Staying Safe in Cyberspace

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Staying Safe in Cyberspace
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What do YOU do online?

• Send and receive e-mail
• Shop
• Research
• Instant messaging/chat
• Social networking/blogging

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What are the dangers?

• Malicious attachments
• Malicious websites
• Phishing/fraudulent e-mails
• Merchants with weak security
• Search results (yes, really!)

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Now what?

• Does all this bad stuff mean you should give up
  on the web?
• NO WAY!

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Get online!

• Stay connected with family
• Communicate with friends
• Keep up on current events
• Plan vacations
• What else?

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E-mail securityPhishing

• 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

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E-mail security419 Scams

• 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!

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E-mail securityMalicious attachments

• 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

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E-mail securityMalicious links

• Bad guys know were getting wise to
  attachmentsthey entice you to click links
  instead
• Adult content
• Breaking news
• Shocking video

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E-mail securityMalicious links
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Instant messaging

• Do you use chat?
• Only accept chat requests from people you know
• Dont click unsolicited links
• Dont accept unsolicited file transfers

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Social Networking and Blogging

• Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc
• Understand and use privacy settings
• Only friend people you know
• Information posted here makes you a more public
  person!

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What can I do?

• Want to know a secret?
• You dont need to be a geek to stay safe online!

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What can I do?

• 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?

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My favorite things(Just like Oprah, but without
the flattering lighting!)

• Surf Saferuse Firefox!
• Consider moving away from Internet Explorer

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Surf Safer

• Use a phishing filter!
• McAfee SiteAdvisor (free)
• Rates search results
• Prevents you from visiting known-bad websites

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Shop Safer

• When using a credit card online, always look for
• https//
• Closed padlock
• Your CC is encrypted in transit

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E-mail Safer

• Choose a good e-mail provider!
• Is your e-mail scanned for viruses?
• Will it attempt to alert you about phishing?
• Ask aroundwhat e-mail providers do trusted
  friends use?
• Are they generally happy?
• Do they get a lot of spam?

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E-mail safer

• No e-mail provider is perfect!
• Unfortunately, they all get spam

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E-mail safer

• Cast a wary eye upon e-mail messages
• Dont be afraid to call your bank, ISP, or other
  businesses about phishing messages

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Handling phishing messages

• Dont
• Call any provided number
• Reply to them via e-mail
• Click any links or fill out any forms

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Handling phishing messages

• Do
• Call your bank on a known-good number
• 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
• Forward to uce_at_ftc.gov

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Other types of fraud

• Many types of fraud started offline but found new
  life on the Internet
• Phone scams
• Check scams
• Text message scams

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Phone scamsvishing

• 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

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Check scams

• Arrive in snail mail, and may include
• Foreign business offers
• Rental schemes
• Overpayments
• Sudden riches
• Get more info on check scams at
  http//www.fakechecks.org

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Text message scams

• Do you have a mobile phone?
• Do you use it for text messaging?
• Even if you dont, scammers can still send
  messages to your phone
• Disable text service if you dont use it
• NEVER respond to an unsolicited text message

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In conclusion

• Its not possible or necessary to know about
  every threat
• Remain skeptical
• Continue learning
• Ask questions!

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More information

• Be SeKUre blog
• http//www.besekure.ku.edu
• Security workshops
• http//www2.ku.edu/workshops
• Be SeKUre on Twitter
• http//twitter.com/beseKUre

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Contact me!

• Julie C. Fugett, CISSP, CCE
• Information Security Analyst
• The University of Kansas
• jcf_at_ku.edu