Learning Objectives

• Introduction to COMPUTER SECURITY.

• Methods to Provide Protection.
• Components of Computer Security.
• Sources of Cyber Attack.
• Malware : Threats to Computer Security.
• Effects of Virus.
• Symptoms of Malware Attack.
• Some Other Threats to Computer Security.
• Solutions to Compute Security Threats.
• Some Important terms related to Computer Security.
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COMPUTER SECURITY
• Computer security is also known as cyber security or IT security.
• Computer security is a branch of information technology known as information
security, which is intended to protect computers.
• It is the protection of computing systems and the data that they store, share or
access.

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COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SECURITY
• Basic components of computer security system are as follows
1. Confidentiality It ensures that data is not accessed by any unauthorized person.
2. Integrity It ensures that information is not altered by any unauthorized person in
such a way that it is not detectable by authorised users.
3. Authentication It ensures that users are the persons they claim to be.
4. Access Control It ensures that users access only those resources that they are
allowed to access.
5. Non-Repudiation It ensures that originators of messages cannot deny they are
not sender of the message.
6. Availability It ensures that systems work promptly and service is not denied to
authorised users.
7. Privacy It ensures the right that someone has to keep their personal information
secret or known only to a small group Tawqeer
of people.
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COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SECURITY
8. Steganography: Steganography is the practice of hiding a secret message in something (text,
image, video, etc.) that is not secret.
9. Cryptography: Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications
through the use of codes, so that only those for whom the information is intended can read and
process it.

Some terms commonly used in cryptography are as follows

(i) Plain text It is the original message that is an input.
(ii) Cipher It is a bit-by-bit or character-by character transformation without regard to the
meaning of the message.
(iii) Cipher Text It is the coded message or the encrypted data.
(iv) Encryption It is the process of converting plain text to cipher text, using an encryption
algorithm.
(v) Decryption It is the reverse of encryption, i.e. converting cipher text to plaint ext.
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SOURCES OF CYBER ATTACK
• The most potent and vulnerable threat of computer users is virus attacks.
• A computer virus is a small software program that spreads from one computer to another and
that interferes with computer operation.

• The sources of attack can be follow

1. Downloadable Programs Downloadable files are one of the best possible sources of virus.
• Any type of executable file like games, screen saver are one of the major sources.
• If you want to download programs from the Internet then it is necessary to scan every
program before downloading them.
2. Cracked Software These softwares are another source of virus attacks.
• Such cracked forms of illegal files contain virus and bugs that are difficult to detect as well as to
remove.
• Hence, it is always a preferable option to download software from the appropriate source.
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SOURCES OF CYBER ATTACK
3. E-mail Attachments: These attachments are the most common source of
viruses.You must handle E-mail attachments with extreme care, especially if the E-
mail comes from an unknown sender.
4. Internet: Majority of all computer users are unaware as when viruses attack
computer systems. Almost all computer users click or download everything that
comes their way and hence unknowingly invites the possibility of virus attacks.
5. Booting from Unknown CD: When the computer system is not working, it is
a good practice to remove the CD. If you do not remove the CD, it may start to
boot automatically from the disk which enhances the possibility of virus attacks.

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MALWARE : THREATS TO COMPUTER SECURITY
• Malware stands for malicious software.
• It is a broad term that refers to a variety of malicious programs that are used to damage
computer system, gather sensitive information or gain access to private computer systems.
• It includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, spyware, adware, etc.
• Some of them are described below
1. Virus : VIRUS stands for Vital Information Resources Under Siege.
• Computer viruses are small programs that can negatively affect the computer.
• It obtains control of a PC and directs it to perform unusual and often destructive actions.
• Viruses are copied itself and attached itself to other programs which further spread the
infection.
• The virus can affect or attack any part of the computer software such as the boot block,
operating system, system areas, files and application programs.
• The first computer virus Creeper created in 1971.
• Virus is an ATTACHED (not STANDALONE) and SELF-REPLICATING PROGRAM /
SOFTWARE. Tawqeer Sir @EACT CLASSES
• Types of Virus
• Some common types of viruses are as follows
1. Resident Virus: It fixes themselves into the system’s memory and get activated whenever
the operating system runs and infects all the files that are opened. It hides in the RAM and
stays there even after the malicious code is executed. e.g. Randex, Meve etc.
2. Direct Action Virus: It comes into action when the file containing the virus is
executed. It infects files in the folder that are specified in the AUTOEXEC.bat file path. e.g.
Vienna virus.
3. Overwrite Virus: It deletes the information contained in the files that it infects, rendering
them partially or totally useless, once they have been infected. e.g. Way,Trj.Reboot,
Trivial.88.D etc.
4. Boot Sector Virus: It is also called Master Boot Sector virus or Master Boot Record virus.
This type of virus affects the boot sector of a hard disk. Brain was the first PC boot sector
virus created in 1986. e.g. Polyboot.B, AntiEXE etc.
5. Macro Virus: It infects files that are created using certain applications or programs that
contain macros, like .doc, .xls, .ppt etc. e.g. Melissa.

