Security & privacy: Difference between revisions

Topics

• Basic
  • What is privacy?
  • What are the risks of losing control over my private data? 2014 celebrity photo leaks
  • Flow of my private data through the internet to the cloud.
  • Why do so many people have problems with security?
  • Tooling equipment and their uses.

Hacking classifications

[...]

Hacking is often portrayed by the media as being malicious and a danger to unexperienced internet users and also a threat to big companies and their data. However, there are actually two sides of hacking and they are defined by their hat colour. Black hats are considered the "bad guys" and white hats the good. They define themselves by the purposes to which they employ their hacking skills.

• White hats

White hats use their hacking skills in a more ethical way than the black hats. This means they use their skills to save other people from hacking and also help to protect the data of big companies. Often times white hat hackers work for network security companies like Symantec or Kaspersky and help to build antivirus software by trying to hack their way into system and improve them afterwards.

They also meet up in computer clubs like the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) to work in a team which does not depend on companies to help cleaning the web of malicious software in their free time.

• Black hats

Black hats are the main type of hackers shown in the media. These hackers use their abilities to gain top secret and private intel. Some of these hackers use this data to make money via blackmailing. Other black hats just do these to show their skill and don't care about the intel they gain. They are some times organized in groups for bigger attacks but they mainly depend on themselves.

• Grey hats

Grey hats are a small group between the big fronts of the white hats and the black hats.

Grey hats are known to be hackers that are not working for a certain group or company but are highly trained in hacking. Also gray hats are people who are not hacking for their own purpose. They are known for trying to push things the right way even if they have to break a few laws. Grey hats are also known for giving advice to both good and bad hacker lobbys [...]and then watch the fallout - (the group leader of L0pht first group called themselves gray hats in 1998)

The most famous grey hat hacking groups are called Annonymous and Anti-Sec.

Hacking groups

• Anonymous

Anonymous (first appearance 2003) is the most famous hacking group in the world. They consist of black hats and white hats that's why they're mainly known as a grey hat organisation. The members call themselves "Anon", which stands for Anonymous.

The side shown by the media are malicious attack against servers, companies and other organisations. The goal the hacking group Annonymous wants to achieve is a more open community and less lies our community. By their self justice actions they want to show that laws are non-existent to people with enough power and money and that our law and rights system does not work that well.

• Anti-Sec (Anti Security Movement)

Anti-Sec (first appearance 1999) is a hacking group which is known to many security companies as dangerous and harmful. They primarily consist of ex-security company workers and they call themselves a gray hat hacking group.

The goal of the movement is to show people that they don't need to by a expensive anti virus software and that if someone wants to hack you they are goin to hack you. This move ment gives also known for giving advice to other hacking groups.

• Chaos Computer Club (CCC)

The Chaos Computer Club (first apperance 1981) is the largest hacking group in Europe. The origin of the club is Germany and other German speaking countries. Their members are against discrimination of sex or skin color and mainly consist of gray and white hats.

The goal of the group is transparency of governments and companies, the freedom of information, the human right of speech and the access to technology infrastructure.

Tooling equipment

Hackers are using differen types of tools to access, steal, avoid of a safety device. Not all tools are used for internetcrime and data theft. In the topic "Hacking classifications" the differences of good and bad use are shown.

• Data theft is a big problem today, not only for companys but also for private users. The target of data theft is the unnoticed recovery of user data.

Keylooger

Keylogger are programs which are logging key strokes of the keyboard to steal login informations (e.p. Creditcards, bank, Email and Paypal accounts). They are crypt-ed to hide them from antivirus software and other security Systems and added hidden to the autostart-list to log the victims Computer at every time of use. Keyloggers are disseminated on the internet by infected files on different platforms or emails. Each Keylogger periodically uploads the logged files to a server (e.p. fdp, smtp, ..) where the data thiefs have access.

