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Who's That Knocking at the Door?
Every computer that’s connected to the Internet has its own IP address. Unfortunately, while this proves ideal for employees getting work done, it also serves as a magnet for outsiders with less-than-ideal intentions. Hackers scan random IP addresses and attack when they find a vulnerable machine — it’s nothing personal, they’re just looking for a way to exploit what you know for their own profit or criminal mischief.
Is your welcome mat out?
Don’t think you have what it takes to attract a hacker’s attention? You might be surprised. While you might not have data or information they want, they can use your computer to access others and cover their tracks, leaving you at the end of the electronic trail. A hacker may use your computer for villainous activities such as:
- Remote login. Someone connects to your computer and controls it in some way — from viewing your files to actually running programs.
- Application backdoors. Remote access is legitimate for employees, but hackers could use a bug to provide hidden access and control programs.
- Operating system bugs. Like applications, some operating systems have backdoors for remote access. Hackers can take advantage of weak security controls or bugs.
- SMTP session hijacking. SMTP is the most common way to send e-mail. Hackers can use an unsuspecting host to redirect unsolicited junk e-mail with or without a virus through SMTP. Along the same lines, SPAM messages often have links to Web sites that, when clicked, create cookies that open a backdoor to your computer.
- Denial of service. Denial of service happens when a hacker sends a connection request to the service. The server responds and tries to establish a session, except it can’t find the system that made the request. When these kinds of requests inundate a server, the server slows to a crawl or eventually crashes.
- Viruses. These small programs can copy themselves to other computers and spread quickly — just like the human kind of viruses. They may be harmless messages or they may destroy all of your data.
- Source routing. Hackers use routers to make information appear as though it comes from a trusted source, or even from within the network.
Don’t let ’em in
A firewall can protect your system from many — not all, but many — of these attacks. Some firewalls offer virus protection, but it’s worth the investment to install anti-virus software on every computer. And please note that, as long as you accept e-mail, some SPAM will get through the firewall.
The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) strongly recommends that sites protect their resources with firewalls and other security tools and techniques. A firewall implements a network-access policy by forcing connections to pass through the firewall, where they can be examined and evaluated.
Because companies have better ways to spend their time, an in-depth look at their security procedures, including firewalls, could thwart potential attacks from hackers and protect unauthorized use of their networks — leaving computers and networks available to get the real work done. |
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