Transcript Slide 1

Staying Safe in
Cyberspace
What do YOU do online?
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Send and receive e-mail
Shop
Research
Instant messaging/chat
Social networking/blogging
What are the dangers?
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Malicious attachments
Malicious websites
Phishing/fraudulent e-mails
Merchants with weak security
Search results (yes, really!)
Now what?
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Does all this bad stuff mean you
should give up on the web?
NO WAY!
Get online!
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Stay connected with family
Communicate with friends
Keep up on current events
Plan vacations
What else?
E-mail security:
Phishing
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Phishing/vishing messages
– Use scare tactics/threats
– May “borrow” graphics to look more real
– May use poor English
– Ask for info the business already has
– May be multi-pronged
E-mail security:
419 Scams
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“I am a descendant of royalty…”
– Most common is “fund transfer” scam
– Request bank account numbers
– May also request fees to cover
transaction
– Never, EVER respond!
E-mail security:
Malicious attachments
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Bad guys use e-mail to spread
malware
– Beware of unsolicited attachments
– Use an e-mail provider that scans
attachments
– Keep your antivirus software up to date
E-mail security:
Malicious links
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Bad guys know we’re getting wise to
attachments–they entice you to click
links instead
– Adult content
– Breaking news
– Shocking video
E-mail security:
Malicious links
Instant messaging
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Do you use chat?
– Only accept chat requests from people
you know
– Don’t click unsolicited links
– Don’t accept unsolicited file transfers
Social Networking and
Blogging
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Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc…
– Understand and use privacy settings
– Only “friend” people you know
– Information posted here makes you a
more public person!
What can I do?
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Want to know a secret?
– You don’t need to be a geek to stay safe
online!
What can I do?
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Be skeptical and ask questions!
– Did I really win a foreign lottery?
– Does my bank need to be reminded of
my account number?
– Will the software in that ad really make
my computer faster if I click “OK?”
My favorite things…
(Just like Oprah, but without the flattering lighting!)
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Surf Safer—use
Firefox!
– Consider moving
away from Internet
Explorer
Surf Safer
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Use a phishing filter!
– McAfee SiteAdvisor (free)
– Rates search results
– Prevents you from visiting known-bad
websites
Shop Safer
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When using a credit
card online, always
look for:
– https://
– Closed padlock
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Your CC# is
encrypted in transit
E-mail Safer
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Choose a good e-mail provider!
– Is your e-mail scanned for viruses?
– Will it attempt to alert you about
phishing?
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Ask around—what e-mail providers do
trusted friends use?
– Are they generally happy?
– Do they get a lot of spam?
E-mail safer
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No e-mail provider is perfect!
– Unfortunately, they all get spam
E-mail safer
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Cast a wary eye upon e-mail messages
– Don’t be afraid to call your bank, ISP, or
other businesses about phishing
messages
Handling phishing
messages
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Don’t:
– Call any provided number
– Reply to them via e-mail
– Click any links or fill out any forms
Handling phishing
messages
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Do…
– Call your bank on a known-good number
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Known-good: from the back of your card or
bank statement
– Report the message to your e-mail
provider
– Report the message to the FTC
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Forward to [email protected]
Other types of fraud…
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Many types of fraud started offline but
found new life on the Internet
– Phone scams
– Check scams
– Text message scams
Phone scams—”vishing”
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Register with the National Do Not Call
registry
– https://www.donotcall.gov/
– Scammers will not honor this list!
– Remain on guard, report scam calls to the
FTC: 1-888-FTC-HELP
Check scams
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Arrive in “snail mail,” and may include:
– Foreign business offers
– Rental schemes
– Overpayments
– Sudden riches
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Get more info on check scams at
http://www.fakechecks.org
Text message scams
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Do you have a mobile phone?
Do you use it for text messaging?
– Even if you don’t, scammers can still send
messages to your phone
– Disable text service if you don’t use it
– NEVER respond to an unsolicited text
message
In conclusion…
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It’s not possible or necessary to know
about every threat
Remain skeptical
Continue learning
Ask questions!
More information
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Be SeKUre blog
– http://www.besekure.ku.edu
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Security workshops
– http://www2.ku.edu/~workshops
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Be SeKUre on Twitter
– http://twitter.com/beseKUre
Contact me!
Julie C. Fugett, CISSP, CCE
Information Security Analyst
The University of Kansas
[email protected]