity theft and hackers and people have to really educate themselves about these threats and how to stay clear of them to avoid getting ensnared to the devious schemes of the lurking cyber criminals.

To ensure that people are in the position to avoid the threats and many attacks which are prevalent on the internet, a number of steps and measures have to be taken to remain on the safe side. The biggest threat to internet security is the element of human error and indifference. How is this possible? It is common that good judgement and some common sense will usually be thrown to the wind and the results are fatal counting into loads of cash and lost man hours as the damage is rectified. The infection of a PC or any device will happen out of curiosity as people are keen to click on a link even when they know only too well that it might be potentially dangerous. Hence internet security calls for a proactive nature where an individual is keen to follow rules and guidelines which will guarantee that they protect themselves from and their networks when online.

First and foremost, access to the internet should be done only after a quality antivirus has been installed to guarantee security. A good antivirus or internet security suite can be gotten through the finding and reading of reviews and finding the most effective security software at the available budget. Second to installing the antivirus software, it must remain updated and must be renewed once it has expired to guarantee that threats and attacks are prevented. It will be a disastrously mistake not to have an antivirus and not to have it updated.

Other measures will be to have spam filters to an email account in order that spam and suspicious emails are quickly identified and deleted. Some other rules are that you should never download attachments or files without conducting a virus scan. It is even recommended that sharing files from dubious sites is avoided. In fact the best piece of advice is that the file sharing should be avoided at all costs since they become a potentially big source of threats.

Social networks have become very popular with people now having multiple accounts on the different social networks. Social networks have become a playing ground for cyber criminals whose intentions are not right. Users of the social media need to be aware of the threats and adopt steps which will help avoid attacks and unfortunate incidences. Some will be on the social media itself and most dangerous will be getting malware and the viruses on your personal computer which can be devastating in the kind of damage they can cause and the difficulty in eradicating them.

The smartphones have been an area of big concern since people carrying these gadgets which are miniature computers are often a threat to networks. This is best explained that smartphones and other portable devices are open to attacks by malware, Trojans and viruses and worms. Secondly, through access to internet on the workplace network, the smartphones are an area of weakness which can be exploited by hackers and criminals.

Having looked at the threats and forms of cyber attacks, the best way to stay clear of them is by having antivirus software or an internet suite which is running and is promptly updated.

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Effective Ways to Defend Your System Against Hackers and Viruses

Viruses are the deadliest enemies of computer systems. One encounter with a virus, malware or Trojan, can immediately lead to devastating effects. It can lead to alterations of how your computer operates normally, it can hack your information and worse, it can delete your hard drive and totally crash your computer. Install the best antivirus protection to protect your computer system from harmful viruses.

If you notice that your system has been working differently and misses some data, you could look at a few tips listed below that you could install which would work effectively in protecting your computer from harmful, malicious data.

Antivirus Program: This is the most obvious and the most important software needed to be installed in your computer system. Having an antivirus system will help you determine which websites you should not enter and will guarantee you a trouble free internet experience. Although it is pricey at first, the benefits and features will definitely exceed its price especially if you are the one who connects to the internet frequently.

Updates for Windows: A lot of users of the most common and most coveted operating system have become victims of hackers and viruses. It is very important to always update Windows especially when given a notification. Do not pass on updating your operating system as this will allow your computer to keep track of the different worms, viruses and Trojans.

Updates for Software Applications: All software applications you install in your computer need to be updated. These updates fix bugs and equip the software with their new features. Moreover, they come with enhanced security applications, making your computer safe more resistant to viruses.

Anti-Spyware Program: Some antivirus software, especially, free downloadable versions do not come with spyware protection. If this is the case, you need to avail of the antivirus software or download a different anti-spyware program. Spyware is a big threat to your computer; it can ruin your computer system and hack your information.

Software That Determines Hacker Prone Websites: Porn, free download and online gaming sites have made hacking an easy task. Do not fall into these traps. Instead, some antivirus software offers a service that immediately informs you whether or not the websites you are trying to visit are safe or not.

Firewall Program: Firewall programs are really important for a computer system. If you don't have any third party firewall program, have it installed to ensure that your system can filter all your data. Activate your Windows firewall to the latest Windows operating system version which will help filter data traffic. These firewall programs can easily and effectively filter incoming and outgoing data streams.

Software That Controls Email Spam: Spam mails are bogus emails that lure people into opening them. Once opened, a malicious code can enter your computer and hack your information. Be wary of opening file attachments especially from unknown senders. Although, web based emails come with extra layers of protection against spam, if you do not recognize the email, it would be wiser to just delete the email.

