Understanding Spyware, Pop Ups, & PC Protection John Curl Joe Hetherington Bradley Lewis Michael Wu Spyware Bradley Lewis
What is Spyware? A type of malware installed on computers that collects bits of information about users without their knowledge Can be difficult to detect Not only secretly installed on a users personal computer, but can also be installed by the owner of a
shared, corporate, or public computer to monitor other users History of Spyware First recorded use in October of 1995 in a usenet post making fun of Microsofts business model Spyware was thought of as software meant
for espionage purposes Since 2006, spyware is the biggest threat to Microsoft Windows OS, and where IE is used on computers This is because these are the most widely used Routes of Infection Does not usually self-replicate By design-exploits infected computers for
commercial gain. Routing of HTTP sites to advertisers Theft of personal information (credit card numbers, SSN, home address, etc.) Does not usually transmit infection to other computers, but instead gets on a system through exploitation of software vulnerabilities Routes of Infection(cont)
Does not usually transmit infection to other computers, but instead gets on a system through exploitation of software vulnerabilities It will deceive the user and piggyback off another program that is wanted, such as Kazaa Tricks the user into installing what looks like security software but actually isnt (Trojan
method) Spyware Examples CoolWebSearch-group of programs that take advantage of IE weaknesses Internet Optimizer-redirects IE error pages to advertising HuntBar-aka WinTools; example of how spyware installs more spyware Movieland-scheme to deceptively extract payments from
consumers MyWebSearch-spys on search habits froma toolbar Zango- transmits information to advertisers about websites that the user visits Zlob trojan-hijacks routers set to default, reports information about search history, websites, and keystrokes to a control server Effects and Behaviors Rarely alone- pc usually has multiple
infections Interferes with user control Creates unwanted CPU activity disk usage network traffic Effects and Behaviors Interferes with networking control, making it
difficult to connect to the internet Stability issues include Applications freezing Failure to boot System wide crashes Many users assume the degradation of their pc is do to hardware issues and windows
installation problems Effects and Behaviors Can collect various types of personal information Change computer settings Results in slow connection speeds Loss of internet Loss of program functionality
How to remove Spyware Back up Data Disconnect from the internet Try a traditional uninstall Scan your computer Use SmitFraudFix Get Clear Access to the problem Undo residual damage Prevent future adware and spyware
Pop ups John Curl What is a Pop Up Form of online advertising to attract traffic to other websites. Opens up a new browser window Three types- Pop up, Pop under, Hover ad
Pop up ads are usually generated through JavaScript Replacement of the banner ad, for marketing purposes Other versions are useful to user Pop Up A browser window that appears over the current window that you are in.
The most common and the most annoying Like other ads it is usually generated with JavaScript and embedded with HTML Often has complicated ways of closing the ad Pop Under Ads These are very similar to Pop Up Ads, except they appear below or under the current browser window.
Less annoying, some users dont even realize it is there Hover Ads These ads are seem to hover over the webpage More reputable form of advertising Embedded into website using Flash Very user friendly, and the least annoying in
my opinion However not as easy to close Interactive Pop up Ads These ads attract the user, with some type of mini game that may or may not have anything to do with the product Users play the game Then linked to the company website
History of Pop Ups Pop ups have been around since the mid 90s They were seen as a much more effective form of internet marketing then the traditional banner ad. The most popular blocker back then was Popup Killer, created by Xavier Flix. In the early 2000s Opera was the 1 st browser to have a pop up blocker built in.