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6. File System Virus It is also called Cluster virus or Directory virus. It infects
the directory of the computer by changing the path that indicates the location of a file.
e.g. Dir-2 virus
7. Polymorphic Virus: It encrypts or encodes itself in an encrypted way, every time it
infects a system. This virus then goes on to create a large number of copies. e.g.
Elkern, Tuareg etc.
8. FAT Virus: File Allocation Table is used to store all the information about the
location of files, unusable space, etc. FAT Virus affects the FAT. e.g. Link virus etc.
9. Multipartite Virus: It may spread in multiple ways such as the operating
system installed or the existence of certain files. e.g. Flip.
10. Web Scripting Virus: Many Websites execute complex code in order to
provide interesting content. These sites are sometimes created with purposely
infected code. e.g. JS Fortnight

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EFFECTS OF VIRUS
• There are many different effects that viruses can have on your computer, depending on
the types of virus.
• Some viruses can
(i) monitor what you are doing.
(ii) slow down your computer’s performance.
(iii) destroy all data on your local disk.
(iv) affect on computer networks and the connection to Internet.
(v) Virtually increase or decrease memory size.
(vi) display different types of error messages.
(vii) decrease partition size.
(viii)alter PC settings.
(ix) display arrays of annoying advertising.
(x) extend boot times.
(xi) create more than one partitions.
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OTHER MALWARES
• WORMS: A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to
spread to other computers.
• Often, it uses computer network to spread itself, relying on security failures on the target computer to access it.
• Worm is a STANDALONE and SELF-REPLICATING PROGRAM / SOFTWARE.

• Worms are hard to detect because they are invisible files. e.g. Bagle, I love you, Morris, Nimda etc.
• TROJAN: A Trojan, or Trojan horse, is a non-self-replicating type of malware which appears to perform a desirable
function but instead facilitates unauthorised access to the user’s computer system. Trojans do not attempt to inject
themselves into other files like a computer virus.
• Trojan horses may steal information, or harm their host computer systems.
• Trojans may use drive by downloads or install via online games or Internet driven applications in order to reach
target computers. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not replicate themselves. e.g. Beast, Sub7.Zeus, ZeroAccess Rootkit
etc.
• Trojan is a STANDALONE and NON-SELF-REPLICATING PROGRAM / SOFTWARE.
• SPYWARE: It is a program which is installed on a computer system to spy on the system owner’s activity and
collects all the information which is misused afterwards.
• It tracks the user’s behavior and reports back to a central source.
• These are used for either legal or illegal purpose.
• Spyware can transmit personal information to another person’s computer over the Internet. e.g. CoolWeb
Search, FinFisher, Zango, Zlob Trojan, Keyloggers Tawqeer etc.
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SYMPTOMS OF MALWARE ATTACK
• There is a list of symptoms of malware attack which indicates that your system is
infected with a computer malware.
• Some primary symptoms of malware attack are as follows
(i) Odd messages are displaying on the screen.
(ii) Some files are missing.
(iii) System runs slower.
(iv) PC crashes and restarts again and again.
(v) Drives are not accessible.
(vi) Antivirus software will not run or installed.
(vii) Unexpected sound or music plays.
(viii) The mouse pointer changes its graphic.
(ix) System receives strange E-mails containing odd attachments or viruses.
(x) PC starts performing functions like opening or closing window, running programs on
its own. Tawqeer Sir @EACT CLASSES
SOME OTHER THREATS TO COMPUTER SECURITY
• There are some other threats to computer security which are described below
1. Spoofing It is the technique to access the unauthorised data without concerning to the authorised user. It
accesses the resources over the network.
• It is also known as ‘Masquerade’.
• IP spoofing is a process or technique to enter in another computer by accessing its IP address.
• It pretends to be a legitimate user and access to its computer via a network.
2. Salami Technique It diverts small amounts of money from a large number of accounts maintained by the system.
3. Hacking It is the act of intruding into someone else’s computer or network.
• Hacking may result in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.
• It prevents authorised users from accessing the resources of the computer.
• A hacker is someone, who does hacking process.
• Black Hat (Bad), White Hat(Good) and Grey Hat (Inbetween) hackers.
4. Cracking It is the act of breaking into computers.
• It is a popular, growing subject on Internet.
• Cracking tools are widely distributed on the Internet.
• They include password crackers, trojans, viruses, wardialers, etc.
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5. Phishing It is characterised by attempting to fraudulently acquire sensitive
information such as passwords, credit cards details etc. by masquerading as a
trustworthy person.
6. Spam It is the abuse of messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages
in the form of E-mails.
• It is a subset of electronic spam involving nearly identical messages sent to
numerous recipients by E-mails.
7. Adware It is any software package which automatically renders advertisements
in order to generate revenue for its author.
• The term is sometimes used to refer the software that displays unwanted
advertisements.
8. Rootkit It is a type of malware that is designed to gain administrative level
control over a computer system without being detected.

