Computer security

Objectives:
1.Introduction
2.Security threats and attacks
3.Malicious software
4.Security Mechanism
1. Cryptography
2. Digital Signatures
3. Firewall
4. User Identification and Authentication
5. Intrusion Detection System(IDS)
5.Security Services
6.Security awareness and Policy

1. Introduction:
•Also known as Cyber Security or IT Security
•Protection of computer system from theft and damage to hardware, software or
information
•Protection of computing systems and the data that they store or access.
•Also the protection from misdirection from the service computer system provide
•Includes controlling physical access to hardware
•Good Security Standards follow the "90 / 10" Rule:
• 10% of security safeguards are technical.
• 90% of security safeguards rely on the computer user ("YOU") to adhere to
good computing practices.

2. SECURITY THREAT AND SECURITY ATTACK:
•A threat is a potential violation of security and causes harm.
• A threat can be a malicious program, a natural disaster or a thief.
• Vulnerability is a weakness of system that is left unprotected.
Systems that are vulnerable are exposed to threats.
•Threat is a possible danger that might exploit vulnerability; the
actions that cause it to occur are the security attacks.

 Types of security attack:
•A. Passive Attack
•B. Active Attack
•A. Passive Attack:
• Aims to get information from the system but it does not affect the system
resources.
•Passive attacks may analyze the traffic to find the nature of communication
that is taking place, or, release the contents of the message to a person
other than the intended receiver of the message.
• Passive attacks are difficult to detect because they do not involve any
alteration of the data. Thus, the emphasis in dealing with passive attacks is
on prevention rather than detection.

 Active attack:
• An active attack tries to alter the system resources or affect its
operations.
• Active attack may modify the data or create a false data. An
active attack may be a masquerade (an entity pretends to be
someone else), replay (capture events and replay them),
modification of messages, and denial of service.
•Active attacks are difficult to prevent. However, an attempt is
made to detect an active attack and recover from them.

Security attacks :
On User :
to the identity of user
(someone else acting on your behalf by using personal information like
password, PIN number in an ATM, credit card number, social security
number etc)
to the privacy of user:
(tracking of users habits and actions—the website user visits, the buying
habit of the user etc. Cookies and spam mails are used for attacking the
privacy of users.)

On Hardware:
could be due to a natural calamity like floods or earthquakes
 due to power related problems like power fluctuations etc.;
 or by destructive actions of a burglar.
Software Attacks:
Harms data stored in Computer
Software attacks may be due to malicious software, or, due to
hacking.
Malicious software or malware is a software code included into the
system with a purpose to harm the system.
Hacking is the most common attack

3. Malicious Software(malware):
•Commonly known as malware is a software that brings a harm to a
computer system.
•It can take the form of executable code, scripts, active content, and other
software.
•It is commonly used for earning money illegally.
•It steals protected data, delete documents or add software not approved
by a user.
Definition: “A program that is inserted into a program, usually covertly,
with the intent of compromising the confidentiality, integrity, or availability
of the victim’s data, applications, or Operating system or otherwise
annoying or disturbing the victim”

Malware can entry into your computer by
•Questionable file downloads
•Visiting infected website
• Opening attachments or links from unknown
or spoofed emails
•Downloading software from malicious sites

 Common types of malware
•Viruses
•Worms
•Trojan horse
•Rootkits
•Spyware

Virus:
• Computer virus is a small program written to alter the way a
computer operates, without the permission or knowledge of the user.
Virus programs have the following properties:
• It can attach itself to other healthy programs.
•It can mainly affects the executable files(i.e. .exe files)
• It can replicate itself and thus can spread across a network.
• It is difficult to trace a virus after it has spread across a network.
•e.g The Melissa virus, CrptoLocker, MyDoom etc.

Viruses can harm the computer in many
ways:
•Corrupt or delete data or files on the computer,
•Changes the functionality of software applications,
• Use e-mail program to spread itself to other computers,
• Erase everything on the hard disk
•Degrade performance of the system by utilizing resources
such as memory or disk space

Worms:
•A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that
replicates itself in order to spread to other computers.
•It uses a computer network to spread itself, relying on security
failures on the target computer to access it. Worms almost always
cause at least some harm to the network
Trojan Horse:
•A Trojan horse is a malicious computer program which
misrepresents itself to appear useful, routine, or interesting in order
to persuade a victim to install it.
•It is generally spread by some form of social engineering.

Rootkits:
•Software packages known as rootkits allow this concealment, by
modifying the host's operating system so that the malware is
hidden from the user.
•Rootkits can prevent a malicious process from being visible in the
system's list of processes, or keep its files from being read.
Spyware:
•Spyware is software that aims to gather information about a
person or organization without their knowledge, that may
send such information to another entity without the
consumer’s consent.

Hacking:
•Hacking is the unauthorized intrusion into a computer or a network
•Hacking may result in a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.
•The DoS attack prevents authorized users from accessing the
resources of the computer. It aims at making the computer
resource unusable or unavailable to its intended users.
•Packet sniffing, e-mail hacking and password cracking are
used to get the username and password of the system to
gain access of the system.

