Computer Security

Hacking

Definition: To gain access to (a computer file or network) illegally or without authorization.

Incidents of hacking on the Internet have been increasing dramatically over the past several years. In 2001, the CERT Coordination Center reported 21,756 incidents for the entire year. In the first half of 2002 there have been 43,136 incidents reported. As you can see, the problem is growing at an alarming rate. Much of this growth can be attributed to the increase in broadband connections to the Internet by residential users. Many people do not realize that having broadband on all the time effectively makes your computer a permanent part of the Internet. Because of this, there are steps that people need to take to help reduce the number of “easy targets” available to malicious attacks.

What can I do to protect myself? There are several things that you can do to help reduce your chances of being attacked. Here is a short list of examples you may find helpful.

Personal Firewall Software

Personal firewall software is a piece of software that gets installed directly on your pc. It allows and disallows traffic to and from your computer based on decisions made by you. The first few days/weeks with this type of program are commonly referred to as the learning phase for the software, and can sometimes be rather irritating. Once you have established the rules for “normal” operations on you pc however, most of the time you will not even know the software is there.

A few examples of this type of software are:

• Tiny Personal Firewall
• Zone Alarm
• Black Ice Defender

“SOHO” Firewall Appliances

With the dramatic growth of broadband, several firewall vendors have begun making products designed specifically for small offices and home users. Like personal firewall software, they allow and disallow traffic to and from pc’s based on sets of rules you define. Unlike personal firewalls however, they are not software that you install on your computer. They are devices you place between your computer and/or network and the Internet. Many vendors offer this type of product, with prices ranging depending on the number of users and the features present on the device. One of the advantages to appliances is that they often can be configured (as an add-on feature usually) to do other thing besides blocking malicious activity, such as virus and content filtering.

Some links to companies that make these types of products are:

• Netscreen
• Watchguard
• Sonicwall

Education

Perhaps the most useful thing people can do to cut down on Internet hacking is to educate themselves about the types of things that should be avoided. There are many different places and ways that one can do this. From formal classroom learning to just good old book reading, anything you can do to increase your knowledge of Internet security will be a benefit to the entire Internet user community.

Here are some links that may be of interest:

• StaySafeOnline.info
• sans.org
• incidents.org
• online.securityfocus.com

Books

• Protect Yourself Online
• Hacking Exposed
• Web Hacking Attacks and Defense

What should I do if I think my computer has been hacked? If you are a Green Mountain Access customer and believe you have been hacked, please send a report of the entire incident and any information you have (logs, times, etc.) to abuse@gmavt.net. We take security very seriously at GMA and if we can assist you with your problem we will be more than happy to do so.