Data Backup: If most of your important information and work related stuff are stored in your computer, make sure that you back-up all of those data and store them in an external hard drive or store it in a drop box. A simple virus has the capability to hack your information.

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Support Call Hoaxes

Cybercrime is a growing trend. Several scams are prevalent but one that is rising is supposed calls from Microsoft Tech Support. A computer owner receives a call and is notified that their Internet service provider has found serious virus activity on their computer - thus, Microsoft was contacted to reach out and tackle the issue. The Microsoft security professional will typically run a free scan to "detect" what viruses are on the machine. Low and behold, serious problems are on hand and for only $250 or more, they'll solve the issue while the computer owner sits comfortably at home.

These tactics aren't new, but growing because of the ability of cheap phone calls and cheap labor outside of the United States. Some consumers are fighting back to record information about the scammer's identity and modus operandi.

The tactics used are meant to fool the unsuspecting and prey on the uninformed. First of all, the scammer will speak with confidence and probably use technical words to play on the user's fear. They'll represent a department from Microsoft that is following up on an indication of a broken computer or a system that has been infected by viruses or malware.

While on the phone, the scammer will direct the user to various error messages which indicate virus issues on the machine. Typically, the errors are quite general - like log files - and have no relevance to infectious programs.

The scammer then asks the user to execute DOS command to confirm the system's unique ID. Although this might sound like excellent proof of a legitimate tech support person, when the scammer reads back the same number the user sees on the screen, all that is being confirmed is a generic ID for a file extension that ships with every Windows PC. This technique is nothing more than sleight of hand.

After a bit of drama, it is verified that the user's system has big problems. The scammer requests to remotely log on the system to perform tests. When access is granted, an old certificate is found by the remote access tool administrator to display to the user. The old dates of past certificates back up the scammers story, which usually states the system hasn't been updated in "this many months" or "over a year" and proceeds to run an application that will update security software to protect the system from viruses, malware, Trojans, hackers, among other things.

Once these actions are complete, the user is directed to a PayPal account where he or she should pay the bill. Typically $250, but as I mentioned earlier the costs can be more.

Take heed of these tactics. If someone calls from Microsoft speaking of problems on your computer, just hang up.

George is the online strategy manager for Comset Computers, providing Chicago-based malware removal.

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Keep Your Child Away From Web Monsters

Kids like using the computers in practically every task they want to undertake. From communication to reference and even to playing games you will most likely find every kid relying on the internet. In a research conducted around US alone, it was confirmed that 92% of daily internet users are kids. This shows the impact that the internet has had on kids. This makes Kids Internet Safety very important and exclusive activity that should be maintained at all times. Internet safety is not only important in that it shields harmful exposure of kids to specific websites but also it helps in restricting the kid's use of the internet. Thus cases of internet addiction are greatly reduced at all times. Internet addiction is very damaging in that it distracts kids from active participation in classrooms as their concentration is usually hindered.

Kids are also very vulnerable to cyber crimes and therefore it is greatly important that parents monitor their kid's internet use. Cyber Safety for Kids is one way that parents can ensure that their kids are protected from cyber crimes. Monitoring is done through software applications that are secretly installed in the computing systems. These applications are got as priced downloads or even a parent can acquire a router for internet protection. Routers are connected to the computers through the modem cables and the computer is configured correctly in order to host the routers. Kid's Internet Safety should be executed using highly efficient and reliable tools.

Cyber Safety for Kids also helps in eliminating instances of spam and other unwanted messages in the emails. Such email messages pose great threat to computers in that they can be avenues of spreading malwares to different users. Malicious software is mainly composed of viruses, Trojans and botnets.The entry of any of these malware to the computing system can easily result to a complete breakdown of the computing system. Kids also tend not to be cautious of the different sites that they access. This can expose the kid and the whole family to great risks especially in instances where they disclose personal information such as residence address. However with Kids Internet Safety, it becomes easy for parents to be able to monitor their kid's browsing activities. The parent can therefore be able to act swiftly before the kid exposes personal details. They can also deny access to such sites using the routers for internet safety.

Cyber Safety for Kids is a growing trend in the computing world. This trend has been necessitated by the growing need to protect kids from harmful contents in the internet. Kid's minds are generally unstable and can therefore be easily swayed away by any influence. This in turn results to corruption of morals and characters of the kids. Kids Internet Safety has greatly contributed towards upholding good moral behaviors among kids. This is due to the fact that kids are shielded from harmful content such as pornographic materials. Laws touching on Cyber Safety for Kids have in fact illegalized the display of pornographic materials in computer cyber. This move has played an important role towards the effectiveness of Kids Internet Safety procedures.

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