Pop Up Blockers Opera was the 1st major web browser to incorporate pop up blocker By 2004 IE was the last major browser to ad pop up blocking Google Toolbar is widely regarded as the best popup blocker Now a days most web browsers such as IE,
Firefox, Opera, Chrome and Safari have pop up and ad blocking built in. Pop up Blockers They can be trained to block unwanted ads, and allow pop ups necessary to the user. Some pop ups use Flash which can circumnavigate JavaScript based blockers A recent scientific poll stated that about 81%
of users use pop up blockers PC Protection Michael Wu & Joe Hetherington Firewalls Regulates the traffic between computer networks Network Security Device
Blocks unauthorized access while permitting authorized communications Configured to permit or deny computer
applications based upon criteria History Firewall technology started in the late 1980s Group of engineers from Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC) developed filter systems First Generation Packet Filters
Inspects packet Packet Filter will either accept or reject Works on the first three layers of the OSI model Second Generation Application Layer Filtering
Understands certain applications and protocols Filters information based on content
Software-Based Firewall Works on all 7 layers of the OSI model More secure and reliable than packet
filtering Third Generation Stateful filters
Known as circuit level firewalls Combines first and second generation Maintains records of all connections Determines when a packet starts a new connection, is part of an existing connection, or is an invalid packet. Personal Firewalls
Application which controls network traffic to and from a computer Differs from other firewalls in terms of scale
Designed for end-users Protects only the computer it is installed on Provides some level of intrusion detection
Allows software to terminate or block Personal Firewall Common Features
Alert the user about outgoing connection attempts Allows the user to control which
programs can and cannot access the local network and/or internet Hide the computer from port scans by not responding to unsolicited network traffic Monitor applications that are listening for incoming connections Personal Firewalls
Monitor and regulate all incoming and outgoing Internet users
Prevent unwanted network traffic from locally installed applications Provide the user with information about an application that makes a connection attempt Provide information about the destination server with which an application is attempting to communicate Sometimes gathers malware and other unwanted programs if you don't scan your computer everyday.
Personal Firewalls Common Firewall Software
Norton 360 ZoneAlarm Lavasoft Windows Defender PASSWORD PROTECTION! Password Protection Allows for only users who knows the password to access the computer
Two different methods Screen Saver Password User Password
Screen Saver Password Right Click on the Desktop
Select Properties Click on Screen Saver tab Then select the appropriate wait time And Check the On resume, password protect box Screen Saver Password User Password
Random Passwords Physical Protection Locks Keystroke Loggers Software
Hardware Keyboard overlays Acoustic Defense Software
Speech Recognition Web-based keyboards Alternative keyboard layouts One-time passwords
1. What was the 1st web browser to incorporate pop up blocking? a) Safari b) Firefox c) Opera d) Internet Explorer 1. What was the 1st web browser to
incorporate pop up blocking? a) Safari b) Firefox c)Opera d) Internet Explorer 2. How are pop ups generally created? a) JavaScript b) C++
c) Adobe Flash d) Ruby 2. How are pop ups generally created? a) JavaScript b) C++ c) Adobe Flash d) Ruby
3. The first instance of Spyware was recorded in? a) 1978 b) 1896 c) 1995 d) 2007 3. The first instance of Spyware was
recorded in? a) 1978 b) 1896 c) 1995 d) 2007 4. Spyware usually self replicates. a) True b) False
4. Spyware usually self replicates. a) True b)False 5. Spyware is a type of malware installed on computers that collects bits of information about users without their
knowledge. a) True b) False 5. Spyware is a type of malware installed on computers that collects bits of information about users without their knowledge.
a) True b) False 6. Stability issues include a) Applications freezing b) Failure to boot c) System wide crashes d) All of the above 6. Stability issues include
a) Applications freezing b) Failure to boot c) System wide crashes d) All of the above 7. What group first developed firewalls? a) DEC(Digital Equipment Corporation) b) IBM c) Microsoft
7. What group first developed firewalls? a) DEC(Digital Equipment Corporation) b) IBM c) Microsoft 8. According to a recent scientific study
what percentage of users use pop up blockers? a) 99% b) 81% c) 10% d) 50% 8. According to a recent scientific study
what percentage of users use pop up blockers? a) 99% b)81% c) 10% d) 50% 9. What are some ways to physically protect
your PC? a) Passwords b) Security Cables c) Keystroke Loggers d) All of the Above 9. What are some ways to physically protect your PC? a) Passwords
b) Security Cables c) Keystroke Loggers d)All of the Above 10. Pop ups are a form of internet advertising that supersedes banner ads. a) True b) False
10. Pop ups are a form of internet advertising that supersedes banner ads. a) True b) False Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-up_ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ZgsYXeUJYXc http://antivirus.about.com/od/ spywareandadware/tp/adwarespyware.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm http://store.apple.com/us/product/TW041LL/ A? fnode=MTY1NDA2OA&mco=MTA4NDI3Nzg
