Introduction to Information Security

Most Common Computer Security Threats (Virus)

Threat #1: Virus

• A virus is a piece of software that can replicate itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user.
• A virus can only spread when it is transmitted by a user over a network or the Internet, or through removable media such as CDs or memory sticks.
• Viruses are sometimes confused with worms and Trojan horses, or used incorrectly to refer to malware.

Danger level: High

Prevalence: Extremely High

Threat #1: Virus – Cont’d

Worst case damage: 

• Some viruses:
• Delete files.
• Reformat the hard disk or cause other damage.
• Replicate themselves and may present text, video, or audio messages.
• Take up memory and may cause erratic behavior, system crashes and loss of data.

Most Common Computer Security Threats (Spam/Spim/Spit)

Threat #2: Spam / Spim / Spit

• SPAM is electronic junk email. The amount of spam has now reached 90 billion messages a day. Email addresses are collected from chat rooms, websites, newsgroups and by Trojans which harvest users’ address books.
• SPIM is spam sent via instant messaging systems such as Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger and ICQ.
• SPIT is Spam over Internet Telephony. These are unwanted, automatically-dialed, pre-recorded phone calls using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Danger level: Low

Prevalence: Extremely High

Spam/Spim/Spit – Cont’d

• Spam Can Clog A Personal Mailbox.
• Overload Mail Servers.
• Impact Network Performance.
• Efforts To Control Spam Such As By Using Spam Filters Run The Risk Of Filtering Out Legitimate Email Messages.

Most Common Computer Security Threats (Spoofing, Phishing, Pharming)