By: Bikramjit Singh
1. Spyware - A spyware is a computer software that can steal important information from the users computer without their consent or knowledge. Spyware only works whenever your computer is connected to the internet. a spyware once installed on your computer sends important information from your computer like stored passwords, important documents, computer codes and internet banking accounts to its server or in other words to the computer controlling the spyware. Spyware are of two different types:-
a. key loggers:- one that logs your keystrokes and your screen activity.
b. Trojan horse: - one that monitors every aspect of your computer and helps the controller to gain complete control over your computer.
Solutions:- a. In order to prevent the installation of the spyware, remember never to open warez sites, never download any freeware from un-trusted sites.
b. Always scan a downloaded file by a trusted anti-virus and do keep the antivirus and some internet security software running while accessing the internet.
2. Spoofing attacks (Email & URL)
Spoofing attacks are now a days becoming more common and already many people have been affected by it. Spoofing attacks are those attacks in which someone tries to spoof someone else identity. In simpler terms, you can receive an email from your bank not actually sent by the bank. Spoofing attacks again are of two types:-
a. email spoofing:- I’ll explain this by example. Suppose you receive an email from xyz@bank.com but in actual bank.com never sent that email. The spoofed email might prompt you to send important data to the person emailed you either through a reply or through some link to website provided in the email. The link to website may again be URL spoofed so as to give a perception of everything real.
b. URL spoofing:- again I’ll explain this by using example. Suppose someone sends you a link to the website either through email or through some other means like chat. You open the link and it opens up some well known website like yahoo asking for your authentication, but in real it’s some other site where-in the URL is spoofed to give it a real look.
Prevention:-
a. Never respond to spoof emails asking for some type of important or confidential data. For example, a bank will never ask for important information through emails.
b. never visit links which opens to well known websites, instead open the website directly in a new browser and type the url address.
c. keep your browser updated in order to prevent url spoofing attacks.
d. always check the trusted domain sign when opening a website through a link. if its an untrusted domain and asking for authentication, close it.
e. never provide any kind of authentication asked by some email or link in the email to website.