Ways to protect PC from malwares:
• Keep your software, browsers, OS and plugins up to
date
•Don’t click on links within emails
•Use free antivirus software
•Use a firewall
•Minimize downloads
•Use a strong password
•Use a pop-up blocker

4. Security Mechanism:
• A process(or a device incorporating such a process) that is designed to prevent, detect or recover
from a security attack.
• Prevention involves mechanisms to prevent the computer from being damaged.
• Detection requires mechanisms that allow detection of when, how, and by whom an attacked
occurred.
• Recovery involves mechanism to stop the attack, assess the damage done, and then repair the
damage.
Security Mechanisms:
Cryptography
Digital Signatures
Firewall
User Identification and Authentication
Intrusion Detection System(IDS)

4.1 Cryptography:
•Derived from the Greek word ‘Kryptos’ which means ‘Secret’.
•Method of storing and transmitting data in a particular form so that only
those for whom it is intended can read and process it.
•Uses a mathematical algorithm to transfer the data into a form that
cannot be read by unauthorized user
•The algorithm turns our data into machines codes, then stores them
and then provides the info to the authorized person only.
•Applications: ATM , Email-Passwords, E-Payment, Electronic Voting
etc.

Components of Cryptography:
•Plaintext:
• It is the data to be protected during transmission.
•Encryption Algorithm:
•It is a mathematical process that produces a cipher text for any given
plaintext and encryption key.
•Encryption Key:
• It is a value that is known to the sender. The sender inputs the encryption key into
the encryption algorithm along with the plaintext in order to compute the cipher
text.
•Cipher and Code:
• bit-by-bit or character-by-character transformation without regard to the meaning of
the message. Code replaces one word with another word or symbol.
•. Cipher text:
•It is the scrambled version of the plaintext produced by the encryption
algorithm using a specific the encryption key. It can be intercepted or
compromised by anyone who has access to the communication channel

• Decryption Algorithm:
• It is a mathematical process, that produces a unique plaintext for any given cipher text and
decryption key.
• Decryption Key:
• It is a value that is known to the receiver. The decryption key is related to the encryption
key, but is not always identical to it. The receiver inputs the decryption key into the
decryption algorithm along with the cipher text in order to compute the plaintext.
• Certification Authorities (CA):
• CAs are trusted third parties that issue digital certificates for use by other parties. A CA
issues digital certificates which contains a public key, a name, an expiration date, the name
of authority that issued the certificate, a serial number, any policies describing how the
certificate was issued, how the certificate may be used, the digital signature of the
certificate issuer, and any other information.
•Hash Function:
• A hash function is a mathematical function that converts a numerical input value into
another compressed numerical value. The input to the hash function is of arbitrary length
but output is always of fixed length.

4.2 Digital Signatures:
•A type of electronic signature that encrypts the documents with digital codes
that are particularly difficult to duplicate.
•Takes the concept of traditional paper based signing and turns them into an
electronic fingerprint or code.
•This code used is unique to both the document and the signer
•Used to validate authenticity and integrity of a document.
•Cryptographically binds an electronic identity into electronic document
•Similar to public key cryptography(assymetric cryptography)
•Here, the message is encrypted by a private key and decrypted by a public
which is just opposite in cryptography.

Algorithms in Digital Signatures:
Digital signature scheme is a type of asymmetric cryptography. Digital
signatures use the public key cryptography, which employs two keys—private key
and public key. The digital signature scheme typically consists of three algorithms:
•Key generation algorithm:
• The algorithm outputs private key and a corresponding public key.
•Signing algorithm:
• It takes, message + private key, as input, and, outputs a digital signature.
•Signature verifying algorithm:
• It takes, message + public key + digital signature, as input, and, accepts or rejects digital
signature.

4.3 Firewall:
• A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private
network.
• Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a
combination of both.
• Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from
accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets.
• All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall,
which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the
specified security of the local network with one or more public IP addresses.

Terminologies Related to Firewall:
•Gateway:
• The computer that helps to establish a connection between two networks is
called gateway. A firewall gateway is used for exchanging information between
a local network and the Internet.
• Proxy Server:
• A proxy server masks the local network’s IP address with the proxy server IP
address, thus concealing the identity of local network from the external
network. Web proxy and application-level gateway are some examples of
proxy servers. A firewall can be deployed with the proxy for protecting the local
network from external network.
•Screening Routers:
• They are special types of router with filters, which are used along with the
various firewalls. Screening routers check the incoming and outgoing traffic
based on the IP address, and ports.

Types of Firewall:
A.Packet Filter Firewall
B.Circuit Filter Firewall
C.Proxy Server or Application-level gateway
A)Packet Filter Firewall:
•Packet Filter Firewall is usually deployed on the routers .
•It is the simplest kind of mechanism used in firewall protection.
•It is implemented at the network level to check incoming and
outgoing packets.

