Safe(r) Surfing

1. Safe(r) Surfing However … Understanding the Internet and the use of Common Sense Safety Can render the Internet“reasonably” Safe Common Sense Safety For Internet Usage and Browsing C. Kerry Nemovicher, Ph.D. - The Internet –It is not as safe as most of us think …

2. What is the Internet?

3. What is the Internet? The Internet

4. What is the Internet? ISP The Internet ISP

5. What is the Internet?How eMail works Alice ISP ISP Bob

6. What is the Internet?How browsing works Alice ISP ISP Bob

7. What are the DangersThe malefactors and what they want • Originally, the malefactors were pranksters and mischief makers • Now, Internet Crime is Organized Crime … Big Business. • “Internet Crime Online scams, ID theft, and undelivered goods made up most of the 300,000 complaints [received by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center] in 2010”(http://www.fbi.gov) • “U.S. Internet crime loss complaints almost doubled in value from $265 million in 2008 to reach $560 million [in 2009], according to official figures”.(http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com) • The Primary Goals: • Extortion • “Identity” Theft • Intellectual Property Theft

8. What are the Dangers?Where the eMail sharks hide Alice ISP ISP Bob

9. What are the Dangers?Where the browser sharks hide Alice ISP ISP Bob

10. What are the Dangers? … and …What you need to know • With whom are you communicating? • Who is listening to the communication? • What information do the malefactors want? • What will the malefactors do with the information they obtain?

11. What are the Dangers?What you need to know about eMail • Bogus eMails – with embedded malicious links • Bogus eMails – with scam contents • Bogus eMails – with embedded or attached “malware” • Legitimate eMails – with anti-social tendencies • Legitimate eMails – with confidential information in the content • Legitimate eMails – with risky content

12. What are the Dangers?Bogus eMails – with malicious links www.citibank.com http://85.185.174.116:75/citi.us/check.php For IP Address: 85.185.174.116 http://85.185.174.116:75/citi.us/check.php

13. What are the Dangers?Bogus eMails – with scam contents

14. What are the Dangers?Bogus eMails – embedded “malware”

15. What are the Dangers?Legitimate eMails – anti-social behavior 321 = 10,460,353,203 321 = ? 244 = 17,592,186,044,416 sheets 244/1,000 = 17,592,186,044 inches 17,792,186,044/12 = 1,466,015,503 feet 1,466,015,503/5,280 = 276,544 miles Average distance to the moon = 238,854 miles

16. What are the Dangers?Legitimate eMails – with confidential data

17. What are the Dangers?Legitimate eMails – with risky content

18. What are the Dangers?Legitimate? eMails – with risky content

19. What are the Dangers? … and …How to protect yourself • Bogus eMails – with embedded malicious linksNever click on embedded links in an email … retype them into your browser • Bogus eMails – with scam contentsBe wary of offers “too good to be true” or those that play on your good nature • Bogus eMails – with embedded or attached “malware”Never open an email with an attached executable file (.exe, .zip et cetera) • Legitimate eMails – with anti-social tendenciesDo NOT pass along mass mailings (Do NOT become a computer virus) • Legitimate eMails – with confidential information in the contentComplain to any vendor that does not practice “safe computing” • Legitimate eMails – with risky contentWhen sending and/or forwarding emails, clean out the “To” & “cc” listsAnd NEVER open eMails which do not have a Subject or have an unusual Subject

20. What are the Dangers?Definition of terms - “Browser” A web browser or Internet browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web (WWW). An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and may be a webpage, image, video, or other piece of content. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_browser) Important: A browser is software that runs on YOUR computer,and therefore has access to everything on your computer. Yet, itexecutesinstructions received from a remote website.

21. What are the Dangers?Definition of terms - “Cookies” A cookie, also known as a web cookie, browser cookie, and HTTP cookie, is a piece of textstored on a user's computer by their web browser. A cookie can be used for authentication, storing site preferences, shopping cart contents, the identifier for a server-based session, or anything else that can be accomplished through storing text data. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie) Important: Cookies can contain private information (e.g., Passwords) that are accessible to Browsers, as well as instructions for Browsers to execute. Important: In a computer, text is stored as a series ofbinary codes (1s and 0s). Therefore in a computer thereis no way to distinguish between “text” and a set ofinstructions for the computer to execute.

22. What are the Dangers?Definition of terms - “EULA” Yahoo! Privacy Policy Personally Relevant Experiences Yahoo! provides personally relevant product features, content, advertising, spam and malware detection by analyzing your email. Some of these features and advertising will be based on our understanding of the content and meaning of your emails. For instance, we analyze email messages to identify key elements of meaning and then categorize this information for immediate and future use. [emphasis in red added] Please read our FAQ to learn more. This information may also be used for interest-based advertising. To learn more, you can visit Yahoo!’s control tool for interest-based advertising. Yahoo! Mail may include interactive mail features from 3rd parties as well. Your personally identifiable information is not directly shared with the 3rd party without your consent.

23. What are the Dangers?What you need to know about Websites • Bogus sites – that download “malware” • Bogus sites – that mimic legitimate sites • Legitimate sites – that intentionally track your browsing behavior • Legitimate sites – that intentionally violate your privacy • Legitimate sites – that intentionally download “spyware” • Legitimate sites – that have been compromised • “Sniffers” that monitor web traffic for private information

24. What are the Dangers? … and …How to protect yourself • Bogus sites – • Look for telltale inconsistencies • Check the site’s geographic location (if you can get it) at, e.g.,: • http://www.geobytes.com/iplocator.htm?getlocation • http://www.ipligence.com/geolocation • When there is ANY doubt, do NOT download files and/or click on any “actions” • Legitimate sites • Know and understand a site’s “Privacy Policy” and then disclose accordingly • Try not to send confidential info over an unsecured line • Do NOT permit the site to “remember you” or “remember your password” • Do NOT permit cookies from third party sites • Do NOT permit “persistent” cookies & periodically delete cookies

25. The Dangers – They ExistBut does that mean we must stay away? Alice ISP ISP Bob

26. Even if the Dangers exist …It IS possible to swim with the sharks

27. Even if the Dangers exist …It IS possible to swim with the sharks

28. It IS possible to swim with the sharksWe do, however, need to exercise caution

29. Safe Surfing No. … There are definitely dangersand for many of them we have no realcounter-measures Can web surfing be 100% safe?

30. Safe(r) Surfing … IF we take the appropriate precautions. That IS possible! The Internet is like the ocean. Its value and allure cannot be ignored. Our safety lies in its vastness and in our respect for, and understanding of, its dangers.

31. Safe(r) Surfing Post Script

32. In the news recently …

33. Safe(r) Surfing Questions?