Task 2 (P3, M1 D1)

Explain the security risks and protection mechanisms involved in

website performance.

Presentation by

Shahid Anwar

Security Risk
Viewing any sort of information over internet can involve risks. When a user exchanges
important data such as banking or emails, the user is sending important packets of data
over variety of networks, these packets are very easy to track and intercept, a hacker
can gain this important information and commit a crime called identify theft.
When signing up for websites such as registration or a newsletter, the details that are
out in are personal, it asks for emails, name and sometimes phone numbers. They are
able to then access personal details of the user. The personal data is then stored in the
database of the owners of the website, the administrator are the only ones that can
access this, but hackers are also likely to gain the personal information by using
different techniques of hacking, though this can be done the database has automated
detection for hackers so they are not able to get in, when this happen the detecting
process kicks in which then blocks the hacker and stops then from hacking the
database through methods of IP banning.

Viruses
Viruses are easily picked up and can spread; this will damage the computer and can
gain personal details. Computer viruses are able to copy themselves and infect
computers. For example if you own a website and it becomes infected with a virus it
wont only affect your computer but will more than likely spread to other users when
they enter your website, so the virus could infect many other people at one time.

Hacking
Hacking is also known as the re-programmer of a system. It is functioned in ways not
authorized by the owner. Its also known to as the change of a program or device to
give the user access to features that were not accessible. For example if your website
was to be hacked it may cause massive problems such as the hacker gaining access to
all your details, they are also able to change different information and also use personal
information. They can change almost everything, so this is dangerous for a website.

ID theft
ID theft is a form of fraud which involves using another persons identity, so that they
can access resources, to claim benefits and make money. This is dangerous on the
internet as many people share their details on different websites such as online
shopping and social networking thinking it is secure and others wont be able to access
it, though it is very easy to retrieve information from the web, ID theft
is most easily done through the internet.

Security Mechanisms
The security mechanism allows security on a website. Is protects the user form viruses
or any hackers gaining important information.
Firewall
This is software and also can be a hardware based on network security. This system
controls incoming and outgoing traffic within the network. It analyses the data and
chooses whether it is allowed to go through or not. Overall it is a device that is used to
deny viruses based on a set of rules. For example a web company or any other
business such as a school is terribly important to have a hardware firewall as well as
software firewall, this is important so that no viruses are able to spread to the entire
computers. So if one computer is to become infected it wont spread to the rest.

SSL (secure socket layer)

SSL provides communications security over the internet, SSL encrypt sections of
network connections above the transport layer using a keyed message code for
message reliability. For example, for websites it is very important to have a certificate
showing you are a secure website, as customers are more likely to visit you and will
feel at ease giving out there details and would fell safe.

D1- The impact that cases of website security breaches have had on society
TJX Companies Inc.
In December of 2006, clothing and home department store chain TJX
Companies Inc. (part of the TK Maxx company), suffered a major security
breach resulting in 94 million credit cards being exposed. The security
breach began with hackers exploiting the companies weak security wireless
networks within the store. This gained them access to the central database,
where, over 17 months millions of peoples credit card and bank details were
stolen.
This security breach could have possibly been prevented, because TJX did
not have adequate firewalls in place in their systems, allowing suspicious
traffic to enter the systems.
The stolen data was reported to have been used to make $8 million of
purchases in the USA, Hong Kong and Sweden. Customers also lost driver
licence numbers (if they were returning items without a receipt) and 455,000
of those were announced to have been stolen.

This cost TJX at least $250 million (about 150 million). Costs to the
company included giving vouchers (up to $60 per person) to people who lost
money because of the hackers, this cost them $10 million in total. At least
60 banks also have had to give out money to cover losses from
compromised credit and debit cards, and fraudulent charges.
As well as the financial costs to this company, TJX had to build back up trust
with their customers. This proved especially difficult because customers who
were at risk of having their identity stolen did not find out this from TJX, but
from the local news. This left people feeling confused about what had
happened, and a lot of people felt that the chain could have been more open
and honest about the security breach.

Phillip Cummings
Between the years 1999 and 2000 Phillip Cummings from New York
scammed thousands of innocent people. He worked at a help desk in an
organisation that allowed people to access their credit card accounts online,
and using his insider knowledge and passwords and codes to the databases,
stole thousands of peoples credit card details, and sold them on to others.
Once Cummings had downloaded the credit card reports and information (for
roughly $30 each), he sold them on to around 20 other people. These people
would steal money straight from peoples accounts, or change their
addresses, so their ATM cards were posted directly to their house. The scam
continued even after Cummings had left his job, and in total 30,000 people
had their information stolen, with a sum of $100 million (61 million in
todays conversion rate) taken.
By networking with large numbers of people, including people from Canada,
USA and Nigeria, Cumming managed to continue his scam for several years,
before the FBI put a stop to it.

In 2005, Cummings pled guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges, apologising

in court and saying that he didnt realise that his accomplices caused so
much damage, but he understood what he did was illegal. Cummings was
sentenced to 14 years in jail, and is due to pay compensation, the amount of
which will be decided at a later date.

The BubbleBoy Worm

The BubbleBoy worm was the first of its time, as it did not require human
acceptance to infect the receivers computer. The receiver only has to open
the email, or view it on a preview panel; there are no attachments to the
email. This immediately makes receivers less suspicious than they would be
if the email had an attachment. BubbleBoy is embedded into an email in
HTML format.
As well as sending a copy of the infected email to everyone in your Microsoft
Outlook address book, once the owner of the computer has turned off then
on their computer, a file that was previously planted (when the email was
opened) is activated a file that changes your computer name to BubbleBoy.
Once this message UPDATE.HTA appears on your computer it means your
computer has been infected.
BubbleBoy was created by Argentinean coder called Zulu. Zulu also has
played a role creating other viruses and worms.