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SOLUTIONS TO COMPUTER SECURITY THREATS
• Some safeguards (or solutions) to protect a computer system from accidental access, are described
below
1.Antivirus Software: It is an application software that is designed to prevent, search for,
detect and remove viruses and other malicious softwares like worms, trojans, adware and more.
• It consists of computer programs that attempt to identify threats and eliminate computer
viruses and other malware.
• Some popular Antiviruses
(i) Avast (ii) Avg
(iii) K7 (iv) Kaspersky
(v) Trend Micro (vi) Quick Heal
(vii) Symantec (viii) Norton
(ix) McAfee
2. Digital Certificate: It is the attachment to an electronic message used for security purposes.
• The common use of a digital certificate is to verify that a user sending a message is who he
or she claims to be, and to provide the receiver with the means to encode a reply.
• It provides a means of proving your identity inSirelectronic
Tawqeer transactions.
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3.Digital Signature: It is an electronic form of a signature that can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender
of a message or the signer of a document, and also ensure that the original content of the message or document that has
been sent is unchanged.
4. Firewall: It can either be software based or hardware based and is used to help in keeping a network secure.
• Its primary objective is to control the incoming and outgoing network traffic by analyzing the data
packets and determining whether it should be allowed through or not, based on a predetermined rule set.
• A network’s firewall builds a bridge between an internal network that is assumed to be secure and trusted, and
another network, usually an external (inter) network, such as the Internet, that is not assumed to be secure and
trusted.
• A firewall also includes or works with a proxy server that makes network requests on behalf of workstation
users.
5. Password: It is a secret word or a string of characters used for user authentication to prove identity or access
approval to gain access to a resource.
• A password is typically somewhere between 4 to 16 characters, depending on how the computer system is setup.
• When a password is entered, the computer system is careful not to display the characters on the display screen, in
case others might see it.
• There are two common modes of password as follows
(i) Weak Password Easily remember just like names, birth dates, phone number etc.
(ii) Strong Password Difficult to break and a combination of CLASSES
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6. File Access Permission: Most current file systems have methods of
assigning permissions or access rights to specific user and group of users.
• These systems control the ability of the users to view or make changes to
the contents of the file system.
• File access permission refers to privileges that allow a user to read, write or
execute a file.
• There are three specific file access permissions as follows
(i) Read Permission: If you have read permission of a file, you can only see
the contents. In case of directory, access means that the user can read the
contents.
(ii) Write Permission: If you have write permission of a file, you can only
modify or remove the contents of a file. In case of directory, you can add
or delete contents to the files of the directory.
(iii) Execute Permission: If you have execute permission of a file, you can
only execute a file. Tawqeer Sir @EACT CLASSES
TERMS RELATED TO SECURITY
1. Eavesdropping: The attacker monitors transmissions for message content.
2. Masquerading: The attacker impersonates an authorized user and thereby
gain certain unauthorised privilege.
3. Patches: It is a piece of software designed to fix problems with a computer
program or its supporting data.
• This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs and improving the
usability and performance.
4. Logic Bomb It is a piece of code intentionally inserted into a computer’s
memory that will set off a malicious function when specified conditions are met.
• They are also called slag code and does not replicate itself.
5. Proxy Server It can act as a firewall by responding to input packets in the
manner of an application while blocking other packets.
• It hides the true network addresses and used to intercept all messages entering
and leaving the network.
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TERMS RELATED TO SECURITY
7. Keylogger: is a software program designed to record every keystroke on the
machine on which it runs.
8. Software License: The legal right to use software based on specific
restrictions is granted via Software license.
9. Software Piracy means copying of data or computer software without the owner’s
permission.

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