B) Circuit Filter Firewall:
Circuit filter firewalls provide more protection than packet filter
firewalls. Circuit filter firewall is also known as a “stateful inspection”
firewall.
•It prevents transfer of suspected packets by checking them at the
network layer.
•It checks for all the connections made to the local network, in contrast,
to the packet filter firewall which makes a filtering decision based on
individual packets.
•It takes its decision by checking all the packets that are passed
through the network layer and using this information to generate a
decision table. The circuit level filter uses these decisions tables to
keep track of the connections that go through the firewall.

C) Application-Level Gateway(Proxy Server):
•Protects all the client applications running on a local network from the Internet
by using the firewall itself as the gateway.
•It creates a virtual connection between the source and the destination hosts.
•A proxy firewall operates on the application layer. The proxy ensures that a
direct connection from an external computer to local network never takes place.
•The proxy automatically segregates all the packets depending upon the
protocols used for them.
•A proxy server must support various protocols. It checks each application or
service, like Telnet or e-mail, when they are passed through it.
•It is easy to implement on a local network.
•It tends to be more secure than packet filters. Instead of checking the TCP and
IP combinations that are to be allowed, it checks the allowable applications.

4.4 User Identification and Authentication:
•Identification is the process whereby a system recognizes a valid user’s
identity.
•Authentication is the process of verifying the claimed identity of a user.
•For example, a system uses user-password for identification. The user
enters his password for identification. Authentication is the system which
verifies that the password is correct, and thus the user is a valid user.
•Authentication Mechanisms:
1.User name and password
2.Smart Card
3.Biometrics—Fingerprints, Iris/retina scan etc

4.4.1 . Smart Card:
•A smart card is in a pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits
which can process data.
•With an embedded microcontroller, smart cards have the unique ability to
store large amounts of data, carry out their own on-card functions (e.g.
encryption and mutual authentication) and intelligently with a smart card
reader.
•The smart card is made of plastic, generally PVC. The card may embed a
hologram. Using smart cards is a strong security authentication for single
sign-on within large companies and organizations.
•Smart cards are used in secure identity applications like employee-ID
badges, citizen-ID documents, electronic passports, driver license and
online authentication devices.

4.4.2. BIOMETRIC:
•Derived from the greek words ‘Bios’ and ‘Metric’ which means life and
measurement respectively.
•Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and statistically
analyzing biological data.
•In IT, Biometrics refers to technologies that measures and analyzes human
traits(like fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns
and hand measurements) for authentication.
•Biometric systems are relatively costly and are used in environments
requiring high-level security.

4.5 Intrusion Detection System(IDS):
•IDS monitors network traffic and monitors for suspicious activity and
alerts the system or network administrator.
•They complement firewalls to detect if internal assets are being hacked
or exploited.
•Types of IDS:
• Network Based(NIDS)
• Host Based(HIDS)
•A Network-based IDS monitors real-time network traffic for malicious
activity and sends alarms for network traffic that meets certain attack
patterns or signatures.
•A Host-based IDS monitors computer or server files for anomalies and
sends alarms for network traffic that meets a predetermined attack
signature.

5. Security Services:
• The security services provide specific kind of protection to system resources.
• Security services ensure Confidentiality, Integrity, Authentication, and Non-
Repudiation of data or message stored on the computer, or when transmitted over the
network.
• It provides assurance for access control and availability of resources to its authorized
users.
• A Security Mechanism should ensure following aspects:
Confidentiality
Integrity
Access Control
Authentication
Non-repudiation
Availability

•Confidentiality:
• The confidentiality aspect specifies availability of information to only authorized
users. In other words, it is the protection of data from unauthorized disclosure. It
requires ensuring the privacy of data stored on a server or transmitted via a
network, from being intercepted or stolen by unauthorized users.
• Integrity:
•It assures that the received data is exactly as sent by the sender, i.e. the data
has not been modified, duplicated, reordered, inserted or deleted before reaching
the intended recipient. The data received is the one actually sent and is not
modified in transit.
• Access Control:
• It is the prevention of unauthorized use of a resource. This specifies the users
who can have access to the resource, and what are the users permitted to do
once access is allowed.

• Authentication:
• It is the process of ensuring and confirming the identity of the user before
revealing any information to the user. It also assures that the source of the
received data is as claimed. Authentication is facilitated by the use of username
and password, smart cards, biometric methods like retina scanning and
fingerprints.
• Non-Repudiation:
•Prevents either sender or receiver from denying a transmitted message. For a
message that is transmitted, proofs are available that the message was sent by
the alleged sender and the message was received by the intended recipient. For
example, if a sender places an order for a certain product to be purchased in a
particular quantity, the receiver knows that it came from a specified sender. Non-
repudiation deals with signatures.
•Availability:
• It assures that the data and resources requested by authorized users are
available to them when requested.

Computer security

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