Computer Security Issues

Computers are under constant attack: 15-30 infections/day at Cornell which "phone home"

• Active
  • Probing for active accounts with passwords: SSH, ftp, mail
  • Probing for unpatched operating system and software vulnerabilities
  • "Social Engineering" -- pretending to be someone who needs access
• Passive
  • Viruses in email
  • Malware (malicious software) in compromised Web pages and advertisements aka drive-by-downloads
  • Trojan Horses (e.g. fake Anti-virus)