Archive for May 2016

Cyber Essentials - Anti- Virus

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Continuing our "Cyber Essentials" blog series targeted at protecting yourself against cyber threats, today's blog topic covers Anti-Virus.


Today's guest blog contributor is Eric Varela. Eric is a student here at CSU Channel Islands majoring in Information Technology with a minor in Security Systems Engineering.


Define Anti-Virus: Anti-virus is a security program you install on your computer or mobile device to protect it from getting infected by ‘malware’. The term ‘malware’ is an encompassing phrase for any type of malicious software, such as worms, Trojans, viruses, and spyware. (The term malware comes from combining the words malicious software.) If your computer has become infected by malware, a cyber-attacker could potentially capture your keystrokes, steal your personal and private documents, or use your computer to attack others.
(Tip: You can purchase anti-virus software as a standalone solution, or as part of a security package.)

How Anti-Virus Works: There are two ways anti-virus software identifies malware: signature and behavior detection. Signature detection works like the human immune system. It scans your computer for specific characteristics or signatures of programs known to be malicious. It does this by referring to a dictionary of known malware. If something on your computer matches a pattern in the dictionary, the program attempts to neutralize it. Like the human immune system, the dictionary approach requires updates, (like when humans get flu-shots), to protect against new strains of malware.
(Tip: Anti-virus can only protect against what it recognizes as harmful. Update daily.)

Anti-Virus Tips:
  1. Obtain anti-virus software only from known, trusted sources and vendors. It is a common ploy of cyber attackers to distribute fake anti-virus programs that are really malware.
  2. Make sure your anti-virus automatically scans portable media, such as USB drives, and ensure real-time protection is on.
  3. Pay attention to on-screen warnings and alerts generated by your anti-virus software.
  4. Do not disable or uninstall your anti-virus software. Disabling your anti-virus software will expose you to unnecessary risk.
  5. Do not install multiple anti-virus programs on your computer at the same time. Doing so will most likely cause the programs to conflict with each other.
  6. Learn to recognize the warnings that your anti-virus software produces. Cyber attackers can create malicious websites that post realistic, but fake, anti-virus warnings and offer to “fix” your computer. 


Derived from sans.org

New PayPal phishing scam hooking victims

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With Phishing and Spearphishing on the rise people need to pay close attention to the email they receive.   The research firm AppRiver is reported a new PayPal phishing scam is making the rounds with this version using a phony security message to obtain personal identifiable information. 


Additional information about phishing can be found at here.

The full article may be found here at SC Magazine.

Cyber 101 Series - Backup and Recovery

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Continuing our "Cyber 101" blog series targeted at protecting yourself against cyber threats, today's blog topic covers Backup and Recovery.


Today's guest blog contributor is Eric Varela. Eric is a student here at CSU Channel Islands majoring in Information Technology with a minor in Security Systems Engineering.


What are ‘Backups’? Backups are copies of your information that are stored somewhere else. When you lose important data, you can recover that data from your backups. The issue is that most people do not perform backups, which is unfortunate, because they can be simple and inexpensive.

When should you Back Up? Common options include hourly, daily, weekly, etc. For home use, personal backup programs, such as Apple’s Time Machine or Microsoft’s Windows Backup and Restore, allow you to create an automatic “set it and forget it” backup schedule. For university use, backing up your classwork files on your personal computer, and when using university equipment, manually backup your files to a USB flash drive or cloud solution. (Tip: Backing up your classwork could save you unimaginable headaches during the semester.)

How to Back Up? There are two ways to back up your data: physical media or Cloud-based storage.
Physical media is any type of hardware, such as DVDs, USB drives or external hard drives. The potential problem with physical media is that if your location has a physical disaster (theft or fire), then not only can you lose your computer, but the backups as well. You should plan to store copies of your backup off-site in a secure location. For extra security, encrypt your backups.
(Tip: Whichever media you choose, never back up your files to the device that holds the original files.)

Cloud-based solutions are different than physical media. This is a service where your files are stored somewhere on the internet. Depending on how much data you want to back up, this may be a paid service. This solution works by installing a program on your computer that automatically backs up your files for you. There are also solutions such as Google Drive and Apple iCloud that make it easy for you to save information on-the-go and from almost any computer. The advantage with this solution is that since your backups are in the ‘Cloud’, your backups are still safe if a disaster happens to your house or device. Plus, you can access your backups, or often even just individual files, from almost anywhere.
(Tip: If you are not sure which backup option is best for you (physical media or Cloud) keep in mind you can always do both.)

Recovery Backing up your data is only half the battle; you have to be certain that you can recover it. Check every month that your backups are working by recovering file and validating the contents. In addition, be sure to make a full system backup before a major upgrade or a major repair and verify that it is restorable.
(Tip: When rebuilding an entire system from a backup, be sure you reapply the latest security patches and updates before using it again.)

Derived from sans.org

Cyber-Bullying and Cyber-Harassment

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Continuing our blog series targeted at protecting yourself against cyber threats, today's blog topic covers Cyber Bullying.


Today's guest blog contributor is Eric Varela. Eric is a student here at CSU Channel Islands majoring in Information Technology with a minor in Security Systems Engineering.


What is “CyberBullying”? The Journal of School Violence defines it as, “Repeated, intentional and often anonymous act done to harm another person through e-mail, cell phone text messages, social networking websites, chat rooms, and instant messaging. It can be perpetrated by one person or a group of people.”

Types of Cyberbullying:
  • Denigrating: Putting someone down by posting or sending cruel and embarrassing material (text, photos, etc.) about the individual to others.
  • Flaming & Trolling: Posting angry, rude or mean-spirited comments and provoking others to do the same.
  • Harassing: Sending repeated, unwanted messages to another person.
  • Outing: Posting or sending out private information about someone without that person’s permission and with the intent of embarrassing or harming that person.
  • Excluding: Leaving someone out of an online group for malicious reasons.
  • Masquerading: Sending or posting messages, or creating Facebook, Twitter, or other social media profiles as someone else in attempt to damage the victim’s reputation or relationships.
  • Mobbing: Recruiting friends and allies to send hundreds of text messages to the victim’s cell phone or mobile device.
  • Stalking: Threatening harm or intimidating someone else by constantly monitoring their actions and locations. Stalking is a serious issue. Thousands of college students are stalked every year.


What to do if you are Harassed:
  • Decide whether to respond: If you know the person, respond to the first message, telling them to stop. If the first message is anonymous, don’t respond. Don’t respond to any additional messages and block or delete/unfriend/unfollow the person.
  • Document. Document. Document: Take screen shots. Save all communications for evidence. Do not alter them in any way. Keep electronic copies, not just print-outs. Having forms of proof such as the actual text messages, emails, and voicemail makes it easier to build a case for harassment and pursue charges.
  • Report It: Report abusive posts or messages to the service provider—Facebook, Twitter, the harassers’ cell phone provider, or their internet service provider. You can also report the abuse to your Residential Advisor.

How to Help Someone Being Harassed:

  1. Refuse to pass on the harasser’s messages.
  2. Tell Friends to stop the harassment or bullying.
  3. Offer the victim support without blame.
  4. Report abusive posts to the proper authorities.
  5. Block communication with those who are posting or sending abusive messages.

Derived from equity.missouri.edu