Bot-nets

Bot-nets are programs which build a big network with infected computers called "slaves". The owner of the botnet can control the infected computers for remote control, DDOS-attacks or as vic-proxy ("victim proxys"). Their are many Botnet programs out there with many different options, but every one is build as a "server.exe" which is crypt-ed and bind to a file to hide the backdoor program from antivirus programs or firewalls. But the hacker is also able to steal user data of the slaves or use them to infect new computers. One of the most famous botnets is "Blackshade".

Wifi-Sniffer

Wifi-Sniffer are program who give the hacker informations about different wifi networks in range. It does sent packages to the victims network and checks which ports are open and which ones are closed. Port 1-1024 stands for different windows applications. If the package is sent back the program/hacker knows if the computer is online or offline and which port is open. With the knowledge of which port is open, the hacker is able to use different exploits for different ports and their applications.

Malware

Malware (malicious software) is any software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to computer systems. It can appear in the form of executable code (.exe file), scripts, active content, and other software.

Social Engineering

What is social engineering?

The weakpoint in social engineering relies on weaknesses in human nature, rather than weakness in hardware, software or networks. So it’s a kind of psychological manipulation of people into performing actions. The most humans are susceptible to persuasion and manipulation through various methods. Lots of damaging activities are not a result of hacking. It its often the work of an employee within the enterprise that causes the most harm.

Techniques of social engineering

There are some known techniques, that use “bugs in the human hardware”:

• Pretexting

Using an invented scenario to engage a targeted victim in manner that increases the chances that the victim will show information or perform actions that would be unlikely in ordinary circumstances. An elaborate lie (mostly involves some prior research and use of this information for impersonation e.g. date of birth, social security number,..) to establish legitimacy in the mind of the target.

• Phishing
• Baiting
• Quid pro quo
• Taligating

Countermeasures

following soon

Notable social engineer

following soon

Threats

[...]

• Spam

Scamming/Phishing

In the majority of cases it begins with a spam email in which you are asked to check either your bank, PayPal or eBay account because of an alleged issue regarding your last payment or the security of the account itself. A Hyperlink is to be found in the email, which will redirect you to a phishing website instead of the actually targeted website. You are usually unable to distinguish between the original website and the phishing website you have just been redirected to as the appearances of the websites are likely to look alike, you can yet detect a phishing website by reviewing the URL.

• Dangers
  • Hacking
  • Trojan
  • Virus
  • What is a botnet?

• Heartbleed
• Any more famous security leaks?

• Bitcoin
  • Reasons to create an alternative payment system
  • How does it work?
  • Why Bitcoin instead of other virtual payment methods? What is so special about it?

• Tracking methods
  • 1x1 Pixel-Tracking
  • Cookie
  • Browser tracking through "canvas fingerprinting"
  • HTML5 Canvas Fingerprinting

• Near field communication (NFC)

Passwords

• How to build a good password with system?
  • Passwort-Schutz für jeden
  • Passwortliebe - Komm' zur Sache Schätzchen!

• Alternative password systems (picture password, one-time-password, and so on)

• KeePass Password Safe

• How does the password cracker work?
  • Die Passwortknacker
  • Social network research, and so on

Encryption

• Encryption
  • Historical outline of encryption methodes
  • Public Key Encryption Public-Key-Verschlüsselungsverfahren

• Encryption/ Decryption Methods [1]
  • symmetric
  • asymmetric
  • hybrid
• SSL
• Https

Protection

• What can normal users do to minimize their risk of vulnerability?
  • Open source alternatives to Ghostery: Adblock Plus, NoScript
  • DuckDuckGo search engine: an alternative to Google search

• AntiVirus programs, best friend or the evil within

• Ghostery
  • A Popular Ad Blocker Also Helps the Ad Industry
  • Die Geister, die ich rief

• Tools and techniques (to ensure privacy and security)
  • DarkNet
  • Proxy-Server
  • VPN
    • Why setting up a vpn network? What are the advantages?
    • How to setup an vpn network?
  • Near field communication (NFC)

Resources

• Alessandro Acquisti: What will a future without secrets look like?
• Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters