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            "text": "w w w . s y n g r e s s . c o m\nSyngress is committed to publishing high-quality books for IT Professionals and\ndelivering those books in media and formats that fit the demands of our cus-\ntomers. We are also committed to extending the utility of the book you purchase\nvia additional materials available from our Web site. \nSOLUTIONS WEB SITE\nTo register your book, visit www.syngress.com/solutions. Once registered, you can\naccess our solutions@syngress.com Web pages. There you may find an assortment\nof value-added features such as free e-booklets related to the topic of this book,\nURLs of related Web sites, FAQs from the book, corrections, and any updates from\nthe author(s).\nULTIMATE CDs\nOur Ultimate CD product line offers our readers budget-conscious compilations of\nsome of our best-selling backlist titles in Adobe PDF form. These CDs are the perfect\nway to extend your reference library on key topics pertaining to your area of exper-\ntise, including Cisco Engineering, Microsoft Windows System Administration,\nCyberCrime Investigation, Open Source Security, and Firewall Configuration, to\nname a few.\nDOWNLOADABLE E-BOOKS\nFor readers who can’t wait for hard copy, we offer most of our titles in download-\nable Adobe PDF form. These e-books are often available weeks before hard copies,\nand are priced affordably.\nSYNGRESS OUTLET\nOur outlet store at syngress.com features overstocked, out-of-print, or slightly hurt\nbooks at significant savings.\nSITE LICENSING\nSyngress has a well-established program for site licensing our e-books onto servers\nin corporations, educational institutions, and large organizations. Contact us at\nsales@syngress.com for more information.\nCUSTOM PUBLISHING\nMany organizations welcome the ability to combine parts of multiple Syngress\nbooks, as well as their own content, into a single volume for their own internal use.\nContact us at sales@syngress.com for more information.\nVisit us at\n"
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            "text": ""
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            "page_number": 4,
            "text": "Tony Bradley CISSP-ISSAP, About.com’s Guide\nfor Internet/Network Security\nHarlan Carvey\nTechnical Editor\nEssential\nComputer\nSecurity\nEVERYONE’S GUIDE TO E-MAIL,\nINTERNET, AND WIRELESS SECURITY\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 5,
            "text": "Syngress Publishing, Inc., the author(s), and any person or firm involved in the writing, editing, or produc-\ntion (collectively “Makers”) of this book (“the Work”) do not guarantee or warrant the results to be\nobtained from the Work.\nThere is no guarantee of any kind, expressed or implied, regarding the Work or its contents.The Work is\nsold AS IS and WITHOUT WARRANTY.You may have other legal rights, which vary from state to\nstate.\nIn no event will Makers be liable to you for damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or other\nincidental or consequential damages arising out from the Work or its contents. Because some states do not\nallow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation\nmay not apply to you.\nYou should always use reasonable care, including backup and other appropriate precautions, when working\nwith computers, networks, data, and files.\nSyngress Media®, Syngress®,“Career Advancement Through Skill Enhancement®,”“Ask the Author\nUPDATE®,” and “Hack Proofing®,” are registered trademarks of Syngress Publishing, Inc.“Syngress:The\nDefinition of a Serious Security Library”™,“Mission Critical™,” and “The Only Way to Stop a Hacker is\nto Think Like One™” are trademarks of Syngress Publishing, Inc. Brands and product names mentioned\nin this book are trademarks or service marks of their respective companies.\nKEY\nSERIAL NUMBER\n001\nHJIRTCV764\n002\nPO9873D5FG\n003\n829KM8NJH2\n004\nFGT53MMN92\n005\nCVPLQ6WQ23\n006\nVBP965T5T5\n007\nHJJJ863WD3E\n008\n2987GVTWMK\n009\n629MP5SDJT\n010\nIMWQ295T6T\nPUBLISHED BY\nSyngress Publishing, Inc.\n800 Hingham Street\nRockland, MA 02370\nEssential Computer Security: Everyone’s Guide to Email, Internet, and Wireless Security\nCopyright © 2006 by Syngress Publishing, Inc.All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the\nCopyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by\nany means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the pub-\nlisher, with the exception that the program listings may be entered, stored, and executed in a computer\nsystem, but they may not be reproduced for publication.\nPrinted in Canada.\n1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0\nISBN: 1-59749-114-4\nPublisher:Andrew Williams\nPage Layout and Art: Patricia Lupien\nAcquisitions Editor: Gary Byrne\nCopy Editors: Michelle Melani, Mike McGee\nTechnical Editor: Harlan Carvey\nIndexer: Richard Carlson\nCover Designer: Michael Kavish\nDistributed by O’Reilly Media, Inc. in the United States and Canada.\nFor information on rights, translations, and bulk sales, contact Matt Pedersen, Director of Sales and Rights,\nat Syngress Publishing; email matt@syngress.com or fax to 781-681-3585.\n"
        },
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            "page_number": 6,
            "text": "Acknowledgments\nv\nSyngress would like to acknowledge the following people for their kindness\nand support in making this book possible.\nSyngress books are now distributed in the United States and Canada by\nO’Reilly Media, Inc.The enthusiasm and work ethic at O’Reilly are incredible,\nand we would like to thank everyone there for their time and efforts to bring\nSyngress books to market:Tim O’Reilly, Laura Baldwin, Mark Brokering, Mike\nLeonard, Donna Selenko, Bonnie Sheehan, Cindy Davis, Grant Kikkert, Opol\nMatsutaro, Steve Hazelwood, Mark Wilson, Rick Brown,Tim Hinton, Kyle\nHart, Sara Winge, Peter Pardo, Leslie Crandell, Regina Aggio Wilkinson, Pascal\nHonscher, Preston Paull, Susan Thompson, Bruce Stewart, Laura Schmier, Sue\nWilling, Mark Jacobsen, Betsy Waliszewski, Kathryn Barrett, John Chodacki,\nRob Bullington, Kerry Beck, Karen Montgomery, and Patrick Dirden.\nThe incredibly hardworking team at Elsevier Science, including Jonathan\nBunkell, Ian Seager, Duncan Enright, David Burton, Rosanna Ramacciotti,\nRobert Fairbrother, Miguel Sanchez, Klaus Beran, Emma Wyatt, Krista\nLeppiko, Marcel Koppes, Judy Chappell, Radek Janousek, Rosie Moss, David\nLockley, Nicola Haden, Bill Kennedy, Martina Morris, Kai Wuerfl-Davidek,\nChristiane Leipersberger,Yvonne Grueneklee, Nadia Balavoine, and Chris\nReinders for making certain that our vision remains worldwide in scope.\nDavid Buckland, Marie Chieng, Lucy Chong, Leslie Lim,Audrey Gan, Pang Ai\nHua, Joseph Chan, June Lim, and Siti Zuraidah Ahmad of Pansing Distributors\nfor the enthusiasm with which they receive our books.\nDavid Scott, Tricia Wilden, Marilla Burgess, Annette Scott, Andrew Swaffer,\nStephen O’Donoghue, Bec Lowe, Mark Langley, and Anyo Geddes of Woodslane\nfor distributing our books throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New\nGuinea, Fiji,Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the Cook Islands.\n"
        },
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            "page_number": 7,
            "text": "Dedication\nI want to thank my kids for giving me the motivation to create this book.\nJordan, Dalton, Paige,Teegan, Ethan, and Noah are all wonderful, fabulous\nkids—each in his or her own way—and I am lucky to be their Dad. I also want\nto welcome Addison, the newest addition to the Bradley family.\nI can’t say enough to thank my wife. It may be sappy for a dedication in a\ntechnical book, but Nicki is my Sunshine. She is more giving, loving,\nthoughtful, and devoted than anyone else I have ever known. She brings joy to\nmy world and inspires me to be better than I am. I can only hope that I give\nher even a fraction of what she gives me.\n“Far away there in the Sunshine are my highest aspirations. I\nmay not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty,\nbelieve in them, and try to follow where they lead.” \n—Louisa May Alcott\nI need to express my deepest appreciation to Syngress Publishing for helping\nme get this book published.This project began a couple years ago and got side-\nlined. Syngress believed in the purpose of the book and worked with me to\nmake it happen.\nI want to extend my personal thanks to Gary Byrne,Amy Pedersen, and\nAndrew Williams. Each of them has worked as hard as I have—maybe harder—\nto make sure this book got to you. It isn’t easy keeping me on schedule, but\nthey were relentless…in a good way.\nI also want to thank Harlan Carvey for providing his technical expertise as\nthe technical editor for the book, and Paul Summit and Larry Chaffin for their\nzero-hour contributions to help us make our deadlines.\nvi\nAuthor Acknowledgments\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 8,
            "text": "vii\nLead Author\nTony Bradley (CISSP-ISSAP) is the Guide for the\nInternet/Network Security site on About.com, a part of The New\nYork Times Company. He has written for a variety of other Web\nsites and publications, including PC World, SearchSecurity.com,\nWindowsNetworking.com, Smart Computing magazine, and\nInformation Security magazine. Currently a security architect and con-\nsultant for a Fortune 100 company,Tony has driven security policies\nand technologies for antivirus and incident response for Fortune\n500 companies, and he has been network administrator and tech-\nnical support for smaller companies.\nTony is a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security\nProfessional) and ISSAP (Information Systems Security Architecture\nProfessional). He is Microsoft Certified as an MCSE (Microsoft\nCertified Systems Engineer) and MCSA (Microsoft Certified\nSystems Administrator) in Windows 2000 and an MCP (Microsoft\nCertified Professional) in Windows NT.Tony is recognized by\nMicrosoft as an MVP (Most Valuable Professional) in Windows\nsecurity.\nOn his About.com site,Tony has on average over 600,000 page\nviews per month and 25,000 subscribers to his weekly newsletter.\nHe created a 10-part Computer Security 101 Class that has had\nthousands of participants since its creation and continues to gain\npopularity through word of mouth.Aside from his Web site and\nmagazine contributions,Tony is also coauthor of Hacker’s Challenge 3\n(ISBN: 0072263040) and a contributing author to Winternals:\nDefragmentation, Recovery, and Administration Field Guide (ISBN:\n1597490792) and Combating Spyware in the Enterprise (ISBN:\n1597490644).\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 9,
            "text": "viii\nLarry Chaffin is the CEO/Chairman of Pluto Networks, a world-\nwide network consulting company specializing in VoIP, WLAN, and\nSecurity. He is an accomplished author. He was a coauthor on\nManaging Cisco Secure Networks (ISBN: 1931836566) and contributed\nto Skype Me (ISBN: 1597490326), Practical VoIP Security (ISBN:\n1597490601), and Configuring Check Point NGX VPN-1/Firewall-1\n(ISBN: 1597490318). He also wrote Building a VoIP Network with\nNortel’s MS5100 (ISBN: 1597490784) and coauthored/ghostwrote\n11 other technology books for VoIP, WLAN, security, and optical\ntechnologies. Larry has more than 29 vendor certifications from\ncompanies such as Avaya, Cisco, HP, IBM, isc2, Juniper, Microsoft,\nNortel, PMI, and VMware. Larry has been a principal architect in\n22 countries for many Fortune 100 companies designing VoIP, secu-\nrity, WLAN, and optical networks; he is viewed by his peers as one\nof the most well-respected experts in the field of VoIP and security\nin the world. Larry has spent countless hours teaching and con-\nducting seminars/workshops around the world in the field of\nVoice/VoIP, security, and wireless networks. Larry is currently\nworking on a follow-up to Building a VoIP Network with Nortel’s\nMultimedia Communication Server 5100 as well as new books on\nCisco VoIP networks, practical VoIP case studies, and wasted tax-\npayer money in a state-run network.\nLarry cowrote Chapter 5.\nJennifer Davis is a senior system administrator with Decru, a\nNetwork Appliance company. Decru develops storage security solu-\ntions that help system administrators protect data. Jennifer specializes\nin scripting, systems automation, integration and troubleshooting,\nand security administration.\nJennifer is a member of USENIX, SAGE, LoPSA, and BayLISA.\nShe is based in Silicon Valley, California.\nJennifer wrote Appendix B.\nContributing Authors\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 10,
            "text": "ix\nPaul Summitt (MCSE, CCNA, MCP+I, MCP) holds a master’s\ndegree in mass communication. Paul has served as a network, an\nExchange, and a database administrator, as well as a Web and appli-\ncation developer. Paul has written on virtual reality and Web devel-\nopment and has served as technical editor for several books on\nMicrosoft technologies. Paul lives in Columbia, MO, with his life\nand writing partner, Mary.\nPaul cowrote Chapter 7.\nHarlan Carvey (CISSP) is a computer forensics engineer with\nISS/IBM. He is based out of the Northern Virginia area and pro-\nvides emergency response services to ISS clients. His background\nincludes vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, as well as\nincident response and computer forensics for clients in the federal\ngovernment and commercial sectors. Harlan also has a great deal of\nexperience developing and conducting hands-on functional incident\nresponse training for commercial and government clients.\nHarlan holds a BSEE degree from the Virginia Military Institute\nand an MSEE degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. Harlan\nhas presented at Usenix, BlackHat, DefCon, and HTCIA confer-\nences. In addition, he is a prolific writer, and his articles have been\npublished in journals and on Web sites. He is the author of Windows\nForensics and Incident Recovery.\nTechnical Editor\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 11,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 12,
            "text": "xi\nContents\nForeword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix\nIntro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi\nPart I: Bare Essentials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1\nChapter 1 Basic Windows Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3\nIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4\nWhy Do You Need to Be Secure?  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4\nWhy Are You at Risk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5\nMalware  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5\nWeak Passwords  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6\nPhysical Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6\nNetwork “Neighbors” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6\nLogging In  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7\nUser Accounts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7\nLimiting the Number of Accounts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9\nDisabling the Guest Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11\nRenaming the Administrator Account  . . . . . . . . . . . .12\nCreating a Dummy Administrator Account  . . . . . . . .13\nSecurity Groups  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13\nWindows XP Home Account Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15\nFAT32 versus NTFS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16\nFile and Folder Security  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16\nKeeping It Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17\nSharing and Security  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18\nWindows Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21\nHidden File Extensions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24\nScreen Saver  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 13,
            "text": "xii\nContents\nChapter 2 Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30\nPassword Power  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30\nThe Keys to Your Data  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32\nSelecting Strong Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33\nPassword Cracking  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35\nStoring Your Passwords  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36\nOne Super-Powerful Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39\nChapter 3 Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware . . . . . . 41\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42\nMalware Terms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42\nThe History of Malware  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43\nProtect Yourself with Antivirus Software . . . . . . . . . . . . .44\nKeep Your Antivirus Software Updated . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47\nHow Not to Get Infected  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49\nDo You Think You’re Infected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52\nChapter 4 Patching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54\nPatch Terminology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54\nWhy Should I Patch?  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55\nHow Do I Know What to Patch?  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56\nPatching Precautions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64\nPart II: More Essential Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65\nChapter 5 Perimeter Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68\nFrom Moats and Bridges to Firewalls and Filters  . . . . . . . . .68\nFirewalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69\nNetwork Traffic Flow  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70\nRouters and Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 14,
            "text": "Contents\nxiii\nPacket Routing and Filtering  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72\nStateful Inspection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73\nApplication Gateways and Application Proxy Firewalls  . .74\nPersonal and Cable/DSL Router Firewalls  . . . . . . . . . . .74\nIntrusion Detection and Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84\nChapter 6 E-mail Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86\nThe Evolution of E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86\nE-mail Security Concerns  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86\nOpening Attachments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87\nWeb-Based versus POP3 E-mail  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91\nSpoofed Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92\nSpam  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93\nHoaxes and Phishing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102\nChapter 7 Web Surfing Privacy and Safety . . . . . . . . . 103\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104\nThe Revolutionary World Wide Web  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104\nWeb Security Concerns  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106\nCookies  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106\nPrivacy and Anonymous Surfing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109\nGetting in the Zone  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112\nShopping Safely: SSL and Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116\nFinancial Transactions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117\nContent Filtering and Childproofing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121\nChapter 8 Wireless Network Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124\nThe Basics of Wireless Networks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124\n802.11b  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126\n802.11a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127\n802.11g  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 15,
            "text": "xiv\nContents\nNext-Generation Protocols  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127\nBasic Wireless Network Security Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . .128\nSecure Your Home Wireless Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128\nChange the SSID  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129\nConfigure Your Home Wireless Network . . . . . . . . .130\nRestrict Access to Your Home Wireless Network  . . .130\nUse Encryption in Your Home Wireless Network  . .131\nReview Your Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132\nUse Public Wireless Networks Safely  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133\nInstall Up-to-Date Antivirus Software  . . . . . . . . . . .133\nInstall a Personal Firewall  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133\nAdditional Hotspot Security Measures  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134\nVerify Your Hotspot Connection  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134\nWatch Your Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135\nUse Encryption and Password Protection  . . . . . . . . . . .135\nDon’t Linger  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136\nUse a VPN  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136\nUse Web-Based E-mail  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137\nChapter 9 Spyware and Adware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140\nWhat Is Adware? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140\nWhat Is Spyware?  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144\nGetting Rid of Spyware  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150\nPart III: Testing and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151\nChapter 10 Keeping Things Secure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154\nGeneral PC Maintenance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154\nDisk Cleanup  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155\nErase the PageFile  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157\nDisk Defragmenter  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158\nScheduled Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159\nPatches and Updates  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161\nWindows XP Security Center  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 16,
            "text": "Contents\nxv\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164\nChapter 11 When Disaster Strikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166\nCheck the Event Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166\nEnable Security Auditing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167\nReview Your Firewall Logs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170\nScan Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171\nRestore Your System  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173\nStart from Scratch  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174\nRestore Your Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175\nCall In the Pros  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177\nChapter 12 Microsoft Alternatives: \nInside the Linux Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180\nCommon Desktop Environments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180\nGnome  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181\nKDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183\nCommon Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184\nInstall Both, Make One the Default  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185\nAlternative Window Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185\nThe X Window System and Window Managers . . . . . . . . .185\nX Window Servers versus Window Managers . . . . . . . .186\nWindow Managers as \nAlternative Desktop Environments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188\nE-mail and Personal Information Management Clients  . . . .190\nEvolution  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190\nEvolution, Microsoft \nExchange, Novell GroupWise, and OpenExchange . .192\nKDE Suite/KMail  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192\nKontact  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192\nAethera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193\nMozilla Mail/Thunderbird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194\nThunderbird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 17,
            "text": "xvi\nContents\nSylpheed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195\nEssential Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196\nE-mail and PIM Software  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196\nMigrating Mail  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197\nMigrating from Outlook or Outlook Express . . . . . .197\nImporting Outlook Mail into Mozilla  . . . . . . . . . . .198\nLibPST  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199\nImporting Outlook Mail into Evolution  . . . . . . . . .199\nDocument Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201\nThe Hard Way  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201\nWeb Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202\nMozilla  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202\nMozilla and Microsoft CHAP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203\nFirefox  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203\nGaleon  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204\nKonqueror  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205\nOpera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205\nMigrating Bookmarks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206\nBrowser Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206\nMacromedia Flash and Shockwave/Director . . . . . . .206\nRealPlayer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207\nAdobe Acrobat Reader  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208\nOffice Application Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209\nOpenOffice.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209\nLimitations: Macros and PDF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212\nFuture Plans  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213\nStarOffice  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213\nKOffice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213\nHancom Office  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214\nRunning Windows Applications on Linux  . . . . . . . . . . . . .214\nCompatibility Layer Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215\nWine  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216\nCode Weavers’ CrossOver Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218\nAdditional Resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 18,
            "text": "Contents\nxvii\nPart IV: Security Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219\nAppendix A Essential Network Communications . . . . 221\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222\nComputer Protocols  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222\nCommunication Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223\nTCP and UDP Protocols  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223\nUnderstanding IP Addresses and DNS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224\nManaging IP Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226\nFirewalls  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227\nAppendix B Case Study: SOHO \n(Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) . . . . . . . . . . . . 229\nIntroduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230\nUsing netstat to Determine Open Ports on a System  . .230\nDetermining More Information with lsof . . . . . . . . . . .235\nUsing netstat on Windows XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236\nEmploying a Firewall in a SOHO Environment  . . . . . . . . .239\nHost-Based Firewall Solutions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239\nIntroducing the SOHO Firewall Case Study  . . . . . . . . . . .240\nAssessing Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240\nDefining the Scope of the Case Study  . . . . . . . . . . . . .241\nDesigning the SOHO Firewall  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241\nDetermining the Functional Requirements . . . . . . . . . .242\nDetermining the Needs of the Family  . . . . . . . . . . .242\nTalking to Local User Groups  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242\nCreating a Site Survey of the Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243\nIdentifying Current Technology \nOptions and Constraints  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244\nImplementing the SOHO Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245\nAssembling the Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245\nInstalling the Components  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245\nInstalling the Wireless Cards  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246\nTesting the Configuration \nfrom Various Access Points  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249\nSummary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250\nSolutions Fast Track  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251\nFrequently Asked Questions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .252\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 19,
            "text": "xviii\nContents\nAppendix C Glossary of Technology and Terminology 253\nIndex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 20,
            "text": "There’s no denying that the personal computer revolution has changed the way\nwe as a society communicate. It’s now more common to receive an e-mail mes-\nsage than a postal letter. In fact, computer networks have become an indispens-\nable part of the corporate landscape.With the proliferation of the Internet, both\nindividuals and businesses are realizing more than ever the importance of being\nable to access the Web and all it has to offer. Every aspect of our existence is or\ncan be touched by the Internet.We can use the Internet to shop for all manner\nof items; tend to our banking; plan and book excursions and stays; seek advice\nand reviews; and converse with other users at any time of our choosing and\nvirtually from anywhere. Such convenience, however, does not come without\nits own set of risks; namely, the hackers and viruses with which we’ve become\nall too familiar.You will find this book a reliable resource for the most critical\naspects of computer security.\nTo the newcomer, the Internet may be as alluring and exciting as the Wild\nWest was to many Americans during the mid-1800s.The untapped resources of\nthe West left people open to new discoveries and opportunities. However, like\nthe Wild West, the Internet is largely unregulated; it lacks proper, effective laws\nfor maintaining security and often is full of unpleasant surprises.All individuals\nand organizations that connect to the Internet are under the risk of an online\nattack every day, and they need to make and maintain their own security.\nAlthough the Internet has become ubiquitous as a communication and\nresearch tool, it is important to remember that the Internet is a two-way\nstreet—your computer connects to it, and vice versa.The good news is that\nsecuring your computer is largely a matter of understanding where you are vul-\nnerable and what tools and techniques are required for security. Luckily, basic\nxix\nForeword\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 21,
            "text": "computer security is not beyond a nontechnical person’s ability to understand.\nWhether you are using a stand-alone computer or a whole computer network,\nTony Bradley will arm you with the knowledge you need to make and keep\nthings secure.\nSecurity is a process, not a product, and computer security is everyone’s\nresponsibility.You wouldn’t leave the backdoor of your home or business open\nto intruders, and your computer merits the same prudence. Even Dodge City\nhad a Wyatt Earp to keep order if things got out of hand. In the wild world of\nthe Internet, there is no sheriff.With Essential Computer Security you can act as\nyour own deputy by arming yourself with fundamental knowledge of the\nimportant aspects of computer security.\n—Douglas Schweitzer, Sc.D.\nSecurity Expert and Author of \nSecuring the Network from Malicious Code\nwww.syngress.com\nxx\nForeword\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 22,
            "text": "When you purchase most home appliances, they come with an owner’s manual.\nThe owner’s manual is the bible of information for that appliance. It tells you\nwhat each button does and how to set up and configure your new appliance to\nget it ready for operation.The owner’s manual also includes the actual steps to\noperate the appliance, and it often contains information on how and where to\nobtain service and parts, basic troubleshooting tips, and precautions you should\nbe aware of before using the appliance.\nThis is true for VCRs, microwaves, toasters and vacuum cleaners.All these\nappliances are commonly found in an average home, and each has an assigned\ntask.When you buy these items you buy them with their specific tasks in mind,\nand the owner’s manual provides all the information you need to accomplish\nthe goal.\nMost home users treat their personal computers as an appliance as well. For\nsome users, the PC is a fancy calculator that lets them track and manage their\nfinances. For others, it’s a means of communication that lets them send e-mail\nto their friends and family. For others, it’s a high-end game console that lets\nthem play the latest action games.The list goes on and on.The bottom line is\nthat the computer is an “appliance” that has a variety of functions, and it can be\ndifferent things to different people—sometimes even different things to the\nsame person—depending on what the user wants the computer to do at that\nmoment.\nSo you would expect the computer to come with a very large owner’s\nmanual to encompass every possible task you might use it for, right?\nUnfortunately, it doesn’t.The reality is that the owner’s manual for the com-\nputer itself is generally quite sparse. Usually a new computer will come with\nxxi\nIntroduction\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 23,
            "text": "some simple instructions that let you know which cable gets plugged into\nwhich hole so that you can set the computer up. It may also provide technical\ndetails about the motherboard, the main board on which the processor,\nmemory, and other components are found, or information about configuring\nthe BIOS (basic input/output system, the “brain” that configures and operates\nthe motherboard). However, most computer owner’s manuals stop there.\nYou can’t really blame the computer manufacturers, though. Unlike a VCR\nthat is predetermined to record and watch videotapes or a toaster that is\ndesigned only to toast bread, the computer has too many potential uses to be\ncomprehensively covered in one owner’s manual.\nThis book is written to give you a manual that covers the system as a\nwhole and teaches you what you need to know to secure it.When you plug\nyour VCR into the wall, nothing special occurs.There is no increased risk of\nsomeone getting your personal financial data when you plug your toaster in.\nMalicious attackers won’t be using your vacuum cleaner to launch attacks\nagainst other vacuum cleaners throughout the world.\nBut when you connect your computer to the Internet, you become part of\na system of millions of computers and devices that all interact with and possibly\naffect each other.The computer is unique because it is a household “appliance”\nwith security concerns and implications that go well beyond your home.\nYou probably know as much about your computer as you do about your\nVCR or microwave.You know how to use it.You know how to turn it on, log\non, surf the Web, send an e-mail, and so on. But you probably can’t tell me\nwhat speed your processor is, how many megabytes of RAM you have, or\nwhether TCP port 80 is open to external access.You simply don’t need to\nknow that stuff to use the computer.\nYou may not want to be a computer guru or security expert.You may not\ncare how big the hard drive is or how fast your processor is.You just want the\ncomputer to do its job with minimal effort on your part. But for you to use the\ncomputer safely when sharing the Internet and World Wide Web with others,\nit’s important that you understand the risks involved, how to avoid those risks,\nand how to protect your computer from malicious threats, such as viruses,\nworms, and spyware.\nThe problem with most books about computers and network security is\nthat they are written for people who already understand computer and network\nsecurity.The average computer user doesn’t know enough about network secu-\nwww.syngress.com\nxxii\nIntroduction\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 24,
            "text": "rity to even know where to begin.This book is written to provide average\ncomputer users or those just getting started in computer or network security\nwith an introductory guide to the different threats and ways to protect your\ncomputer from them.\nI am neither setting out to teach you everything there is to know nor\nexpecting you to be an expert when all is said and done. I simply hope that\nreading this book and taking the precautions—or even some of the precau-\ntions—discussed enables you to have a safer, more enjoyable Internet-surfing\nexperience and ensures that your lack of computer security doesn’t affect the\nrest of us who share the Internet with you. I want this book to be your\nInternet user’s owner’s manual that helps you understand the risks you will be\nexposed to and explains the precautions you should take so that you can get\nyour “appliance” to perform the task(s) you bought it for safely with minimal\neffort and frustration.\nWhy This Book?\nThis book is not intended to be comprehensive.There are hundreds of books\non the shelf covering all areas of computer and network security.You can find\nmany books that cover general information security in a much deeper and\ntechnical sense than this book will.There are also books that cover specific\nareas of security, such as encryption, firewalls, backup and recovery, and so on,\nin much more depth and detail than this book.\nThis book was written to give security neophytes the information and\nadvice they need to operate this “appliance” securely, both for their own pro-\ntection and for the protection of the rest of us who share the Internet with\nthem. I have written it in simple terms without too much technical jargon, but\nif you do come across any acronyms or unfamiliar terms, you can look them up\nin the glossary in Appendix C.\nThe goal of this book is to teach you enough about computer and network\nsecurity for you to understand the potential threats and protect your computer\nfrom them.At the end of each chapter you will find a short summary of the\nkey points from the chapter.\nThis book is focused on security, and the majority of the content will apply\nto any computer system, but the examples and illustrations will come primarily\nfrom Microsoft Windows XP. Details about subjects like firewalls, passwords, and\nwireless network security go beyond the operating system and can be applied\nwww.syngress.com\nIntroduction\nxxiii\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 25,
            "text": "to any system. Don’t be concerned if you are not using Windows XP; the fun-\ndamental concepts of computer security go beyond the operating system and\napply to any platform.\nOrganization of This Book\nThis book is divided into four main sections:\n■\nThe “Bare Essentials” section provides information about the security\nconcerns that should be addressed immediately.The computer should\nnot be connected to another computer or to the Internet until these\nareas are taken care of. If you follow the advice in this section you can\nconnect to the Internet with a relative sense of security.\n■\nThe section titled “More Essential Security” goes deeper into different\nsecurity technologies and how to use the computer for e-mail or Web\nsurfing and other activities securely.\n■\nThe “Testing and Maintenance” section describes some ways you can\ntest how secure your computer or network is and the different areas\nyou need to monitor and update to maintain your security.\n■\nThe “Security Resources” section provides reference material as well as\na short primer on the basic concepts of computer networking and the\nInternet for the readers who want to dig a little deeper.\nChapter Descriptions\nIn this section I have listed a brief description of the chapters in this book:\n■\nChapter 1: Basic Windows Security This chapter introduces you\nto basic computer security in the Windows operating system, such as\ncreating and managing user accounts on your computer or network as\nwell as setting permissions on files and folders to secure your data.\n■\nChapter 2: Passwords Passwords are the keys to the gate of your\ncomputer. It is essential that you take the time to select passwords that\nare not easily guessed or cracked and that you treat them with the\nconfidentiality they deserve.\nwww.syngress.com\nxxiv\nIntroduction\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 26,
            "text": "■\nChapter 3:Viruses,Worms, and Other Malware This chapter dis-\ncusses how antivirus software works and what sorts of threats it can\nprotect you from. It also covers updating and maintaining your\nantivirus software to ensure you remain protected.\n■\nChapter 4: Patching This chapter discusses the importance of\nkeeping your computer updated and patched to protect it from having\nknown vulnerabilities exploited. It also includes some steps you can\ntake to protect a freshly installed operating system while you apply the\nnecessary patches.\n■\nChapter 5: Perimeter Security This chapter provides an overview\nof security technology you can use to build a wall around your com-\nputer or network—or protect your perimeter—including firewalls and\nintrusion detection systems (IDSes).\n■\nChapter 6: E-mail Safety E-mail can be a wonderful tool for com-\nmunication and increased productivity—if you can get past the spam,\nhoaxes, and virus-infected file attachments.This chapter is dedicated to\nhelping you eliminate as much of the junk as possible so that you can\nfocus on the e-mail you want to read.\n■\nChapter 7:Web Surfing Privacy and Safety A look at the poten-\ntial threats and exploits that await you on the Web and what you can\ndo to get the most from your Web-surfing experience while protecting\nyour computer, your network, and your identity.\n■\nChapter 8:Wireless Network Security Wireless networks make\nconnecting to the Internet and other devices easy and convenient.The\nfreedom they provide is very liberating, but that freedom comes at a\nprice when it comes to security, and you need to take extra precau-\ntions to keep your wireless data secure.\n■\nChapter 9: Spyware and Adware As you install software and surf\nthe Web, different little programs called spyware or adware might be\ninstalled on your computer. Some are legitimate; however, many are\nnot.All are designed to somehow monitor your computer activity and\nreport back to the company or user that planted them.This chapter\nwill help you to guard your machine against spyware/adware and clean\nit up if it gets on your system.\nwww.syngress.com\nIntroduction\nxxv\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 27,
            "text": "■\nChapter 10: Keeping Things Secure You have gone through all of\nthe trouble of installing security products like antivirus and firewall\nprograms and reconfigured your system to make it as secure as pos-\nsible. Security is a process, though, not a product.There are certain\nthings that you must update and maintain to sustain that security.\n■\nChapter 11:When Disaster Strikes No matter how secure you\nare, something may eventually happen to your data. It is important to\nperform regular backups of important data and have a plan in place for\nhow to address security incidents when they arise.\n■\nChapter 12: Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\nMuch of the focus of this book is on the Microsoft Windows platform\nand the built-in Microsoft products, such as Outlook Express and\nInternet Explorer.This chapter addresses the use of alternative products\nfrom other vendors to improve the security of your system.\n■\nAppendix A: Essential Network Communications This appendix\nprovides a fair amount of detail about networking and the Internet in\ngeneral.The scope of this book is simply to provide the essentials of\nsecurity and not to attempt to teach you everything, but for those who\nmay want some more information, this appendix will help you get a\nbasic grasp of how these things work.\n■\nAppendix B: Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers Printer,\nServer, etc.) Security for the home isn’t as well developed as in a\ncorporate environment. Users often do not have the time to become\nexperts while maintaining their businesses or working remotely.This\nappendix discusses using netstat to determine open ports on a system,\nexplains how to use lsof to inspect open ports, and includes a case\nstudy that shows how a home user designed a SOHO firewall without\nmuch hands-on systems or security experience.\n■\nAppendix C: Glossary Appendix C provides a glossary of security\nterms and acronyms that you can use as a resource to refer to when\nyou need to decipher the many foreign terms you may encounter.\nwww.syngress.com\nxxvi\nIntroduction\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 28,
            "text": "Part I:\nBare Essentials\n1\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 29,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 30,
            "text": "Basic \nWindows Security\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nWhy Do You Need to Be Secure?\n■\nWhy Are You at Risk?\nChapter 1\n3\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 31,
            "text": "Introduction\nThe majority of home computers use some version of Microsoft Windows as the\noperating system. Most of those users, either by purchasing a new computer system\nin the past couple of years or by upgrading, rely on a version of Windows XP.\nBefore we go on to the rest of this book and explore how to use different appli-\ncations securely, such as Web browsers or e-mail clients, you need to understand the\nfundamental security of the operating system itself.This chapter will explain the fol-\nlowing:\n■\nBasic risks of computer use\n■\nAccessing Windows\n■\nUser accounts and Security Groups\n■\nFile and folder security\n■\nProtecting Windows services\n■\nDangers of hidden file extensions\n■\nScreen savers as security tools\nWhy Do You Need to Be Secure?\nDo you want your computer to be absolutely, positively, 100-percent secure against\nall vulnerabilities and exploits, not only those known now, but those yet to be dis-\ncovered? It’s simple: leave your computer in the box, because once you turn the\ncomputer on, you begin to walk a tightrope between functionality (or convenience)\nand security. Unfortunately, many of the features that make your computer easier to\nuse also create various security issues as well.\nSome people appreciate that their printer is able to communicate with the com-\nputer and alert them with messages when the ink is running low or the paper tray is\nempty. However, leaving the Windows Messenger Service—the service used for such\ncommunication between your printer and your computer—enabled may also leave\nyour computer open to being inundated with unsolicited spam pop-up messages.\nOne of the points of setting up a network in the first place is to share resources\nsuch as data and printers.You may want to share out files or folders so they can be\naccessed from other computers on the network. Unfortunately, many viruses and\nworms use these same connections to jump from one computer to the next and\ninfect the whole network.\nwww.syngress.com\n4\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 32,
            "text": "I assume by reading this book that you do not intend to leave your computer\ndisconnected and sealed in the box. I commend you.There is a vast world of infor-\nmation and productivity awaiting as long as you invest just a little time to do so\nsecurely.A little bit of knowledge applied with a little bit of common sense is\nenough to protect you from most computer threats.\nMicrosoft has made vast improvements in the security of their operating systems\nand applications in the last couple of years. Windows XP Service Pack 2 made some\ndramatic changes aimed at making the operating system even more secure. Sadly\nthough, the operating systems intended for home users, a market that arguably needs\nthe security features the most, are more insecure.\nMany users view security from the perspective of “I don’t have anything of value\nworth protecting, so why should I care?” First of all, there is a lot more of value on\nyour computer than you may be aware of. Have you done your own income taxes\non your computer and saved the files? Are there any files or documents that contain\nyour full name? Birth date? Social Security Number? All of this information has\nvalue to someone that may want to access your financial information or steal your\nidentity.\nThe other reason to operate your computer securely is “to protect the rest of\nus,” which is a different concept. If you leave your house unlocked and you get\nrobbed, it really only affects you. If you leave your car unlocked and your CD stereo\ngets stolen, it really only affects you. But, if you leave your computer “unlocked” and\nit gets “stolen,” it can impact other computer systems on the network or the\nInternet.\nWhy Are You at Risk?\nIt has become so common to hear about viruses, worms, identity theft, phishing\nscams, and other computer attacks that you may actually be wondering “where isn’t\nthere a threat?” Understanding the importance of computer security is easier,\nthough, if you have some idea of the threats you are defending against.\nMalware\nMalware is a general term used to refer to a wide variety of malicious programs. It\nincludes threats such as viruses, worms,Trojan horses, spyware, and any other mali-\ncious programs.\nEven if you believe you have nothing of value to protect on your computer\nsystem, leaving it unprotected can leave you vulnerable to hundreds of different mal-\nware programs floating around the Internet which could arrive in your e-mail inbox\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n5\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 33,
            "text": "daily.These programs can accomplish a wide variety of malicious activities, including\npossibly capturing your passwords and credit card numbers, sending out malware to\nother computers or to e-mail addresses of people you know, using your computer in\na denial-of-service attack against a Web site, and more.\nWeak Passwords\nPasswords are the primary method most users are familiar with for gaining access to\na computer system or program. If you have a weak password and an attacker man-\nages to guess or crack it, he or she can access your private information, steal your\nidentity, install and execute programs using your account, and more. Even worse,\nsome of this can be done without ever knowing your password—by using remote\nthreats.\nPhysical Security\nPhysical security is admittedly less of an issue in a home environment. Generally, you\naren’t concerned with someone in your home sitting down at your computer and\nhacking into it. Nevertheless, your computer could still be stolen or lost.\nThe bottom line when it comes to physical security is that once someone has\nphysical access to your computer, the gloves are off.There are ways that an attacker\nsitting at your computer and using your keyboard and disk drives can bypass the var-\nious security measures you have put in place to gain access to your data.\nNetwork “Neighbors”\nComputers that are connected to the same network as yours or within the same\nrange of IP addresses are able to communicate with your computer more freely and\ngather information easier than other computers.\nIf you are using a cable modem to access the Internet, you are sharing the net-\nwork with the other subscribers in your area.That means it is possible for other\ncable modem users in your area to view and access your drives and data if you aren’t\ncareful about how you share them out and what security measures you implement.\nThese are just a few of the ways your computer and the data it contains are at\nrisk.The following sections will walk you through securing your computer, limiting\nthe power of users, controlling access to files and folders, and other security measures\nyou should put in place before you start networking with other computers around\nyou or connecting your computer to the Internet.\nwww.syngress.com\n6\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 34,
            "text": "Logging In\nWindows XP has a slick feature called the Welcome screen.The first time the system\nboots up you will be greeted with the Welcome screen like the one shown in \nFigure 1.1.\nFigure 1.1 The Windows XP Welcome Screen Is Displayed by Default When a\nWindows XP System Is First Booted\nInitially, you will be able to access the system, as an Administrator, simply by\nclicking the picture next to the username. If you assign a password to a user account,\nclicking the picture will open a box for you to enter the password before logging in\nto the system.\nOn Windows XP Professional machines connected to a domain network, the\nWelcome screen is replaced with a login screen like Windows 2000.The user is\nrequired to press the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys simultaneously and then a window\nappears where you must enter a valid username and password to log in to the\nsystem.\nUser Accounts\nA User Account is one of the primary means of controlling access to your data and\nresources as well as customizing Windows to look and act the way you want it to.\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n7\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 35,
            "text": "Older versions of Windows, like Windows 95 and Windows 98, have User Profiles\nwhich allow each user to customize the look and feel of Windows, but the User\nProfiles offer no security whatsoever.They give an illusion of security because they\nare associated with a password, but anyone can simply hit the Esc key and log in to\nthe system with the default user profile.\nThe goal of this book is not necessarily to teach you every detail of User\nAccounts, but to show you in simple language how to set up your User Accounts in\na secure fashion.The bad guys know a thing or two about the User Accounts that\nare installed by default. By following the advice in this section you can throw most\nnovice hackers off the trail and thwart their attacks.\nWhen Windows XP is first installed, it forces you to create at least one User\nAccount and allows you to create as many as five (see Figure 1.2).Any accounts cre-\nated at this point are automatically added to the Administrators group for the\nmachine and are created with a blank password. For these reasons, I recommend that\nyou add only one account at this point and add other accounts later when you can\ncontrol what level of access to grant and assign appropriate passwords.\nFigure 1.2 Creating User Accounts with Windows XP\nIf you are upgrading from a previous Windows version, any existing users will\nalso be automatically added to the Administrators group with a blank password\nwhen installing Windows XP. One exception is that if you are installing Windows\nXP Professional on a system connected to a network domain rather than in a\nwww.syngress.com\n8\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 36,
            "text": "workgroup or as a stand-alone system, the installation will offer you the opportu-\nnity to create a password.\nNOTE\nA quick note before we move on. Most of the advice will require that\nyou log in as the Administrator or that your account is a member of the\nAdministrators group. Based on what I described earlier, that may very\nwell be the case for any accounts that were created during a Windows\nXP installation. But, if you run into any problems or receive any mes-\nsages stating that you don’t have permission or authority to complete\nthe action, you should check into this and make sure the account you\nare using to make these changes is a member of the Administrators\ngroup.\nLimiting the Number of Accounts\nIn order for different users to have their own customized and personalized configu-\nrations of Windows and their own My Documents folder (among other things), they\nneed to have their own User Accounts.\nTools & Traps…\nAdministrative Tools\nHaving access to the Administrative Tools will also make life a lot easier when it\ncomes to following the advice in this book and configuring and administering\nyour computer in general. Microsoft does not make these tools visible by default\nin Windows XP. To get to these tools, follow these steps:\n1. Right-click the Start Bar at the bottom of the screen and select\nProperties.\n2. Click the Start Menu tab.\n3. Click the Customize button.\n4. Click the Advanced tab.\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n9\nContinued\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 37,
            "text": "5. In the Start Menu Items box, scroll to the bottom and select an\noption to display the Administrative Tools.\nHowever, the more User Accounts there are, the more targets there are for a\npotential attacker.Therefore, it is important to limit the number of User Accounts\non the system. In a home environment, you may choose to have separate accounts\nfor the adults, but have a single “Kids” account that they share.You definitely want to\nmake sure you remove any duplicate or unused User Accounts.\nYou can view the User Accounts by clicking User Accounts in the Control\nPanel. However, this view only shows you the accounts that are allowed to log in\nto the computer system locally.There are other hidden accounts used by the oper-\nating system or applications.To see the complete list you should view them in the\nComputer Management module. Unfortunately, in Windows XP Home you can’t\nview the User Accounts in this way. Short of jumping through a ring of fire upside\ndown while chanting Bill Gates (or some risky registry hacking), there isn’t much\nyou can do to make some of these changes. Windows XP Home users will have to\njust stick with making changes through the User Accounts button in the \nControl Panel.\nYou can get to the Computer Management module a variety of ways:\n■\nRight-click My Computer on the desktop if you have it available and\nselect Manage.\n■\nRight-click My Computer in the left-hand navigation pane of a\nWindows Explorer window and select Manage.\n■\nClick Start | All Programs | Administrative Tools, if you have it avail-\nable, and select Computer Management.\n■\nClick Start | Run and enter compmgmt.msc to open the Computer\nManagement module.\nUsing any of these methods will open the Computer Management window (see\nFigure 1.3).To view the User Accounts, simply click the plus sign next to Local\nUsers and Groups and then click Users.You will see a window similar to the one in\nFigure 1.3 that lists all of the User Accounts on the system. Currently disabled\naccounts will have a red X on them.\nwww.syngress.com\n10\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 38,
            "text": "Figure 1.3 The Windows XP Computer Management Console Allows You to\nManage a Variety of Administrative Tasks\nYou can right-click any of the User Accounts to rename them, delete them, or\nchange their passwords.You can also select Properties to perform other tasks such as\ndisabling the account, setting the password so that it must be changed at the next\nlogin, configuring the password so it can never be changed, and more.\nDisabling the Guest Account\nDisabling the Guest account has been recommended by security experts since the\nGuest account was first created. Under previous Windows versions, the Guest\naccount had virtually no real-world purpose and served simply as another means for\nan attacker to gain access to a system, especially because the Guest account also has\nno password by default.\nIn Windows XP, it is another story.The Guest account can still be an easy target\nfor attackers, but in Windows XP Home and in Windows XP Professional systems\nthat are not connected to a network domain, the Guest account is an integral part of\nsharing resources with other computers on the network. In fact, in Windows XP\nHome, it is not possible (at least not without the prerequisite jumping through the\nring of fire upside down while chanting Bill Gates… you get the idea) to truly\ndelete the Guest account.\nBy clicking Control Panel and going into User Accounts to turn off the Guest\naccount in Windows XP Home, all you’ve really done is disable the Guest account\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n11\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 39,
            "text": "for local logon.The account won’t appear on the Welcome screen and nobody will\nbe able to walk up and log on to the computer using the Guest account; however,\nthe actual credentials and password are still active behind the scenes. Simply put,\nWindows XP Home relies on the Guest account for its network file and resource\nsharing.Your best bet to secure the Guest account on a Windows XP Home system\nis to assign a strong password—a password that is difficult to guess or crack—to the\nGuest account.\nNOTE\nFor more information about passwords and creating strong passwords,\nsee Chapter 2. See also Perfect Passwords: Selection, Protection,\nAuthentication (Syngress Publishing, 2006, ISBN: 1-59749-041-5).\nCreating a password for the Guest account is also not an easy task in Windows\nXP Home. When you open the User Accounts console from the Control Panel in\nWindows XP Home and select the Guest account, Create a Password is not one of\nthe available options.\nTo create a password for the Guest account, you will need to open a command-\nline window (click Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt).\nEnter the following: net user guest <password>.\nLeave off the brackets and simply type the password you want to assign at the\nend of the command line and press Enter. Oddly, now that you have created a pass-\nword for the Guest account, the options for changing or removing the password will\nnow appear in the User Accounts console.\nRenaming the Administrator Account\nIn order for an attacker to gain access to your system, they really only need two\nthings: a valid username and its associated password. It’s easy for an attacker to learn\nwhat operating system and application vendors do by default when their product is\ninstalled.Therefore, everyone knows that Windows sets up a User Account called\nAdministrator, which by default is a member of the Administrators group, and that\nWindows XP creates these accounts with blank passwords during installation. With\nthis information, an attacker has the keys to the kingdom so to speak.\nWhile there are ways that an attacker can tell which account is truly the\nAdministrator account, it is recommended that you rename the Administrator\nwww.syngress.com\n12\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 40,
            "text": "account to make it harder to find.This way, you will at least protect your system\nfrom novice or casual hackers.\nYou should select a name which means something to you, but that doesn’t make\nit obvious it’s an Administrator account—in other words, calling it Home or Family\nor even some variation of your own name (for instance “Chuck” if your name is\nCharlie, or “Mike” if your name is Michael). If you rename it to Admin or\nLocalAdmin or anything else, it will still look like an administrative account and you\nwon’t be able to throw off an attacker for long.\nYou can rename the Administrator account by following the steps listed earlier to\nopen the Computer Management console and clicking the plus sign next to Local\nUsers and Groups, and then clicking Users.You can then right-click the\nAdministrator account and select Rename.You will have to use a different\naccount with Computer Administrator privileges to make the change, however,\nbecause you can’t rename the account you’re currently logged in under.\nWindows XP Home does not create an “Administrator” account per se (it does\nexist as a hidden account that is only visible if you log in using SafeMode), but you\nshould follow similar logic in deciding what to name accounts given Computer\nAdministrator privileges.\nCreating a Dummy Administrator Account\nHand in hand with the preceding advice, you should also create a “dummy”\nAdministrator account. Most users with enough knowledge to try to hack or attack\nyour computer know that Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional will create\nan Administrator account by default. If they manage to access your system and see\nthat no Administrator account exists, that will tip them off that one of the other\nexisting accounts must be the “real”Administrator.\nAgain, there are more sophisticated ways for an advanced hacker to determine\nwhich account is truly the Administrator, but that is still no reason to make it easy\nfor the novices. Once you rename the Administrator account by following the pre-\nvious steps, you should create a new account named Administrator and assign it to\nthe Limited account type.\nSecurity Groups\nJust like User Accounts, Security Groups help you control access to your data and\nresources. Where User Accounts allow you to define permissions and grant access on\nan individual basis, a Security Group allows you to define permissions and grant\naccess on a group basis.\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n13\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 41,
            "text": "This is more useful in a business network where there are typically more people\ninvolved and there is more data that may need to be accessible by one group of\nemployees and inaccessible by others.That is probably why Microsoft only includes\nthe ability to use Security Groups in Windows XP Professional and not in Windows\nXP Home. If you are using Windows XP Professional on a home network, this\ninformation may be helpful, but if you are focused only on Windows XP Home sys-\ntems, you can safely skip this section.\nUsing Security Groups can help to make assigning permissions and access privi-\nleges more manageable. In situations where a number of users will access a resource,\nit is much simpler to assign one set of permissions for the parents or managers and a\nmore restrictive set of permissions for the children or regular users. Using Security\nGroups rather than individual User Accounts will make administering the permis-\nsions as users come and go an easier task.\nYou can use the same steps illustrated earlier under User Accounts to open the\nComputer Management module, and then just select Groups, instead of Users, from\nthe left pane.\nWindows comes with certain Security Groups predefined.Table 1.1 lists the var-\nious built-in Security Groups by operating system and includes a brief description \nof each.\nTable 1.1 Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro Built-in Security Groups\nWindows \nWindows \nSecurity Group\n2000\nXP Pro\nDescription\nAdministrators\nX\nX\nMost powerful Security Group.\nMembers of this group have the\npower to do just about anything\non the computer.\nUsers\nX\nX\nThis group has the ability to use\nmost parts of the system, but has\nvery limited ability to install or\nchange any part of the computer.\nGuests\nX\nX\nGuests have very limited access\nand ability to do anything on the\nsystem. In Windows XP, however,\nthe Guest account is integral to\nthe Simple File Sharing system.\nHelpServices\nX\nThis group is new in Windows XP\nand allows support technicians to\nconnect to your computer.\nwww.syngress.com\n14\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\nContinued\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 42,
            "text": "Table 1.1 continued Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro Built-in Security\nGroups\nWindows \nWindows \nSecurity Group\n2000\nXP Pro\nDescription\nPower Users\nX\nX\nIn between Users and\nAdministrators, this group grants\nusers more power and ability to\ninstall and configure the system\nwithout making them full\nAdministrators.\nBackup Operators X\nX\nA special group designed to give\nits members the ability to back\nup and restore files and folders\nthat they might otherwise not\nhave access to.\nReplicator\nX\nX\nPertinent only in domain-based\nnetworks, this group has the\nability to manage file replication.\nNetwork \nX\nThis group grants its members \nConfiguration\nthe ability to add, change, or \nOperators\ndelete network connections, and\nto change TCP/IP settings.\nRemote \nX\nMembers of this group are able \nDesktop Users\nto connect to remote computers\nusing the Remote Desktop\nConnection feature.\nIf none of these are appropriate for your purposes, you can also create your own\ncustom Security Groups to use in defining access and granting permission to files,\nfolders, or other network resources such as printers.\nWindows 2000 and Windows XP Professional users can view these Security\nGroups and add or remove members from them using Local Users and Groups in\nthe Computer Management console.\nWindows XP Home Account Types\nThe extent of your ability to easily select a Security Group in Windows XP Home\nis based on what Account Type you select in the User Accounts screen in the\nControl Panel.You have two choices: Computer Administrator or Limited.\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n15\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 43,
            "text": "Computer Administrator is equivalent to Administrator with all-powerful access\nto the whole computer, while the Limited Account Type is more equivalent to the\nUsers Security Group shown earlier. Users assigned to the Limited Account Type\nwill be unable to install or alter programs or computer configurations.\nFAT32 versus NTFS\nYou may never have heard of the terms FAT32 and NTFS, or at least never cared\nenough to find out what they are, but they are file systems. When you format your\nhard drive, you can choose whether to format it using FAT32 or NTFS.\nThey both have pros and cons, but from a security perspective, you should\nchoose NTFS. FAT32 does not offer any sort of file or folder security. NTFS, on the\nother hand, allows you to secure files at an individual level and specify which users\nare authorized to access them.You must also use NTFS if you want to use EFS\n(Encrypting File System) to further secure your data.\nWhen it comes to sharing files and folders with other computers on your net-\nwork, the underlying file system does not matter. Other computers on your net-\nwork, whether running Windows XP, Windows NT, Linux or some other operating\nsystem, will be able to access the shared data. If you share out files on a drive using\nFAT32, though, you will be unable to provide security at a file level.Thus, anyone\nwho can access the share will have access to everything in the shared drive or folder.\nAs a final note, NTFS also offers support for larger file sizes and drive partitions\nand provides better data compression and less file fragmentation than the FAT32 file\nsystems.\nFile and Folder Security\nOne way to secure your data is to set permissions and access restrictions to identify\nwhich users or Security Groups are allowed to view, add, change, or delete files. If\nyou set your files up so that only you can access them and a different user on the\nmachine becomes compromised—either through a virus or worm, or by a hacker or\nsome other means—that user’s compromised account will not be able to wreak any\nhavoc on your protected data.\nTo configure the security and permissions for a file or folder, simply right-click\nit and select the Sharing and Security or Properties options. Once it opens, you\ncan then select the Sharing tab in Windows XP Home or the Security tab for\nWindows 2000 or Windows XP Professional using the classic file and folder security\nmodel.\nwww.syngress.com\n16\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 44,
            "text": "Keeping It Simple\nWindows XP Home uses a sharing model called Simple File Sharing. In Windows\nXP Professional machines that are not connected to a network, Simple File Sharing\nis an option. Like many “features” designed to make things easier for the user, it also\nis less configurable and provides less security than the file and folder sharing in\nWindows XP Professional or Windows 2000.\nSimple File Sharing is some sort of Dr. Frankenstein combination of the power\ninherent in Windows XP combined with the security model (or lack thereof) in\nWindows 98. With Simple File Sharing, you can choose to share a folder or not to\nshare that folder, but even if you use NTFS, you don’t get to take advantage of file-\nlevel access or permissions. Essentially, once the folder is shared, anyone on the net-\nwork will be able to access anything on the share.\nTIP\nWindows XP Home users are stuck with Simple File Sharing. Users of\nWindows XP Professional, however, can enable or disable it by clicking\nTools | Folder Options on the toolbar from within Windows Explorer.\nClick the View tab and then scroll to the bottom of the Advanced\nSettings to find the Simple File Sharing setting.\nThis is also a big concern for Windows XP Home users on the Internet. If cer-\ntain precautions (like blocking the ports Windows uses for file and folder sharing at\nyour firewall) aren’t taken, anyone who can see your computer from the Internet\nwill also be able to access the files on the shared folder. If you assigned a strong pass-\nword to the Guest account, as described earlier in this chapter, the risk of this is even\nlower.\nWindows XP Home and Windows XP Professional systems using Simple File\nSharing also offer the opposite end of the spectrum—the option to make a folder\n“private.” When you mark a folder private, the file permissions are set so that only\nyou have the ability to open or view the data they contain (see Figure 1.4).\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n17\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 45,
            "text": "Figure 1.4 Right-Click a Folder in Windows Explorer and Choose Sharing and\nSecurity to Configure Access to the Folder\nSharing and Security\nIf you are using Windows XP Professional, I would advise that you turn off Simple\nFile Sharing and use the standard file and folder security.To turn off Simple File\nSharing, open My Computer or a Windows Explorer window and select Tools |\nFolder Options.Then click the View tab and scroll all the way to the bottom of\nthe Advanced Settings options and make sure there is no checkmark in the\ncheckbox next to Use Simple File Sharing.\nTools & Traps…\nXP Password Alert\nIf you attempt to mark a file or folder as “Private” using a User Account that does\nnot have a password assigned, Windows XP will alert you and offer you an\nopportunity to create a password.\nThe alert says:\nYou do not currently have a password on your User Account. Even though\nyou made this folder private, anyone can log in as you and access this folder.\nDo you want to create a password for yourself?\nwww.syngress.com\n18\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 46,
            "text": "When using the classic file and folder sharing of Windows 2000 or Windows\nXP Professional with Simple File Sharing disabled, you have a lot of control over the\naccess privileges different users have to your data.\nYou can add or remove the User Accounts and Security Groups defined for the\nfile or folder you are configuring (remember, it’s easier to track and administer per-\nmissions using Security Groups if you are dealing with more than just two or three\nusers). For each User Account or Security Group, you can select either Allow or\nDeny for a variety of actions to customize the level of access granted.\nYou can choose to Allow or Deny Full Control which would give that User\nAccount or Security Group the ability to do anything they want with the data,\nincluding modifying or deleting it entirely or even changing the permissions for\nother users. If you don’t grant Full Control, you can choose to Allow or Deny the\nability to Modify, Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, or Write.Table 1.2\nincludes a brief summary of each of these access levels.\nTable 1.2 Access Levels for Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional\nFile and Folder Permission\nGrants the Ability to\nFull Control\nChange or configure permissions for\nother User Accounts and Security Groups,\ntake ownership of the file or folder,\ndelete the folder or any subfolders in the\ncase of Folder permissions, or delete the\nfile in the case of File permissions. Full\nControl also grants the ability to perform\nall of the functions of the other file and\nfolder permissions.\nModify\nThis permission allows users to delete the\nfolder in the case of Folder permissions\nas well as perform any of the actions per-\nmitted by the Write permission and the\nRead & Execute permission.\nRead & Execute\nAllows users to read the contents of the\nfolder or file, including viewing the file\nattributes and permissions. This permis-\nsion also allows users to execute files or\nrun executable files contained in the\nfolder. \nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n19\nContinued\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 47,
            "text": "Table 1.2 continued Access Levels for Windows 2000 or Windows XP\nProfessional\nFile and Folder Permission\nGrants the Ability to\nList Folder Contents\nUnique to Folder permissions, this per-\nmission allows users to display the direc-\ntory of names of files and subfolders in\nthe folder.\nRead\nThis permission allows users to view the\nfiles and subfolders in a folder in the case\nof Folder permissions. For file permis-\nsions, it grants the ability to read the file\nin question. Users can also view\nattributes of the file or folder including\nownership, permissions, and attributes\n(such as Read-only, Hidden, Archive, and\nSystem).\nWrite\nThe Write permission allows users to add\nnew files to a folder or modify a file or\ndocument as the case may be. The Folder\npermission allows users to also add sub-\nfolders to the folder, alter attributes and\nview folder ownership and permissions.\nThe File permission allows users to per-\nform similar actions on Files, including\noverwriting the file, altering the file\nattributes, and viewing file ownership\nand permissions.\nThere are two items to note when you are setting permissions. First, permissions\ncan be inherited from parent directories. If you see checkmarks in the boxes but\nthey are grayed out, meaning you can not change them, that is because they are\ninherited from somewhere else. If you click the Advanced button under the\nPermissions settings box, you can view or change the current setup and turn off\nthe inheritance of permissions from parent folders.\nOn the Permissions tab of the Advanced box, you will see each of the User\nAccounts and Security Groups with permissions on the object. Next to each it will\ndisplay their Permission level, where it was inherited from, and what that permission\nlevel applies to.At the bottom of this tab are two checkboxes. One is to select\nwhether or not you wish to allow permissions from other directories to be inherited\nwww.syngress.com\n20\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 48,
            "text": "by this object.The second is whether or not you want the permissions from this\nobject to be applied to the files and folders underneath it.\nThe second item of note is in regards to selecting Deny for any of the permis-\nsion settings and what the result would be for a user. Deny overrides all other\noptions. So, for example, let’s assume Bob is a member of both the Administrators\nand Users groups. If the Administrators group has Full Control permission, while the\nUsers group only has Read permission, Bob would have Full Control because he\nwould get the cumulative total for both permissions. However, if you also add Bob’s\nindividual User Account and select Deny for Full Control, that selection will over-\nride his membership in the Administrators and the Users groups and Bob will be\nunable to access or perform any actions on that object.\nIn the Advanced options discussed previously, there is also a tab called Effective\nPermissions.This handy tool will let you enter any User Account or Security Group\nand it will display for you what the net permissions are for that account on this par-\nticular object.This way you can see the effect of different permissions and what level\nof access the user or group actually has.\nYou should try to use a designated folder or folders to house your personal and\nconfidential files so that you can easily protect (and back up) that information rather\nthan having to search all over your computer or protect individual files scattered\nabout the hard drive.\nWARNING\nAny drive or partition that you format using the FAT32 file system will\nnot be able to provide file or folder security. In order to secure your data\nand apply file and folder permissions as we have discussed here, you\nmust use the NTFS file system.\nWindows Services\nA Windows “service” is a program that runs in the background on Windows.They\naren’t programs that will show up on the Start Bar at the bottom of the screen or\nprograms in the sense that you would directly access or interact with them.\nWindows services generally provide some functionality for the operating system or\nprocess actions and requests from other programs.\nTo see a list of the services installed on your computer and whether or not they\nare currently enabled, you need to go into the Services Console.You can accomplish\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n21\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 49,
            "text": "this by going into the Control Panel / Administrative Tools folder and selecting\nServices.\nYou will see a number of services listed along with a brief description of what\nthe service does, its current status, its startup configuration, and what access level it\nlogs in under (see Figure 1.5).\nFigure 1.5 Select Services from the Administrative Tools Group to Open the\nWindows Services Console\nMany of these services are unnecessary or rarely used. Sites such as LabMice.net\n(http://labmice.techtarget.com/) or TheElderGeek.com (www.theeldergeek.com/\nservices_guide.htm) provide checklists and recommendations for how to configure\neach of the standard Windows services. For our purposes, we will just talk about the\nservices that directly affect the security of your system.\nIn general, any service you don’t have a need for should be disabled because they\nsimply offer opportunities for someone to possibly exploit a vulnerability or security\nweakness in that service to gain access to your system.\nThe following is a list of Windows services that you should disable because they\nprovide an avenue for an attacker to compromise your system while not providing\nany useful functionality for most users:\n■\nSSDP Discovery Service Enables discovery of UPnP (Universal Plug\nand Play) devices on your home network.This service provides half of the\nwww.syngress.com\n22\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 50,
            "text": "UPnP functionality which has no real-world purpose but has been proven\nvulnerable to attack.This service does not affect Windows 2000.\n■\nUniversal Plug and Play Device Host Provides support to host\nUniversal Plug and Play devices.This is the other half of the UPnP func-\ntionality.This service does not affect Windows 2000.\n■\nNetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing Enables an authorized user to\naccess the local computer remotely using the NetMeeting program. Unless\nyou intend to use NetMeeting on a regular basis, leaving this on simply\nprovides a possible way for an attacker to gain access to your system.\n■\nRemote Registry Enables remote users to modify Registry settings on\nthe local computer. With rare exception there is no reason that you would\nwant someone to be able to alter your Registry settings remotely. If you\nleave this service on, you run the risk that an unauthorized user may\nchange your Registry settings remotely.\n■\nMessenger  Transmits Net Send and Alerter service messages between\nclients and servers.This service is a security concern from the standpoint\nthat spam pushers have discovered they can use Net Send to transmit spam\nmessages directly to your desktop rather than sending them through your\ne-mail.\n■\nInternet Information Services Internet Information Services (IIS)\nshould not be installed by default on any of these operating systems, but as\nlong as you are in the Services Console you should take a look to make\nsure the Internet Information Services are not enabled unless you are actu-\nally using IIS to host web sites or FTP on your local computer. IIS is prone\nto vulnerabilities which have allowed viruses such as CodeRed and Nimda\nto propagate.\nIf you right-click any of the services in the Services Console, you can start and\nstop the service. However, stopping a service using this technique will only stop it\ntemporarily.The next time you reboot the computer, or the next time another ser-\nvice tries to call or interact with the service, it will restart.\nTo disable a service so that it will not start again, right-click the service in the\nServices Console and select Properties. In the middle of the screen under the\nGeneral tab is a drop-down box titled Startup Type.The drop-down box offers three\nchoices:Automatic, Manual, and Disabled (see Figure 1.6).\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n23\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 51,
            "text": "Figure 1.6 You Can Disable a Windows Service by Right-Clicking the Service\nin the Windows Services Console and Selecting Properties\nServices configured for Automatic startup will be started each time you boot up\nthe computer and the Windows operating system begins. Services that are config-\nured for Manual startup will only start when another program or service activates\nthem or if you right-click the service and manually start it. Services that are disabled\nwill be unable to start at all.\nTo secure your operating system and protect it from easy access by hackers, I\nrecommend that you disable all of the services mentioned previously, if they are not\nalready disabled.\nHidden File Extensions\nMicrosoft created the ability to hide known file extensions so that everyday users\nwould not need to be bothered with too much technical stuff.The icon associated\nwith the file type would show you what sort of file it was so there was no need to\ninundate users with technical jargon like EXE or VBS or DOC or HTM.\nIt didn’t take long for virus writers and developers of other malware to figure\nout that you can add more than one extension at the end of the file name and that\nthe last one will be hidden. So a file like mynotes.txt could be replaced with a mali-\ncious executable program called mynotes.txt.vbs, and with the file extensions being\nhidden it would still appear as mynotes.txt.\nwww.syngress.com\n24\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 52,
            "text": "There are two things to note here. One, an observant user might detect the fact\nthat only the malicious file shows any file extension at all. Using the double file\nextension hides the true file extension, but it still shows a file extension which gives\naway the fact that something is different.Two, the hidden file extensions only work\nin Windows Explorer. If you view the files using the dir command at a command\nprompt window, it will show the complete file name, including both file extensions.\nEven with those caveats in mind, though, it is best to simply disable this feature\nso that any and all file extensions are readily visible.To disable the hiding of file\nextensions, go into Windows Explorer (Start | All Programs | Accessories |\nWindows Explorer) and select Tools, and then Folder Options. Click the View\ntab and uncheck the box titled Hide extensions for known file types (see Figure\n1.7).All that was hidden shall now be revealed unto you, or at least the file exten-\nsions of the files on your computer system.\nFigure 1.7 Click Tools on the Menu Bar in Windows Explorer and Choose\nFolder Options to Disable the Hiding of File Extensions in Windows\nScreen Saver\nScreen savers started off as a measure to protect your monitor.The technology used\nin older monitors was subject to having the image burned into the phosphorous\npermanently if the same image stayed on the screen for too long.The result of\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n25\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 53,
            "text": "walking away to go to lunch and coming back an hour later might be that the\nspreadsheet data you were working with would be a permanent ghostly image on\nyour monitor.\nCompanies sprang up for the sole purpose of developing new and creative\nscreen savers to keep this from happening. Basically, the screen saver program moni-\ntors computer activity and if there is no activity for a predefined period of time, the\nscreen saver kicks off sending swirling shapes, flying toasters, swimming fish, or just\nabout anything you can imagine randomly bouncing around the screen so that no\nsingle image is left in one place long enough to burn the monitor. Meanwhile, all of\nyour programs and files are kept running in the background just as you left them.\nOver time, monitor technology has improved to the point that the screen saver is\nno longer truly needed to protect the monitor. However, screen savers have taken on\na new, arguably more important role. Now when you walk away to go to lunch for\nan hour the concern is not that your spreadsheet data will be burned into the phos-\nphorous, but that anyone walking by would be able to see your spreadsheet data.\nWorse yet, anyone walking by could sit at your computer and access any of your\nfiles, or files on other computers you have access to, or send e-mail on your behalf,\nor any number of other things.The bottom line is that walking away from your\ncomputer is a huge security risk.\nThankfully, Windows offers an option to require a password to unlock the com-\nputer once the screen saver is started. If the user account being used does not have a\npassword assigned, you will still see a message box stating that the system has been\nlocked and that a password is needed. However, anyone can still get into the system\nby just hitting Enter if there is no password in place.\nTo configure your screen saver in Windows, you can right-click anywhere on\nthe desktop and select Properties. Click the Screen Saver tab and check the box\nthat says On resume, password protect.\nYou can also set the amount of time you want the system to wait before auto-\nmatically starting the screen saver.You should set it for a short enough time to pro-\nvide protection for your computer and your data should you leave your computer\nsystem, but long enough that the screen saver won’t automatically start while you’re\ntrying to read your e-mail and become more of an annoyance than a benefit (see\nFigure 1.8).\nwww.syngress.com\n26\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 54,
            "text": "Figure 1.8 You Can Open the Windows Display Properties by Right-Clicking\nthe Desktop and Selecting Properties\nwww.syngress.com\nBasic Windows Security • Chapter 1\n27\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 55,
            "text": "Summary\nThis chapter provided some fundamental knowledge about how to use and con-\nfigure the basic Windows XP security features.You learned about how Windows\ncontrols access to the system, and how User Accounts and Security Groups can be\nused, together with file and folder security, to restrict access and protect your system.\nYou also gained some knowledge about Windows services and how to disable\nthose you aren’t using, as well as the danger of hidden file extensions and how they\ncan be used against you. Lastly, you learned that the screensaver is more than a\nfrivolous toy to fill your screen while you’re away. It can also be used as a security\nsystem for your computer.\nArmed with this basic knowledge of how to protect and secure the Windows\nXP operating system, you can proceed through the book and learn how to use other\napplications more securely.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on Windows security:\n■\nDescription of the Guest Account in Windows XP. Microsoft’s Help and Support\nWeb Page (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300489/en-us).\n■\nHow to Configure File Sharing in Windows XP. Microsoft’s Help and Support\nWeb Page (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304040/en-us).\n■\nHow to Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP. Microsoft’s Help\nand Support Web Page (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279783/en-us).\n■\nHow to Use Convert.exe to Convert a Partition to the NTFS File System.\nMicrosoft’s Help and Support Web Page\n(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314097/en-us).\n■\nLimitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP. Microsoft’s Help and\nSupport Web Page (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314463/en-us).\n■\nUser Accounts That You Create During Setup Are Administrator Account Types.\nMicrosoft’s Help and Support Web Page\n(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/293834/en-us).\nwww.syngress.com\n28\nChapter 1 • Basic Windows Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 56,
            "text": "Passwords\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nPassword Power\n■\nPassword Cracking\n■\nStoring Your Passwords\n■\nOne Super-Powerful Password\nChapter 2\n29\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 57,
            "text": "Introduction\nPasswords are the primary means of security for most home computer users. People\nhave passwords to access their bank account, pay utility bills online, check their\ninvestments, and even to log on to their MySpace.com accounts.\nIt is important that passwords be complex, or strong enough to provide adequate\nprotection, and that they are managed properly. In this chapter you will learn about\nthe basics of passwords.After reading this chapter, you’ll know how to choose strong\npasswords, how to create passwords from phrases, how to crack passwords, and how\nto set passwords in a BIOS.\nPassword Power\nA password is just a shared secret code or word that proves to the computer or appli-\ncation that you are authorized access. Just as with Ali Baba’s “Open, Sesame” or the\nsecret knock children use to gain access to the neighborhood clubhouse, computer\npasswords enable users to “prove” that they are allowed to use a particular computer,\na Web site, or their own bank account.\nYour passwords can be quite powerful. Consider what could happen if someone\nstole them from you.They might be able to do any of the following:\n■\nAccess your personal files including e-mail and financial data\n■\nImpersonate you and send e-mail that appears to be from you\n■\nAccess your bank account and initiate transactions\n■\nGain access to information that may provide them with other confidential\ndata, such as other log-on information and passwords\nAre You Owned?\nPasswords for Cash\nIn May of 2006, a Trojan horse was discovered (PSW.Win32.WOW.x) that was\ndesigned to steal usernames and passwords for World of Warcraft (WoW)\naccounts.\nwww.syngress.com\n30\nChapter 2 • Passwords\nContinued\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 58,
            "text": "WoW is a very popular online adventure game, but the attacker probably\nwas not trying to steal game access. WoW is so big that Virtual Gold from the\ngame is actually bought and sold with real cash by other players. \nYou may not think you need a strong password for a game, but compro-\nmised WoW accounts can be converted to cash by selling Virtual Gold and other\nitems of value from the game to other players\nPasswords are used for a wide variety of access controls, including the computer\noperating system, different software programs, company networks, Web sites and\nmore.There are also different types of passwords used in other areas of your life such\nas PIN numbers for your bank ATM card, access codes to check your voicemail, and\nthe code to open your garage door, to name a few.These are all different forms of\npasswords and it is important that you create passwords that are difficult for others to\nguess and that you keep them secret.\nThe trick is to make each password unique and original enough that unautho-\nrized parties won’t be able to guess it or figure out what it is, while making it some-\nthing that you can remember. If you can’t remember your own password it won’t do\nyou much good.\nRSA Security, provider of various authentication and identification technologies,\nconducted a survey of users in late 2005 that shows how insecure passwords can be.\nHere are some of the key results from this survey:\n■\nThe Survey found that 58% of users have more than six passwords.Almost\nhalf of those have more than 13 passwords to manage.\n■\nMany users keep track of their passwords using insecure methods such as\nstoring them on a PDA or other handheld device (22%) or writing them\ndown on paper stored in their desk (15%).\n■\nAsked about having a single, master password that would unlock all their\nsystems and applications, 98% of respondents stated that an extra layer of\nprotection would then be required for security.\nThis survey highlights some of the issues that still plague computer security.\nUsers are inundated with usernames and passwords and many of them choose pass-\nwords that are easy to determine or guess because they are trying to select passwords\nthat will also be easy for them to remember.\nMany users will also resort to recording their usernames and passwords some-\nwhere—either on sticky notes on their monitor or on a scratch pad in their desk\ndrawer or in a planner that they carry with them. Recording the passwords in a\nplace that they can refer to might make it easier on the user, but it will also make it\nthat much easier on any would-be attacker who might come into possession of \nthis list.\nwww.syngress.com\nPasswords • Chapter 2\n31\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 59,
            "text": "The Keys to Your Data\nIf you think about the password as the key to your computer or data you can better\nunderstand why simple passwords are less secure than complex passwords and why\nany password, no matter how complex, may eventually be cracked.\nAlthough your life might be easier if the lock on your house, the lock on your\ncar, the lock on your desk at work, and the lock on your locker at the gym could all\nbe opened with the same key, if that one key fell into the wrong hands they would\nbe able to open all of those locks as well.\nThe same is true for your passwords.The online store where you purchased new\nink cartridges for your printer may not guard their customer database with quite the\nsame level of protection that your bank will. Some applications or Web sites may be\nless secure than others and you never know if your password is being stored in an\nencrypted form in a secure location or if it is just saved as plain text in an Excel\nspreadsheet somewhere.\nTools & Traps…\nBrief Tips on Password Care\nThe analogy that compares passwords to underwear has been used in numerous\nsecurity awareness campaigns, particularly at colleges and universities. Passwords\nare like underwear because you must:\n■\nChange them often (especially if asked to)\n■\nOnly use your own\n■\nKeep them hidden\n■\nNot share them with your friends\n■\nNot leave them lying around\nIf an attacker manages to get your password from hacking into the ink cartridge\nmerchant’s customer database, they can view your profile on the site and probably\nyour purchase history.Your purchase history might reveal your bank name.The\nattacker might go to the bank Web site on a whim and try to log on using the same\npassword. Now they have access to all your money.They can also view your recent\nwww.syngress.com\n32\nChapter 2 • Passwords\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 60,
            "text": "transactions, which might provide them clues as to who your Internet service\nprovider is or who your cell phone provider is or which brokerage manages your\ninvestment funds. If you use the same password at all these sites and locations, an\nattacker gaining access to your password at one location would hold the key to the\nentire kingdom.\nYou can use some discretion when it comes to password diversity.You might\nhave one password that you use for all sites and applications that have no confidential\nor sensitive information such as your bank account number or credit card number or\nsocial security number.Your account on an online recipe site or the one you use to\naccess message boards about golfing probably don’t need to have exceptionally strong\npasswords nor would it be the end of the world if one password could get into all of\nthose sites and applications.\nHowever, any site where your personal, confidential, or financial information\nmay be stored in your profile or in a database should receive more attention on your\npart to take the extra time to give them unique passwords.\nSelecting Strong Passwords\nSo what’s a person to do? You can’t even remember what you had for dinner last\nnight or what time your son’s soccer practice is. How are you going to remember\nwhat your password is?\nThe first thing that most users try is to simply use a word that is familiar to\nthem. Many users will choose things like their own name, their children’s names, or\nthe name of a pet.\nGoing back to the key analogy—if your password is like your key to unlock\nyour computer, then choosing a password based on easily obtainable personal facts is\nlike locking your door and placing the key under the doormat. It is better than\nnothing, but not by much.Through simple research or just conversation over coffee,\nan attacker can pick up personal information about you such as your spouse’s name,\nchildren’s names, birth dates, and more.\nIt is important that you choose a strong password. What makes a password\nstrong? Length is one factor.Another is to use a variety of character types. Passwords\nare generally case sensitive, so “password” is different from “Password.” Of course,\ncapitalizing the first letter might be the first thing someone would try if they were\nguessing, so using something like “pasSword” or “pasSwoRd” would be even\nstronger.\nWhen you create a password in Windows XP, you are also asked to enter a word\nor phrase (see Figure 2.1) to act as a password hint. If you have issues remembering\nyour password, Windows XP can display the hint to try to trigger your memory so\nwww.syngress.com\nPasswords • Chapter 2\n33\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 61,
            "text": "you can recall it. Click Control Panel | User Accounts | Change an Account,\nand then select a user and click Change Password to create a new password in\nWindows XP (see Figure 2.1).\nFigure 2.1 Creating a new password in Windows XP\nAside from avoiding the use of personal data or information as your password,\nyou should also avoid all dictionary words. One trick is to substitute numbers or\nspecial characters that look similar to letters.This is common in hacker lingo where\n“elite” becomes “l33t” and “hacker” becomes “h4x0r”. Using this method it is pos-\nsible to still choose a password that might be easy for you to remember, but writing\nit in a creative way using a variety of character types that will make it harder to\nguess or crack.\nYou can also take a phrase or sentence and boil it down to an acronym of sorts.\nFor instance, you might find it easy to remember the phrase,“My birthday is on\nJune 16.” However, instead of typing the whole thing, you could use “mbioj16” as\nyour password or scramble it a bit more with alternative characters as discussed\nabove so that it becomes something like “mbi0j16.”The net result is that you end up\nwith a password that is more secure and harder to guess or break, but one that is\neasier for you to remember than just selecting a random grouping of various \ncharacter types.\nwww.syngress.com\n34\nChapter 2 • Passwords\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 62,
            "text": "If you aren’t sure how to transpose the normal characters in a word to alternate\ncharacters that look similar, you can use a tool like L33t-5p34K G3n3r@t0r available\nfrom a number of sites if you simply search for it on Google.You can also visit\nwww.transl8it.com, but the translations are not as consistently good as those created\nwith L33t-5p34K G3n3r@t0r.\nIf you can’t come up with a good phrase or password on your own, you can use\na tool like the Secure Password Generator on the winguides.com Web site\n(www.winguides.com/security/password.php).The Secure Password Generator (see\nFigure 2.2) has check boxes to let you select the number of characters in your pass-\nword, whether to use uppercase letters, numbers, or punctuation, and whether to\nallow a character to repeat.You can also tell it to create up to 50 passwords at one\ntime and then select the one you prefer from the list in case you are concerned that\nwinguides.com will know your password.\nFigure 2.2 The Secure Password Generator\nPassword Cracking\nPassword-cracking utilities use three methods for attempting to break a password.\nThe simplest and the fastest—assuming that your password is a word that might be\nfound in a dictionary—is called the Dictionary Attack.The Dictionary Attack tries\nevery word in the dictionary until it finds the right one for the username trying to\nbe accessed.\nwww.syngress.com\nPasswords • Chapter 2\n35\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 63,
            "text": "The second method used to break passwords is called a Brute Force Attack.The\nBrute Force Attack will try literally every possible combination sequentially until it\nfinds the right combination to authenticate the username trying to be accessed.The\nBrute Force Attack will attempt to use lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers,\nand special characters until it eventually stumbles onto the correct password.\nThe third method is called a Hybrid Attack.The Hybrid Attack combines the\nDictionary Attack and the Brute Force Attack. Many users will choose a password\nthat is in fact a dictionary word, but add a special character or number at the end.\nFor instance, they might use “password1” instead of “password.”A Dictionary Attack\nwould fail because “password1” isn’t in the dictionary, but a Brute Force Attack\nmight take days depending on the processing power of the computer being used. By\ncombining a Dictionary Attack with a Brute Force Attack, the Hybrid Attack would\nbe able to crack this password much faster.\nGiven enough time and resources, no password is 100% unbreakable. Some pass-\nword-recovery utilities may have success where others fail, and a lot depends on the\nprocessing horsepower of the machine attempting to crack the password (see the\nsidebar on p. 38).\nJust like the lock on your home or car door—the idea is to make it difficult to\nget in, not impossible.A professional thief can probably still pick your lock in under\na couple minutes, but the average person will be deterred by a lock and even thieves\nof moderate skill may be dissuaded by more complex or intricate lock systems.\nThe goal isn’t to come up with a password that is unbreakable—although that\nwould be nice as well.The goal is to create a password that you can remember but\nthat the average person won’t be able to guess based on knowing a few details about\nyour life and that would take so long to crack using a password-recovery utility that\na hacker of moderate skill would be dissuaded. In the end, someone skilled or dedi-\ncated enough could still find a way to break or go around your password, which is\none of the reasons this is not the only defense mechanism you will use.\nAside from coming up with strong passwords, it is also important to change your\npasswords on a regular basis. Even if you have done everything possible to protect\nyour passwords, it is still possible that through a security breach on a server or by an\nattacker intercepting network traffic, that your password could be intercepted or\ncracked. I would recommend that you change your passwords every 30 days at a\nminimum.\nStoring Your Passwords\nObviously, having 70, 20, or even 5 different passwords at a given time can be diffi-\ncult to keep track of. It becomes more complex when different Web sites or pro-\nwww.syngress.com\n36\nChapter 2 • Passwords\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 64,
            "text": "grams restrict the number and types of characters that you can use for your pass-\nwords, or require that you change your password very frequently.These are some of\nthe reasons why so many people resort to tracking their usernames and passwords in\na text file (.txt) using Notepad or a small spreadsheet file (.xls) using Excel.\nIn spite of the energy that security experts expend to convince people not to\nwrite down their passwords or store them in files on their computer, their advice\ngoes largely unheeded. So, if you find that you’re not going to be able to remember\nall the passwords you create, at least try to store them as securely as possible.To that\nend, I recommend using a free software package such as Password Safe (http://pass-\nwordsafe.sourceforge.net/) or Roboform (www.roboform.com/), to help you main-\ntain your passwords more securely. Password Safe, an open-source\npassword-management utility (shown in Figure 2.3), is available for free from\nSourceforge.net.\nFigure 2.3 Store Passwords Securely in Password Safe\nOne Super-Powerful Password\nDo you want to prevent people from even starting up your computer? You can pass-\nword protect your entire computer by setting a password in the BIOS. What is the\nBIOS? The operating system, such as Windows XP, enables your different programs\nwww.syngress.com\nPasswords • Chapter 2\n37\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 65,
            "text": "and applications to work on the computer.The BIOS, or Basic Input/Output\nSystem, is the brain of the motherboard that controls the inner \nworkings of the computer.The BIOS is typically contained in a chip on the \nmotherboard.\nTools & Traps…\nCain & Abel Version 2.5\nUsing a freely available password recovery utility called Cain & Abel Version 2.5,\nI was able to discover the passwords shown in Table 2.1 in the following time-\nframes using an AMD 2500+ CPU with 512 MB of memory.\nTable 2.1 Results of a Password Search Using Cain & Abel Version 2.5\nPassword\nAttack\nTime\njohn\nDictionary\n<1 minute\njohn4376\nDictionary \nattack failed\nBrute\n>12 hours\nj0hN4376%$$\nDictionary\nattack failed\nBrute\nattack failed\nOnce you set a BIOS password, the computer will be completely useless to\nanyone who does not first enter the correct password.They won’t even be able to\nbegin trying to guess or crack your operating system or file passwords, because\nwithout the BIOS the computer cannot even start loading the operating system.\nTo configure the BIOS you typically press the F1 or DEL keys while the com-\nputer is booting up.The exact key to press varies from computer to computer.You\nshould see a message when the computer first begins to boot, letting you know\nwhich key to press to enter the “Setup” screen. For details about accessing the BIOS\nand how to configure it, check your computer owner’s manual.\nwww.syngress.com\n38\nChapter 2 • Passwords\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 66,
            "text": "Summary\nPasswords are one of the most essential tools for protecting your data. In this chapter\nyou learned about the important role that passwords play and some of the adverse\naffects that can occur if someone obtains your password.\nTo prevent an attacker from being able to guess or crack your passwords, you\nlearned how to create stronger, more complex passwords, and how to use passphrases\nto generate even more complex passwords that you can still remember.\nLastly, this chapter covered some tools that you can use to securely store and\ntrack your passwords when remembering them all just seems too difficult, and how\nto lock access to your computer entirely by using a BIOS password.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on passwords and password man-\nagement:\n■\nBradley,Tony. Creating Secure Passwords. About.com\n(http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/generalsecurity/a/aa112103b.htm ).\n■\nCreating Strong Passwords. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Product\nDocumentation (www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/win-\ndows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/windows_password_tips.mspx?mfr=true).\n■\nRSA Security Survey Reveals Multiple Passwords Creating Security Risks and\nEnd User Frustration. RSA Security, Inc. Press Release. September 27, 2005\n(www.rsasecurity.com/press_release.asp?doc_id=6095).\n■\nStrong Passwords. Microsoft Windows Server TechCenter. January 21, 2005\n(http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/d406b824-\n857c-4c2a-8de2-9b7ecbfa6e511033.mspx?mfr=true).\n■\nTo Manage Passwords Stored on the Computer\nMicrosoft Windows XP\nProfessional Product Documentation (www.microsoft.com/resources/docu-\nmentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-\nus/usercpl_manage_passwords.mspx?mfr=true).\nwww.syngress.com\nPasswords • Chapter 2\n39\nPV27\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 67,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 68,
            "text": "Viruses, Worms,\nand Other Malware\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nMalware Terms\n■\nThe History of Malware\nChapter 3\n41\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 69,
            "text": "Introduction\nThere are more than 200,000 reasons for you to learn the information in this\nchapter. McAfee, maker of security and antivirus software, recently announced that it\nhas identified and created protection for its 200,000th threat. It took almost 18 years\nto reach the 100,000 mark, but that number doubled in only two years. Fortunately\nfor computer users, McAfee’s growth rate for identifying threats has slowed now.\nViruses rank with spam as one of the most well-known threats to computer\nsecurity. Notorious threats—such as Slammer, Nimda, and MyDoom—even make\nheadline news. Just about everyone knows that a computer virus is something to be\nactively avoided.This chapter will show you how to do that, by teaching you:\n■\nCommon malware terms\n■\nThe threat of malware\n■\nHow to install and configure antivirus software\n■\nHow to keep your antivirus software up-to-date\n■\nHow not to get infected\n■\nWhat to do if you think you’re infected\nMalware Terms\nViruses and worms are two well-known types of malicious software. Many threats\ncombine elements from different types of malicious software together,These blended\nthreats don’t fit into any one class, so the term malware, short for malicious software, is\nused as a catch-all term to describe a number of malicious threats, including viruses,\nworms, and more. Malware presents arguably the largest security threat to computer\nusers. It can be confusing to understand what the difference is between a virus and a\nTrojan, but these explanations should help:\n■\nVirus A virus is malicious code that replicates itself. New viruses are dis-\ncovered daily. Some exist simply to replicate themselves. Others can do\nserious damage such as erasing files or even rendering the computer itself\ninoperable.\n■\nWorm A worm is similar to a virus.They replicate themselves like viruses,\nbut do not alter files like viruses do.The main difference is that worms\nreside in memory and usually remain unnoticed until the rate of replication\nreduces system resources to the point that it becomes noticeable.\nwww.syngress.com\n42\nChapter 3 • Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 70,
            "text": "■\nTrojan A Trojan horse got its name from the story of the Trojan horse in\nGreek legend. It is a malicious program disguised as a normal application.\nTrojan horse programs do not replicate themselves like a virus, but they can\nbe propagated as attachments to a virus.\n■\nRootkit A rootkit is a set of tools and utilities that a hacker can use to\nmaintain access once they have hacked a system.The rootkit tools allow\nthem to seek out usernames and passwords, launch attacks against remote\nsystems, and conceal their actions by hiding their files and processes and\nerasing their activity from system logs and a plethora of other malicious\nstealth tools.\n■\nBot/Zombie A bot is a type of malware which allows an attacker to gain\ncomplete control over the affected computer. Computers that are infected\nwith a bot are generally referred to as zombies.\nThe History of Malware\nEvery year seems to mark a new record for the most new malware introduced, as\nwell as the most systems impacted by malware.The year 2003 was not only a record-\nsetting year for malware but also the 20th anniversary of computer viruses.\nIn 1983, graduate student Fred Cohen first used the term virus in a paper\ndescribing a program that can spread by infecting other computers with copies of\nitself.There were a handful of viruses discovered over the next 15 years, but it wasn’t\nuntil 1999, when the Melissa virus stormed the Internet, that viruses became\ncommon knowledge.\nSince then, there have been a number of high-profile viruses and worms which\nhave spread rapidly around the world. Code Red, Nimda, Slammer, and MyDoom\nare virtually household words today.The number of new malware threats and the\nspeed at which the threats spread across the Internet has grown each year.\nThe Brain virus was the first virus designed to infect personal computer systems.\nIt was introduced in 1986, at a time when the general public didn’t know what the\nInternet was and the World Wide Web had not even been created. It could only\nspread to other computers by infecting floppy disks that were passed between users\nand therefore had much less impact. Compare that with more recent threats such as\nSQL Slammer which, by spreading through the Internet to the millions of computers\nnow connected to it, was able to infect hundreds of thousands of computers and\ncripple the Internet in less than 30 minutes.\nwww.syngress.com\nViruses, Worms, and Other Malware • Chapter 3\n43\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 71,
            "text": "Are You Owned?\nSQL Slammer\nIn January 2003, the SQL Slammer worm stunned the world with its raw speed.\nExploiting a vulnerability that had been identified more than six months earlier,\nthe worm was able to infect more than 75,000 systems in less than ten minutes.\nThe sheer volume of traffic generated by this worm, as it replicated and\ncontinued to seek out other vulnerable systems, crippled the Internet by over-\nwhelming routers and servers to the point that they could no longer communi-\ncate.\nThe effects of SQL Slammer went as far as impacting personal banking in\nsome cases. ATM machines require network communications to process transac-\ntions. With the impact of SQL Slammer, the network was unavailable and the\nATM system for some banks was effectively shut down.\nGone are the days when new threats were few and far between and had no\nsimple means of propagating from system to system.The explosion of the Internet\nand the advent of broadband Internet service mean that there are millions of com-\nputers with high-speed connections linked to the Internet at any given moment.\nWith millions of potential targets, it is almost a guarantee that at least a few thousand\nwill fall victim to a new threat.\nAs we discussed earlier in the book, when you are on the Internet you are a part\nof a worldwide network of computers.You have a responsibility to the rest of us\nsharing the network with you to make sure your computer system is not infected\nand spreading malware to everyone else. It is much less of a headache and a lot easier\nin the long run to proactively make sure your system is secure and to protect your-\nself by installing antivirus software to detect and remove threats such as these before\nthey infect your computer system.\nProtect Yourself with Antivirus Software\nThe term antivirus is a misnomer of sorts.Antivirus software has evolved to include\nmany other security components. Depending on the vendor, the antivirus software\nmay also contain anti-spyware tools, anti-spam filtering, a personal firewall, and\nmore. In fact, recently the major security vendors such as McAfee and Trend Micro\nwww.syngress.com\n44\nChapter 3 • Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 72,
            "text": "have moved to marketing their products as a security suite, rather than simply\nantivirus software.\nTypically, antivirus software will detect and protect you from viruses, worms,\nTrojan horse programs, and backdoors, as well as blended threats which combine\naspects of different threats. Some antivirus programs will also help block well-known\njoke or hoax e-mail messages, spyware programs, and program exploits.As you can\nsee in Figure 3.1, the Trend Micro PC-cillin software includes scanning for a variety\nof threats.You should take the time to understand what your security software does\nand does not protect your computer against.\nFigure 3.1 Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security Software\nMost antivirus software includes three basic types of scanning: real-time, manual,\nand heuristic. Real-time scanning is the main line of defense that will keep your\ncomputer system clean as you access the Internet and surf the Web.This is the scan-\nning that is done on-the-fly while you are using the computer.Antivirus software\nreal-time scanning typically scans all inbound Web traffic for signs of malicious code,\nas well as inspects all incoming e-mail and e-mail file attachments.Antivirus products\nlike McAfee VirusScan (see Figure 3.2) also include the ability to scan instant mes-\nsaging or chat sessions and file attachments from those applications. Often, you can\nalso enable outbound scanning to try and catch any malicious code which might be\ncoming from your computer.\nwww.syngress.com\nViruses, Worms, and Other Malware • Chapter 3\n45\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 73,
            "text": "Figure 3.2 McAfee VirusScan Options\nThe manual scan is a scan run on your computer to check the files that are\nalready on it and make sure none of them are infected.These scans can be initiated\nby you if something suspicious seems to be going on, but they should also be run\nperiodically to make sure that no malware got past the real-time scanners. It is also\npossible that an infected file may make its way onto your computer before your\nantivirus software vendor updated their software to detect it. Performing a periodic\nmanual scan can help identify and remove these threats.\nProducts like Trend Micro’s PC-cillin Internet Security Suite lets you choose\njust how aggressive you want to scan your system (see Figure 3.3).You can choose\nto scan all files, or only those recommended by Trend Micro, which limits the scan\nto only the file types more likely to contain malware.You can also configure how\nyou want the software to handle cleaning or removing any threats it finds.\nMost antivirus products allow you to set up a schedule to run the scan auto-\nmatically.You should configure the scan to run at least once a week, preferably late\nat night or at some other time when you won’t be using your computer. Scanning\nyour entire computer system usually hogs a lot of the computer’s processing power\nand makes using it difficult while the scan is running.\nwww.syngress.com\n46\nChapter 3 • Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 74,
            "text": "Figure 3.3 Manual Scan Configuration for Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet\nSecurity 2006 \nThe third form of detection included in most antivirus software is called\nheuristic detection.The standard malware scanning relies on signatures or pattern\nfiles used to identify known threats. However, until a threat is discovered and\nresearchers identify its unique traits that they can use to detect it, your standard mal-\nware scanning won’t detect the new threat. Heuristic detection doesn’t look for spe-\ncific malware threats. Heuristic detection uses general characteristics of typical\nmalware to identify suspicious network traffic or e-mail behavior. Based on known\ntraits from past threats, heuristic detection attempts to detect similar traits to identify\npossible threats.\nKeep Your Antivirus Software Updated\nSo, after reading all of this you have decided that viruses, worms, and other malware\nare bad things to have and that it may be worth a few dollars to spring for some\nantivirus software to install to protect your computer. Great! Now you can close the\nbook and go back to watching Everybody Loves Raymond reruns, right?\nUnfortunately, no.\nwww.syngress.com\nViruses, Worms, and Other Malware • Chapter 3\n47\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 75,
            "text": "Tools & Traps…\nSubscription-Based Antivirus Software\nIt doesn’t have to cost a fortune to protect your computer. Generally, antivirus\nsoftware and personal computer security suites are priced affordably.\nIt is not a one-time purchase though in most cases. The major antivirus soft-\nware vendors such as Symantec or McAfee use a subscription-based system.\nUsers are required to continue to pay annually for the privilege of continuing to\nget updated protection.\nThere are certainly advantages to buying from established, well-known\nantivirus software vendors. But, if money is an issue, there are alternatives.\nProducts like Antivir (www.free-av.com/) are available for free for personal use on\nhome computers.\nNew threats are constant. Securing your computer or network requires mainte-\nnance to keep pace with the changing attack methods and techniques. In any given\nweek there may be anywhere from five to twenty new malware threats discovered. If\nyou install antivirus software today and do nothing else, your computer will be vul-\nnerable to dozens of new threats within a couple of weeks.\nIt used to be that updating your antivirus software on a weekly basis was suffi-\ncient in most cases. But, as you can see from looking at the timeline discussed earlier,\nthere were three years between officially defining a virus and the first virus affecting\nMicrosoft systems. Five years later, Code Red spread around the world in a day and\ninfected more than 200,000 systems.Two years after that the SQL Slammer worm\nspread around the world in 30 minutes and crippled the Internet.The frequency and\npotency of new threats seems to increase exponentially from year to year.The more\nusers who adopt high-speed broadband Internet connections and leave their com-\nputers connected 24/7, the greater the potential for a new threat to spread.\nFor these reasons, I recommend you update your antivirus software daily.You\ncould try to remember or make a note in your date book reminding you to visit the\nweb site of your antivirus software vendor each day to see if a new update has been\nreleased and then download and install it, but I’m sure you have better things to do\nwith your time.Antivirus software can be configured to automatically check with\nthe vendor site for any updates on a scheduled basis. Check your antivirus software\ninstructions for how to configure automatic updates for your application. Keep in\nwww.syngress.com\n48\nChapter 3 • Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 76,
            "text": "mind that the computer needs to be turned on and connected to the Internet in\norder for the software to be able to connect and download the updates, so pick a\ntime of day that you know the computer will be connected.\nHow Not to Get Infected\nRunning up-to-date antivirus software is great, but there is an even better protection\nagainst viruses, worms, and other malware threats.A little common sense is the abso-\nlute best defense against computer threats of all kinds.\nWhen you receive an e-mail titled “re: your mortgage loan,” but you don’t rec-\nognize the sender and you know that you never sent a message titled “your mort-\ngage loan” in the first place, it’s guaranteed to be spam, and may even contain some\nsort of malware. Fight your curiosity. Don’t even bother opening it. Just delete it.\nIf you follow our advice in Chapter 1, the User Account you use should not\nhave Administrator privileges. If you’re using a User Account that does not have the\nauthority to install software or make configuration changes to the operating system,\nmost malware will be unable to infect the system.\nYou should also avoid suspicious or questionable Web sites.The Web is filled\nwith millions of Web pages, the vast majority of which are just fine. No matter what\nyou’re searching for, there is probably a perfectly reputable site where you can find\nit. But once you venture into the dark and shady side of the Internet, there is no\ntelling what kind of nasty things you can pick up.\nAnother common source of malware is file sharing. Many of the files and pro-\ngrams that can be found on peer-to-peer file sharing networks, such as Bit Torrent,\ncontain Trojans or other malware. Be cautious when executing files from question-\nable sources.You should always scan these files with your antivirus software before\nexecuting them.\nYou can get malware infections by surfing the Web, using your e-mail, sharing\nnetwork resources, or opening Microsoft Office files. It can be scary to think that\njust about everything you might want to use your computer for exposes you to\nthreats of one kind or another. However, a little common sense and a healthy dose of\nskepticism should keep you safe.\nDo You Think You’re Infected?\nIs your computer system acting weird? Have you noticed files where there didn’t\nused to be files, or had files suddenly disappear? Does your system seem like it is\nrunning slower than normal, or you notice that the hard drive seems to keep on\ncranking away even when you aren’t doing anything on the computer? Does your\nsystem freeze up or crash all of a sudden?\nwww.syngress.com\nViruses, Worms, and Other Malware • Chapter 3\n49\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 77,
            "text": "All of these are potential signs that your computer system might be infected\nwith some sort of malware. If you have suspicions that your computer may be\ninfected, you should run a manual scan using your antivirus software. First, make sure\nthat your software has the most up-to-date virus information available from your\nantivirus software vendor, and then initiate the manual scan.\nIf the manual scan detects and removes the problem, you’re all set. But what if it\ndoesn’t? What should you do if your antivirus software detects a threat, but is unable\nto remove it? Or what if your antivirus software says your computer is clean, but you\nstill suspect it’s infected? You can dig a little deeper to make sure.\nAntivirus and security software vendors often create stand-alone tools that are\navailable for free to help detect and remove some of the more insidious threats (see\nFigure 3.4). Microsoft, which has recently entered the arena of providing antivirus\nand other security software products, also offers a Malicious Software Removal Tool\nwhich they update monthly to detect and remove some of the more pervasive and\ntenacious malware threats.\nFigure 3.4 McAfee’s Free Tools for Removing Malware\nSome malware is written to disable or remove antivirus and other security soft-\nware in order to prevent the ability to detect or remove it. If your computer system\nis infected by one of these threats, your antivirus software may be useless.\nYou can try to find a stand-alone tool like those mentioned earlier, but an alter-\nnative is to scan your system with a different antivirus software. Of course, you prob-\nably don’t have extra antivirus programs on standby that you can just install on a\nwww.syngress.com\n50\nChapter 3 • Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 78,
            "text": "whim.Thankfully,Trend Micro provides a free Web-based scan called HouseCall (see\nFigure 3.5). If all else fails, you should be able to get your system cleaned up using\nthis service.\nFigure 3.5 Trend Micro’s HouseCall\nwww.syngress.com\nViruses, Worms, and Other Malware • Chapter 3\n51\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 79,
            "text": "Summary\nThis is an important chapter. Viruses, worms and other malware are a constant threat\nand the source of many problems and tremendous frustration for many users.The\nsubject of malware could fill an entire book by itself. In fact, there are entire books\non the subject.The goal of this chapter was not to make antivirus or malware\nexperts out of you, but to arm you with the knowledge that you need to safely use\nyour computer for your day-to-day tasks.\nThis chapter provided you with some explanation of the different types of mal-\nware and what makes them different, as well as a brief overview of the history of\nmalware. We then talked about how to protect your computer system using antivirus\nsoftware and how to make sure it is configured properly and kept up-to-date.\nYou also learned how to exercise some common sense to ensure you don’t\nbecome a victim of malware, and what to do to clean your system up if you are\nunfortunate enough to become infected.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources contain additional information on viruses, worms, and \nother malware:\n■\nExperts worry after worm hits ATMs. MSNBC.com. December 9, 2003\n(www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3675891/).\n■\nHouseCall. Trend Micro Incorporated’s Products Web Page. (http://house-\ncall.trendmicro.com/).\n■\nMalicious Software Removal Tool. Microsoft’s Security Web Page, January 11,\n2005 (www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx).\n■\nW32/CodeRed.a.worm. McAfee, Inc.’s AVERT Labs Threat Library\n(http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_99142.htm).\n■\nW32/Mydoom@MM. McAfee, Inc.’s AVERT Labs Threat Library\n(http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_100983.htm).\n■\nW32/Nimda.gen@MM. McAfee, Inc.’s AVERT Labs Threat Library\n(http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_99209.htm).\n■\nW32/SQLSlammer.worm. McAfee, Inc.’s AVERT Labs Threat Library\n(http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_99992.htm).\n■\nVirus Removal Tools. McAfee, Inc.’s Virus Information Web Page\n(http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=vrt).\nwww.syngress.com\n52\nChapter 3 • Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 80,
            "text": "Patching\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nPatch Terminology\n■\nWhy Should I Patch?\n■\nHow Do I Know What to Patch?\nChapter 4\n53\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 81,
            "text": "Introduction\nWhen it comes to maintenance and upkeep, your computer is more like your car\nthan your toaster.Your toaster may not need any attention, but the car requires oil\nchanges, new tires, tune-ups, and more, to keep it running properly.\nThis chapter covers the information that you need to know to understand\npatches and updates and what you need to do to maintain your computer and pro-\ntect it from vulnerabilities. In this chapter, you will learn:\n■\nTerms used to describe patches and updates\n■\nWhy you should patch your system\n■\nHow to know what patches to install\n■\nUsing Automatic Updates and the Microsoft Update Web site\n■\nUsing System Restore\nPatch Terminology \nWhen I wear a hole in a pair of jeans, I go to the store and buy a new pair. But, I\nremember when I was growing up that a hole didn’t guarantee a new pair of jeans.\nMy mother would just get a patch and apply it to the hole and, presto, jeans were as\ngood as new. Mostly.\nWith computer software it works pretty much the same way. In between releases\nof major versions of software, software publishers typically release patches to fix\nwhat’s broken.They don’t want to give you that new pair of jeans just yet; they’ve\ngot the iron-on patches ready to go—you just have to install them.\nThere are different kinds of patches and it can help to know the difference\nbetween them because some are big fixes and others are small. Don’t worry about\nlearning this stuff; just use this list as a reference.And be sure to read the description\nfor the fixes you’re planning to install.\nwww.syngress.com\n54\nChapter 4 • Patching\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 82,
            "text": "Notes from the Underground…\nBatches of Patches\nPatching comes in a variety of “flavors.” You may hear fixes for flaws and vulner-\nabilities called by different names and that can be confusing if you don’t under-\nstand that they are all really just patches. The following list will help you know\nwhich patch to use when you find vulnerabilities on your network or computer:\n■\nPatch This fixes something small and is usually quick to download\nand install.\n■\nRollup This might include a group of patches for a program.\n■\nUpdate Updates might add or fix features in your program or fix an\nearlier patch.\n■\nCumulative Patch A cumulative patch typically includes all previ-\nously released patches for one application. \n■\nService Pack This is the biggie; the one you read about in the news\nwhen Microsoft releases some big service pack. Service packs are\ngenerally very large files that typically include lots of patches to all\nsorts of things.\nWhy Should I Patch?\nOnce a month, Microsoft releases their new Security Bulletins identifying new vul-\nnerabilities and providing the links to download the necessary patches.There is typi-\ncally at least one vulnerability that could result in your computer being controlled\nremotely by an attacker and enable them to access your personal files and informa-\ntion, or hijack your computer to propagate viruses or mass-distribute spam e-mail.\nThese Security Bulletins are generally rated as Critical by Microsoft because they\nconsider it fairly urgent that you apply the patch to protect your computer system.\nIf your computer seems to be working just fine, you may wonder “Why bother\nupsetting the apple cart by applying a patch?” Simple:You should apply the patch as\na sort of vaccination for your computer to keep it running smooth. Many viruses,\nworms, and other malware exploit flaws and vulnerabilities in your system in order\nwww.syngress.com\nPatching • Chapter 4\n55\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 83,
            "text": "to do their dirty work.Your system may seem fine now, but by not applying a patch\nyou might be opening the door for malware or attackers to come in.\nFor example, the SQL Slammer worm, discussed in Chapter 3, was able to\nspread around the world in less than 30 minutes and cripple the Internet by\nexploiting a vulnerability that had a patch available for more than six months. Had\nusers and network administrators been more proactive about applying the patch,\nSQL Slammer may have fizzled out without being noticed.\nSome patches may fix a flaw in some particular service or underlying program\nthat only a relative minority of users actually uses in the first place and which may\nnot be urgent enough for you to bother downloading and installing. However,\nsome flaws may expose your computer to remote attacks that enable the attacker\nto assume full control of your computer system enabling them to install software,\ndelete files, distribute e-mail in your name, view your personal and confidential\ndata, and more. Obviously, a patch for such a vulnerability has a higher urgency\nthan the first one.\nPatches that repair vulnerabilities that can be exploited remotely, in other words,\nfrom some other system, rather than requiring the attacker to physically sit down in\nfront of your computer, are even more urgent when you consider that many viruses\nand worms take advantage of these flaws to exploit systems and propagate to other\nvulnerable systems.\nThese vulnerabilities provide a relatively easy method of attack for malware\nauthors, and the time frame between the patch being released and a virus or worm\nexploiting the vulnerability being released on the Internet is getting shorter and\nshorter.\nHow Do I Know What to Patch?\nThere are often more than 50 new vulnerabilities discovered or announced in a\ngiven week. Some of them will affect products you use, but the majority of them\nwill probably affect other products or technologies that don’t affect you.\nHow can you keep up with so many vulnerabilities and filter through to find the\nones that matter to you? More than that, how can you sift through the vulnerabili-\nties that affect your system and choose which ones don’t really matter and which\nones are urgent?\nwww.syngress.com\n56\nChapter 4 • Patching\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 84,
            "text": "Tools & Traps…\nKeeping Up with Vulnerabilities\nA number of sources are available to help you stay informed about newly dis-\ncovered vulnerabilities and current patches. You can subscribe to e-mail mailing\nlists from sources such as Security Focus’s Bugtraq. Bugtraq actually offers a wide\nvariety of mailing lists to keep you informed on various subjects related to tech-\nnology and information security.\nYou can get similar vulnerability information by subscribing to Secunia’s\nmailing list as well. The problem with both of these solutions is that the amount\nof information generated is significantly more than the common user needs or\ncan comprehend. \nIn either case, you can narrow the list of alerts you wish to receive and cus-\ntomize it as much as possible to only those products that affect you.\n■\nwww.securityfocus.com/archive/1\n■\nhttp://secunia.com/advisories/\nAny software you use is a potential source of vulnerabilities that could lead to a\ncompromise of security on your system. However , the more commonly used a pro-\ngram is the bigger target it represents and the more likely it is that a vulnerability\nwill be exploited through some sort of automated malware or manual attack. Still,\nfor the more obscure programs you might use you should look into whether or not\nthe vendor offers any sort of mailing list you can join to receive news of updates,\npatches, or vulnerability alerts.\nFor users of Microsoft Windows operating systems, Microsoft offers a couple of\nalternatives to stay informed of the latest vulnerabilities and to make sure you have\nthe necessary patches applied. One is passive—automatically checking for and down-\nloading any new patches—while the other requires some active participation on the\npart of the user.\nwww.syngress.com\nPatching • Chapter 4\n57\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 85,
            "text": "Are You Owned?\nBull’s Eye on Your Back\nWhen you play darts, the idea generally is to hit the bull’s eye in the center of the\nboard. Obviously, if that bull’s eye is 10 feet across it will be a lot easier to hit\nthan if it is only 1 inch across. The same logic holds true for attackers who want\nto exploit vulnerabilities.\nBecause Microsoft Windows dominates the personal computer operating\nsystem market, it is a large target. Because Microsoft Internet Explorer dominates\nthe Web browser market, it is a large target. Attackers may be able to find flaws\nin the Opera Web browser, but finding the 1% of computers in the world using\nOpera is much more difficult than finding the 85% using Internet Explorer.\nGranted, there are products that are written more securely than Microsoft’s\nproducts and that are less prone to attack. But, once a product gains significant\nenough market share to attract attention, it too will become a target. The Apple\nMac has generally been regarded as virtually impenetrable. But, the increasing\npopularity of the Mac OS X operating system has made it the target of more fre-\nquent attacks.\nTo be precise, it is up to you to choose just how passive you want the Windows\nAutomatic Update feature to be.You can opt to be notified of any existing updates\nbefore downloading them; you can configure Automatic Update to automatically\ndownload any updates and notify you when they are ready to be installed; or you\ncan configure it to simply download and install the updates on a schedule of your\nchoosing.\nTo enable Automatic Update in Windows XP, click System in the Control\nPanel, and then select the Automatic Updates tab (in Windows 2000, click\nAutomatic Updates in the Control Panel).\nThe Automatic Updates tab offers four radio buttons to choose how to con-\nfigure it. If you leave your computer on during the night and opt for automatically\ndownloading and installing the updates, you may want to choose a time while you\nare sleeping so that any downloading and installing activity won’t bog down the\ncomputer while you are trying to use it (see Figure 4.1).\nwww.syngress.com\n58\nChapter 4 • Patching\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 86,
            "text": "Figure 4.1 Windows XP Automatic Updates Tab\nYou can also opt to have the updates downloaded to your computer, but not be\ninstalled until you manually initiate it, or you can choose to simply receive a notifi-\ncation when new updates are available, but download and install them manually.\nThese configuration options may be helpful for users who don’t want their com-\nputing interrupted by patches being installed or who have limited Internet connec-\ntivity and want more control over when patches are downloaded. In general though,\nhome users should stick with the recommended setting of Automatic.\nWhen new patches are available, or have been downloaded and are pending\ninstallation on your system, the Windows Security Center shield icon will appear\nyellow in the Systray. By clicking on the icon you can view the Details of the\nupdates and then choose whether or not you want to install them.\nIf you choose not to install updates that have already been downloaded to your\nsystem, the files are deleted from your computer.You can still apply the update at a\nlater time by clicking System in the Control Panel and selecting the Automatic\nUpdates tab.At the bottom you will see a link to “Offer updates again that I’ve pre-\nviously hidden,” which you can click to re-download updates you previously\ndeclined.\nThe Automatic Updates feature of Windows is a great way to stay current with\ncritical security patches—or at least aware of new patches when they become avail-\nable, depending on how you configure it. However,Automatic Update notifies you\nor downloads patches only for flaws that affect the security of your system. For\npatches that affect the functionality of Windows or its underlying programs, but do\nnot affect security, you should periodically check the Microsoft Update Web site.\nwww.syngress.com\nPatching • Chapter 4\n59\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 87,
            "text": "To open the Microsoft Update site in Windows XP, select Start | All\nPrograms | Windows Update (in Windows 2000, click Start | Windows\nUpdate at the top of the Start menu). If you click the Express button, a scan of\nyour system will be initiated (see Figure 4.2), and Microsoft Update will identify any\nhigh-priority patches that your system is missing.\nClicking the Custom button performs a more comprehensive scan.After it has\ncompleted scanning, you will be notified if there are any new updates available from\nthree different categories: high-priority updates and service packs, optional software\nupdates, and optional hardware updates (such as device drivers).\nFigure 4.2 Microsoft Update Welcome Page\nYou can view a brief description of each update to learn more about what it\ndoes and choose which updates you want to install.After you have selected the\nupdates you want to apply, click Review and Install Updates and click Install\nUpdates to start the process.\nPatching Precautions\nIdeally, the software you are using would be flawless in the first place. But, with mil-\nlions of lines of code in programs such as Microsoft Windows, often written by\ndiverse groups of people scattered around the globe, it seems almost inevitable that a\nflaw will be discovered eventually. When a flaw or vulnerability is discovered and a\npatch is created there are some precautions you should bear in mind before simply\napplying it.\nwww.syngress.com\n60\nChapter 4 • Patching\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 88,
            "text": "First of all, you should be aware that sometimes the patch introduces new flaws.\nIn their haste to get a patch distributed to users as quickly as possible—especially in\nthe case of a vulnerability with critical security implications—patch code developers\nmay not perform the quality checks and due diligence the patch deserves before\nthey rush it out the door.\nEven in a best-case scenario, the vendor can only test the patch under so many\ndifferent configurations or conditions. It is still always possible that your particular\ncollection of software or services may interact poorly with the patch and cause a\nproblem that was unforeseen by the developers.\nA flawed patch might result in a wide variety of issues ranging from quirky bugs\nor disabled functionality to random system crashes or could even possibly render the\nsystem completely unbootable.\nAnother thing to keep in mind is that a patch may not always fix the flaw it was\nintended to fix or at least not completely. Sometimes a vendor might discover a flaw\nand develop a patch that fixes a specific symptom without correcting the underlying\nflaw that causes the symptom to begin with.\nFor this scenario there isn’t much you can do. Simply be aware that a patch is\nnot always a silver bullet that will magically fix everything and remain aware of the\nfact that your vendor may re-release a patch or release a new patch to replace that\none if more flaws or vulnerabilities are discovered.\nThere are a couple of things you can do to protect yourself to some degree. First\nand foremost, you should always run a backup of your computer—or at least your\ncritical data—so that in the event of a catastrophic failure you can rebuild your\nsystem and not lose your data.\nNOTE\nFor more information about backing up or restoring your files, see\nChapter 11, “When Disaster Strikes.”\nWindows XP also has a feature designed to let you recover from problems and\nreturn your system to a previous state.The Windows System Restore feature auto-\nmatically saves restore points on a periodic basis so that you can reset your system to\nthat point in time if it becomes necessary (see Figure 4.3).\nwww.syngress.com\nPatching • Chapter 4\n61\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 89,
            "text": "You should manually create a restore point immediately before applying a patch\nor doing any other system updates or upgrades so that you will be able to return to\nthe pre-patch system if need be. I recommend that you create a system restore point\nweekly as a part of general system maintenance as well.\nFigure 4.3 Windows System Restore Welcome Page\nTo manually set a restore point, click Start | All Programs | Accessories |\nSystem Tools | System Restore. Select Create a restore point, and click\nNext. Enter a descriptive title for your restore point, and then click Create.\nIn most cases you can also uninstall the patch or update using the Add or\nRemove Programs function in Control Panel if it causes any problems (see Figure\n4.4). It can be a little cryptic, however, to determine which patch to remove after\nyou have applied a number of them.They are listed in Add & Remove Programs by\ntheir knowledge base reference—a number which starts with “KB” followed by a\nsix-digit number. Check the Show Updates box at the top of the Add or\nRemove Programs console to display Windows patches and updates.\nwww.syngress.com\n62\nChapter 4 • Patching\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 90,
            "text": "Figure 4.4 Windows Patches and Updates in the Add or Remove Programs\nWindow\nYou can typically find the associated knowledge base number at the end of the\ntitle of the applicable Microsoft Security Bulletin.You can also do a search for the\n“KB” numbers on the Web using a search engine such as Google to get more details\nabout them.\nIf you are unable to locate the exact patch to remove from Add or Remove\nPrograms or if your system is so unstable or dysfunctional that you can’t even get to\nAdd or Remove Programs, you should simply use your latest backup or the\nWindows System Restore feature to restore your system to the way it was before\nyou applied the patch or update.\nwww.syngress.com\nPatching • Chapter 4\n63\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 91,
            "text": "Summary\nIn this chapter you learned that patches or updates for your software may come\nunder a variety of names. We talked about the reasons you should be diligent about\napplying patches and how you can stay informed and up to date about existing vul-\nnerabilities and the patches available for your operating system and applications.\nWe also discussed how to use the Automatic Updates feature of Microsoft\nWindows and how to use the Microsoft Update Web site to identify and download\nany necessary patches. We wrapped up with a discussion of how to use System\nRestore or Add or Remove Programs to undo patches if something goes wrong and\nthe importance of regular data backups.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on patching:\n■\nMicrosoft Update \n(www.windowsupdate.com).\n■\nSecurityFocus Bugtraq\n(www.securityfocus.com/archive/1).\n■\nSecunia Advisories\n(secunia.com/advisories/).\nwww.syngress.com\n64\nChapter 4 • Patching\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 92,
            "text": "Part II: \nMore Essential\nSecurity\n65\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 93,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 94,
            "text": "Perimeter Security\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nFrom Moats and Bridges to Firewalls and\nFilters\n■\nFirewalls\n■\nIntrusion Detection and Prevention\nChapter 5\n67\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 95,
            "text": "Introduction\nGenerally, when you think of perimeter security, you think of protecting the outer\nedges of your network. Hence, the term perimeter. Home computers and small\noffice/home office (SOHO) networks typically have some form of firewall in place;\nthis could be a cable router, wireless access point, or switch. Some people think that\nthe perimeter security starts with the Windows Firewall or other firewall located on\nthe computer. If you are thinking that can’t be a perimeter security measure, you are\nwrong.Think about a laptop on a wireless broadband card from Verizon. What is the\nfirst point of security? The software on the computer is the right answer.\nIn this chapter we will take a look at some different aspects of the perimeter\nsecurity and how they work. We also discuss some ideas that maybe you would have\nnot thought of for security.\nFrom Moats and \nBridges to Firewalls and Filters\nIn ancient civilizations, entire towns or villages were surrounded by some form of\nprotection—possibly a tall wall or a deep moat, or both—to keep unwanted “guests”\nfrom entering. Guards would man the entrances and bark out “who goes there?” If\nthe party entering was known or had the right password or sufficient credentials to\ngain access, the moat bridge or fortress wall was opened up to allow him or her to\nenter.\nIf this form of defense were 100 percent effective, there would be no need for\nany sort of security or law enforcement within the confines of the village or fortress.\nOstensibly, you would keep the bad guys outside the walls or moat and everyone\ninside would behave in a civilized and respectful manner. Of course, this is not typi-\ncally what happens. Whether it’s a malicious intruder who somehow cons his way\nthrough the defenses or bypasses them altogether or an internal malcontent who\nchooses to break the rules, some form of internal law enforcement is generally\nneeded to maintain the peace inside the walls.\nPerimeter security in a computer network works in a similar way.A network\nwill generally have a firewall acting as the fortress wall or castle moat for the com-\nputer network. If the incoming network traffic doesn’t fit the rules defined in the\nfirewall, the traffic is blocked or rejected and does not enter your internal network.\nFigure 5.1 shows a typical network configuration with an internal firewall and\nperimeter firewall in place.\nwww.syngress.com\n68\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 96,
            "text": "Figure 5.1 Perimeter Security\nIf a firewall were 100 percent effective, and if external traffic entering your net-\nwork was the only attack vector you needed to be concerned with, there would be\nno need for any other computer or network security on your internal network or\nthe computers inside of your firewall. But since it’s not, you still need internal secu-\nrity measures as well. Running an intrusion detection system (IDS) or intrusion pre-\nvention system (IPS) can help you to detect malicious traffic that either slips past the\nfirewall or originates from inside the network in the first place.\nEven firewalls and intrusion detection or prevention won’t protect you from\nevery possible computer attack, but with one or both of these technologies in place,\nyou can increase your security and greatly reduce your exposure to risk.\nFirewalls\nIn its original form, a firewall is a structural safety mechanism used in buildings. Put\nsimply, it is a wall designed for the purpose of containing a fire.The concept is that\nif one section of the building catches fire, the firewall will prevent that fire from\nspreading to other areas of the building or even other buildings.\nA network firewall is similar except that rather than surrounding a room or a\nbuilding, it protects the entry and exit points of your computer network, and rather\nthan trying to contain the fire or keep it inside, the firewall ensures that the “fire”\nstays outside the network.\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n69\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 97,
            "text": "Tools & Traps…\nNAT\nUsing NAT, or Network Address Translation, it is actually possible for more than\none device on your internal network to connect to the Internet even though you\nhave only one unique public IP address. Home cable/DSL routers and the\nWindows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature both use NAT. \nThe devices on the internal network still must have unique IP addresses,\nthough. They are just unique to your internal network and cannot communicate\ndirectly with the Internet.\nThe NAT program or device intercepts all outbound network requests from\nthe computers on your network and communicates with the public Internet. It\nthen receives all network traffic coming in and directs it to the appropriate des-\ntination within the internal network.\nThink of it like sending mail to an apartment building. The IP address of the\nNAT device will get it to the right “building,” but it is up to the NAT device to\nmake sure it gets to the right “apartment” or internal computer.\nTo understand how a firewall works or why you should have one to protect your\nnetwork or computer, it helps to have a basic knowledge of how the network traffic\nworks in the first place.\nNetwork Traffic Flow\nNetwork traffic gets from point A to point B based on an address and a port. Every\ndevice on the Internet or even on an internal network must have a unique IP\naddress. Picture a computer’s IP address as the computer networking equivalent of\nyour street or mailing address.\nIn Figure 5.2 you can see that for 10.10.10.1 to reach its mail server it must\nknow the IP address of the mail server, which is 1.1.1.2.\nFor mail to get to a specific individual, it is first sorted by its ZIP code.The ZIP\ncode enables the postal service to know where that individual is located in a broad\nsense by narrowing the location down to a particular city and state and possibly even\na small portion of the city.After the ZIP code, the postal service can look at the\nstreet name to further narrow the destination and then the postal delivery person\nwill ensure that the mail gets to the appropriate building number on the given\nstreet.\nwww.syngress.com\n70\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 98,
            "text": "Figure 5.2 Network IP Flow\nRouters and Ports\nYour IP address provides similar information to network routers.The first part of the\nIP address identifies the network the device is located on and is similar to the ZIP\ncode of a mailing address.This information helps to narrow the destination to a\ngiven Internet service provider (ISP) or even a smaller region within the ISP.The\nsecond part of the IP address identifies the unique host and is similar to the street\naddress of a mailing address.This portion narrows it to a specific segment of the net-\nwork and then down to the exact device that owns the given IP address.\nNetwork communications also use ports. Ports are similar in some ways to TV\nchannels or radio stations.There are roughly 65,000 possible ports for network traffic\nto use. Many of the ports, particularly those in the range from 0 through 1023, have\na specific purpose. However, a vast majority of the ports are available for use for any\npurpose.\nFor example, if you want to listen to a specific radio station, there is a specific\nfrequency or station you must tune your radio to in order to receive the signal. If\nyou want to watch a particular TV show, there is a particular frequency or channel\nyou must tune your television to in order to receive the signal. In both cases there\nare also a number of frequencies that are not used for a designated station or channel\nand could conceivably be used by someone else to broadcast on.\nSimilarly, certain service or types of communications occur on designated net-\nwork ports. For example, e-mail uses port 25 for SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer\nProtocol) or port 110 for POP3. Surfing the Web uses port 80 for normal sites and\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n71\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 99,
            "text": "port 443 for secure or encrypted sites. It is possible to use these services on other\nports, but these are the default standards that the Internet operates on.\nPacket Routing and Filtering\nAnother key aspect of network traffic is that it is broken into small pieces. If you\nwanted to ship a refrigerator to someone in the mail, it would be too large to handle\nall at once. But you could take the refrigerator apart and ship each piece in an indi-\nvidual box. Some of the packages might go on a truck and some might go on a\nplane or a train.There is no guarantee that the packages will arrive together or in\nthe correct order.To make it easier to assemble the refrigerator once it arrives at its\ndestination, you might number the packages: 1 of 150, 2 of 150, 3 of 150, and so on.\nAfter all 150 packages arrive, they can then be reassembled in their proper sequence.\nNetwork traffic is handled the same way. It would be too slow or inefficient to\ntry to send a complete 4MB or 5MB file together in one piece. So network traffic is\nbroken into pieces called packets. Different packets may take different routes across\nthe Internet and there is no guarantee that the packets will arrive at the destination\ntogether or in the correct order. So, each packet is given a sequence number that lets\nthe destination device know what the proper order is for the packets and tells it\nwhen it has received all the packets for a given communication.\nEach network packet has a header that contains the necessary details, similar to a\nshipping invoice.The packet header identifies the source IP address and port as well\nas the destination IP address and port. It is this information that many firewalls use\nto restrict or allow traffic.\nWhen you surf to a Web site, your computer will communicate with the Web\nserver on port 80, but the traffic coming back to your computer may be on some\nother port and will be handled differently by your firewall than unsolicited incoming\ntraffic.\nIdeally, your firewall will block all incoming traffic except on the ports that you\nspecifically choose to allow. For most home users it is safe to block all ports for\nincoming traffic because home users do not generally host services such as an e-mail\nserver. Unless you are hosting a Web site on your computer, you don’t need to allow\nport 80 traffic from the Internet into your computer. If you are not running your\nown POP3 e-mail server, you don’t need to allow incoming port 110 traffic. In most\ncases, the only traffic that needs to come in to your network is a reply to a request\nyour computer has made.There are cases with some online games or peer-to-peer\n(P2P) networking where your computer does need to act as a server and may need\nto have certain incoming ports open.\nwww.syngress.com\n72\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 100,
            "text": "This basic sort of firewall is known as a packet filter.You can use a basic packet\nfilter firewall to deny all traffic from a certain source IP address or to block incoming\ntraffic on certain ports.As we stated earlier in this chapter, the ideal configuration for\nyour firewall is to simply deny all incoming traffic and then create specific rules to\nallow communications from specific IP addresses or ports as the need arises.\nStateful Inspection\nThere is a deeper or more advanced form of packet filtering called stateful inspec-\ntion. Stateful inspection not only looks at the source and destination ports and\naddresses but also keeps track of the state of the communications. In other words,\nrather than letting traffic in simply because it is on the right port, it validates that a\ncomputer on the network actually asked to receive the traffic.\nStateful inspection also evaluates the context of the communications. If a com-\nputer on the network requests a Web page from a Web server, the stateful inspection\npacket filter will allow the Web page traffic through. However, if the Web site is\nmalicious and also attempts to install some malware, a standard packet filter might\nallow the traffic because it is in response to a request initiated from your network,\nbut the stateful inspection packet filter will reject it because it is not in the same\ncontext as the request.This higher degree of scrutiny for incoming packets helps to\nprotect your network better than a standard packet filter.\nAs you can see in Figure 5.3, stateful inspections used rules or filters to check\nthe dynamic state table to verify that the packet is part of a valid connection.\nFigure 5.3 Stateful Packet Inspections\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n73\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 101,
            "text": "Application Gateways \nand Application Proxy Firewalls\nFor even better protection you can use an application gateway or application proxy\nfirewall.An application proxy mediates the communications between the two\ndevices, such as a computer and server. Essentially, there are two connections—one\nfrom the client to the application proxy and one from the application proxy to the\nserver.The application proxy receives the request to start a session such as viewing a\nWeb page. It validates that the request is authentic and allowed and then initiates a\nWeb session with the destination on behalf of the client computer.\nThis type of firewall offers a significantly greater level of protection and has the\nadded benefit of hiding the client machine’s true identity, since the external commu-\nnications will all appear to originate from the application proxy.The downside is that\nthe application proxy uses a lot more memory and processing power and may slow\ndown network performance. With recent boosts in processing power and with\nrandom access memory (RAM) being less expensive, this issue is not as significant\nany longer.\nPersonal and Cable/DSL Router Firewalls\nThere are two different types of firewalls that home or small office users will gener-\nally implement: personal firewalls and cable/DSL router firewalls.The two are not\nmutually exclusive and, in fact, can and should be used in conjunction with each\nother for added security. In Figure 5.4 you can see that a SOHO firewall sits outside\nthe local switch on which the local computers reside.\nFigure 5.4 SOHO Firewall\nwww.syngress.com\n74\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 102,
            "text": "Most home routers designed for use with cable or DSL broadband Internet\naccess come equipped with a basic packet filter firewall, or possibly even a stateful\ninspection firewall built in.The standard default configuration is generally to Deny\nAll access unless you specifically configure it otherwise, but check the documenta-\ntion for your router to make sure the firewall is on by default and what the default\nrule set is.\nThis sort of firewall can help you provide true perimeter security for your home\nnetwork. No matter how many computers you connect within your home, all of the\nnetwork traffic coming from the Internet will have to pass through this device to get\nin, so all of your computers will be protected. Home routers also typically provide\nNetwork Address Translation (NAT), which means that the true IP addresses of any\nmachines on your network are hidden and that external systems see only the IP\naddress of the firewall/router.\nThere are a couple of key things to remember when using this type of router.\nFirst, you should always change the default password as soon as possible. Second, you\nshould change the default IP address used for the internal network. Default pass-\nwords are easy for attackers (most attackers will already have them, as they’re posted\non any number of Web sites) to discover or guess, and most attackers will be aware\nthat the default subnet used by home routers is 192.168.0 and that the administrative\nscreen for the router itself can be accessed at http://192.168.0.1.\nOne more serious caveat regarding a home router firewall is that they won’t pro-\nvide any protection for users who use a dial-up telephone connection to access the\nInternet. If you are sharing a single Internet connection, you could conceivably con-\nnect other systems on your network through a home router with a firewall, but the\nactual computer connecting to the Internet over the dial-up connection would still\nbe unprotected.\nWhether or not you have a router for your network providing your network\nwith protection through a packet filter or stateful inspection firewall, you can also\ninstall a personal firewall application on each individual computer system. Just as the\nnetwork firewall monitors and restricts the traffic allowed into your network, the\npersonal firewall will monitor and restrict the traffic allowed into your computer.\nThis can be advantageous for a number of reasons. First of all, if one of your com-\nputers participates in online gaming or P2P networking, you may be required to open\nup ports on your network firewall in order for the communications to work.Although\nthat may be an acceptable risk for the machine using those ports, the other machines\non your network still don’t need any potentially malicious traffic entering on those\nports. Individual machines on your network may also want to protect themselves from\nsuspicious or malicious traffic from other computers in your network.\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n75\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 103,
            "text": "Windows XP comes with a built-in personal firewall application.The Windows\nFirewall is a stateful inspection firewall. One advantage of the Windows Firewall over\nthe aforementioned router firewalls is that it can provide security for the computer\neven on a dial-up connection.\nIn some ways the Windows Firewall is very robust. It has the capability to detect\nand defend against certain types of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks (a DoS attack\noccurs when an attacker is able to disable or overwhelm a device to the point that it\nno longer responds to requests, thereby denying service to legitimate users) by\nsimply dropping the incoming packets.\nIf your Windows Firewall is turned off, and you don’t have some other third-\nparty firewall running on your computer, the Windows XP Security Center will dis-\nplay a pop-up alert in the systray at the lower right of the screen to let you know\nyour computer may not be secure.To enable the Windows Firewall, click Start |\nControl Panel | Security Center. When the Security Center console comes up,\nclick Windows Firewall at the bottom to open the Windows Firewall configura-\ntion screen (see Figure 5.5). Just select On and click OK to turn the firewall on.\nFigure 5.5 The Windows Firewall Configuration Screen\nIn Figure 5.6 you can see that the Exceptions Tab on the Windows Firewall\nconsole is selected. Exceptions allow the user to select certain programs or network\nwww.syngress.com\n76\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 104,
            "text": "ports to allow through the firewall. Some programs are added by default by\nWindows when they are started up and try to access the network. If you need to\nadd a program that is not displayed on the list, you can click Add Program and\nmanually select the application. Programs and ports with checks in the box next to\nthem on the Exceptions tab will not be restricted by normal firewall rules and will\nbe allowed to pass through the firewall as if it were not there.\nAt the bottom of the Exceptions tab is a checkbox to “Display a notification\nwhen Windows Firewall blocks a program.”This can be very informative or a con-\nfusing nuisance depending on how you look at it. If you leave the box checked, you\nwill get a pop-up alert each time a new application tries to communicate through\nthe firewall.You can choose whether to allow the communication or not. Many\nusers do not like to have constant pop-up alerts, though, and generally don’t under-\nstand what they are about or whether they should approve them.You will probably\nwant to leave this box unchecked, but if you are trying to use a new program and\nrun into issues, always think of the firewall first and remember that without an\nException being added, your program probably cannot communicate freely through\nthe firewall.\nFigure 5.6 The Windows Firewall Exceptions \nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n77\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 105,
            "text": "You can select the Advanced Tab, to access some settings for more advanced\nfirewall configuration.At the top, it shows the network connections settings (see\nFigure 5.7), which display a list of all of the network adapters or connections in the\ncomputer.The adapters or network connections that have checkmarks in the box\nnext to them have the Windows Firewall protection enabled for them.Those that\ndon’t are not protected by the Windows Firewall.\nThe Advanced tab also allows you to turn logging on and off. If you enable log-\nging, a TXT file will be generated that records information about all the connec-\ntions made to or from the firewall. It collects the source and destination IP address\nand source and destination port information as well as the network protocol being\nused. For an average user, this will probably all appear as gibberish. But the informa-\ntion can be useful for troubleshooting problems or trying to find the root cause of\nan attack or system compromise.\nAt the bottom of the Advanced settings tab, you can reset the Windows Firewall\nto its default settings.After you have customized and tweaked it and added\nExceptions and completely reconfigured it, you might find it hard to figure out\nwhich setting to change to make things work again. If you are having serious con-\nnectivity problems, you might want to return the Windows Firewall to its original\nconfiguration and start over.\nFigure 5.7 The Advanced Tab of the Windows Firewall Configuration \nwww.syngress.com\n78\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 106,
            "text": "The Windows Firewall is a great tool, especially for one that is included in the\noperating system for free. It also works a little too well (which is better than not well\nenough) in some cases, making it difficult for your computer to even communicate\nor share resources with other computers on your own network. For these reasons\nand more we recommend that you leave the Windows Firewall disabled and instead\ninstall a third-party firewall product such as ZoneAlarm (see Figure 5.8) or the per-\nsonal firewall component of a security suite such as Trend Micro PC-cillin.\nZoneAlarm is a popular personal firewall program that is very effective and relatively\nsimple to use.\nFigure 5.8 Zone Alarm\nZone Labs offers the basic ZoneAlarm product free for personal use. ZoneAlarm\nprovides a basic firewall without the bells and whistles that are part of the more\nadvanced ZoneAlarm products. Whereas Windows Firewall only filters or blocks\nincoming traffic, ZoneAlarm will also watch the outbound traffic.This feature can\nbe helpful in alerting you to any Trojans or spyware that might have compromised\nyour machine and that might try to initiate outbound communications to “call\nhome,” so to speak.\nZoneAlarm can be configured to alert you for different types of suspicious traffic\nso that you can be aware of potential malicious activity as it is happening.As new\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n79\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 107,
            "text": "applications attempt to connect from the computer, ZoneAlarm will ask the user\nwhether or not the connection should be allowed.You can choose whether to allow\nit for only this occurrence or to allow that program to connect as it needs to.The\nonly problem with these pop-up windows is that the program name might not\nalways be recognizable, and it can be confusing for users to know whether the con-\nnection attempt is malicious or benign.\nNo matter which firewall product you choose, we highly recommend that you\nuse a personal firewall application on each computer in addition to using a\ncable/DSL router-based firewall if possible. We do offer one caution or word of\nadvice, though: once you install a personal firewall product remember to look there\nfirst if you start having any connection problems. Very often a firewall might be\nblocking traffic or connections that you think should be going through, so take a\nlook at the configuration of the firewall before you get frustrated or spend hours\ntrying to troubleshoot the problem.\nIntrusion Detection and Prevention\nHaving an intrusion detection system (IDS) on your computer or network is like\nhaving surveillance cameras or a motion sensor alarm in your home.You hope that\nthe locks on your doors and windows will keep unauthorized intruders out, but\nshould that fail, you want some means of monitoring the intrusion or alerting you\nthat it has occurred. Similarly, you expect that your firewall will keep malicious\ntraffic out of your network, but should something slip past the firewall, your IDS can\nmonitor and alert you.\nAnd that really is all an IDS does, monitor and alert. If your home also had some\nsort of automated lockdown mechanism to trap the intruder in the home until the\nauthorities could arrive, or if you had armed guards who responded immediately to\nstop the intrusion, it would be more like an IPS.\nAn IDS can be networking based (NIDS, or network-based intrusion detection\nsystem) or installed on individual computers (HIDS, or host-based intrusion detec-\ntion system), similar to a firewall.A NIDS examines actual packets traveling the net-\nwork in real time to look for suspicious activity.A HIDS examines log files like the\nWindows Event Logs (System,Applications, and Security Event Logs) and looks for\nentries that suggest suspicious activity. Figure 5.9 shows the Event Viewer in the\nComputer Management dialog box.\nwww.syngress.com\n80\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 108,
            "text": "Figure 5.9 Computer Management\nA NIDS has the advantage of detecting attacks in real time. It can also detect\neven an unsuccessful attack so that you are aware that the attempt occurred and can\ndetect some types of attacks that a HIDS would miss because they can only be iden-\ntified by looking at the packet headers.\nBecause a HIDS relies on checking the logs on the host system to identify\nattacks, it validates that an attack was successful. It can also detect attacks that don’t\ntravel the network, such as an attacker sitting at the keyboard of the HIDS. HIDS\ncan also detect attempts to access files or change file permissions, or changes to key\nsystem files that a NIDS would not detect.\nNeither is necessarily better than the other, and both can be used in conjunction\nwith the other to alert you to all the different types of attacks that might not be\ncaught by just a NIDS or HIDS. Regardless of which you choose, intrusion detec-\ntion techniques generally fall under one of two categories or a hybrid of both.\nSignature-based detection works similar to the way most antivirus software does. It\nattempts to identify suspicious activity by comparing packet headers and other infor-\nmation with a database of known signatures of exploits, attacks, and malicious code.\nThe downfall of this method is the same as it is with antivirus software; it is\nreactive. Until a new attack exists, there is no way to develop a signature for it. In\nessence, someone must get attacked first before the IDS vendors or support groups\ncan develop a signature. Moreover, the time lag between the release of an attack or\nexploit and receiving a signature you can deploy on your IDS is a time frame during\nwhich you won’t have protection for that threat.\nAnomaly-based detection compares network packets and behavior with a known\nbaseline and looks for patterns or actions that are abnormal. For example, if a certain\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n81\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 109,
            "text": "computer typically does not use FTP, but suddenly tries to initiate an FTP connec-\ntion with a server, the IDS would detect this as an anomaly and alert you.The\ndownside to anomaly detection is that it can require a lot of intensive “handholding”\nto define what normal traffic is for your network and establish the baseline. During\nthis initial learning curve, you might get a lot of false-positive alerts or potentially\nmiss malicious activity.\nBoth detection techniques have their pros and cons, but regardless of how suspi-\ncious or malicious activity is detected, the job of the IDS is to alert you.This might\nbe done by sending a console message that pops up on your screen via the Windows\nMessenger Service or the IDS might send an e-mail or even send an alert to a pager\nin some cases. It is up to you to configure how you will be alerted. More important,\nhowever, it is up to you to respond to the alert. Having an IDS that detects and\nalerts you to the presence of suspected malicious activity is worthless if you don’t\nhave a well-defined incident response plan to address the issue. For details on\nresponding to security incidents go to Chapter 11,“When Disaster Strikes.”\nOne of the best and most popular IDS programs is Snort (see Figure 5.10). Snort\nis an open-source network intrusion detection (NIDS) application that is available for\nfree. Because of its popularity and the fact that it is an open-source program, there are\na number of support forums and mailing lists you can reference to learn about the\nprogram or to acquire updated signatures for new threats. Snort analyzes network\npackets and can detect a wide range of known attacks and malicious activity.\nFigure 5.10 Snort\n82\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 110,
            "text": "A newer technology exists that will handle that initial response for you.An IPS\nis somewhat like a hybrid between an IDS and a firewall, or it may work in con-\njunction with your existing firewall.The primary difference between an IDS and an\nIPS is that an IPS will do something to respond and attempt to stop the intrusion,\nwhereas the IDS will simply let you know it’s going on.\nAn IPS monitors the network the same way that an IDS does and still uses the\nsame signature and/or anomaly pattern-matching techniques for identifying poten-\ntially malicious activity. However, when an IPS detects that there is suspected mali-\ncious traffic, it can alter or create firewall rules to simply block all traffic on the\ntarget port or block all incoming traffic from the source IP address or any number of\ncustom responses you might configure.\nTypically, the IPS will be configured not only to take some immediate action to\nprevent any further malicious activity but also to alert you like an IDS. Even if your\nIPS has managed to block the offending traffic, you still need to be made aware of\nthe attack or attempted attack and you might need to respond with a more thor-\nough or long-term solution than the quick-fix measures put in place by the IPS.\nSometimes the line between firewall, intrusion detection, and intrusion preven-\ntion gets blurred as applications and devices come out that try to provide all-in-one\nprotection. Small business networks might benefit from implementing intrusion\ndetection or prevention, but for a home network, intrusion detection and prevention\nare probably more security than you need. However, a router-based firewall and per-\nsonal firewall application are highly recommended to protect the perimeter of your\nnetwork and ensure the maximum security for your computer.\nwww.syngress.com\nPerimeter Security • Chapter 5\n83\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 111,
            "text": "Summary\nAlthough it is very hard to say what is right and what is wrong with all the different\nperimeter security systems from all the different vendors, there is one main philos-\nophy that is right and that is that you need it. No matter what kind of system you\nhave, you need some type of security to protect your data.That is what everyone is\nafter, not your computer and not your mouse. It is better to overdo it, than not do it,\nas we say. So make sure you have your perimeter security turned on and your host\nsecurity turned on.\nIf you are using a cable modem, invest in a good cable router or wireless net-\nwork router. Both devices, such as equipment from Linksys or Netgear, have good\nsecurity settings to be used as your perimeter firewall. Read the instructions, set up\nthe firewall on the router as your first line of defense, and then make sure you either\nturn on your Windows firewall or use a third-party personal firewall on your com-\nputer.This will save you in case you have something get by the perimeter firewall.\nAll users should use this for home or SOHO-type installations.\nThe Windows Firewall is far better than nothing, and the price is right. But most\nthird-party personal firewalls offer more comprehensive protection and provide a\nmore intuitive interface to manage it with.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on firewalls and other topics\nrelated to perimeter security:\n■\nAmarasinghe, Saman. Host-Based IPS Guards Endpoints. Network World. July\n25, 2005.\n(www.networkworld.com/news/tech/2005/072505techupdate.html).\n■\nBradley,Tony. Host-Based Intrusion Prevention. About.com. (http://netsecu-\nrity.about.com/cs/firewallbooks/a/aa050804.htm).\n■\nHome and Small Office Network Topologies. Microsoft.com.August 2, 2004.\n(www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/plan/topology.mspx)\n■\nTyson, Jeff. How Firewalls Work. (www.howstuffworks.com/firewall.htm).\n■\nUnderstanding Windows Firewall. Microsoft.com.August 4, 2004. (www\nmicrosoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/internet/sp2_wfintro.mspx).\nwww.syngress.com\n84\nChapter 5 • Perimeter Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 112,
            "text": "E-mail Safety\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nThe Evolution of E-mail\n■\nE-mail Security Concerns\nChapter 6\n85\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 113,
            "text": "Introduction\nE-mail is one of the most common tasks performed with a computer. With the\ncapability to deliver messages almost instantly anywhere around the globe, it provides\nspeed and efficiency that can’t be matched by regular postal mail service.\nUnfortunately, as efficient as it is at delivering legitimate messages, electronic\nmail is also quite efficient at distributing malicious software and filling e-mail\ninboxes with unsolicited junk mail.The information in this chapter will help you\nuse e-mail productively and safely.\nIn this chapter, you will learn:\n■\nThe history of e-mail\n■\nPrecautions to take with e-mail file attachments\n■\nHow to use POP3 vs. Web-based e-mail\n■\nHow to avoid and block spam\n■\nHow to protect yourself from e-mail hoaxes and phishing attacks\nThe Evolution of E-mail\nThe concept of e-mail goes back much further than most people would suspect.\nComputer scientists and engineers were using the ARPANET, the precursor of the\nInternet as we know it, to send communications back and forth starting in the \nearly 1970s.\nFrom its origins as a command-line program used by a select few to send a\nhandful of communications back and forth, the concept of e-mail evolved slowly\ninto what we use today.Approximately 20 years passed between the first e-mail\ncommunications and the large-scale, mainstream adoption of e-mail as a method of\ncommunication.\nE-mail Security Concerns\nToday, e-mail is the primary means of business and personal communications for\nmillions of people. Billions of messages are transmitted back and forth across the\nInternet on a daily basis. Unfortunately, according to the MessageLabs Intelligence\n2005 Annual Security Report, almost 70 percent is unsolicited commercial e-mail,\ncommonly referred to as spam, and 1 in every 36 e-mails contains a virus or mal-\nware of some sort.\nwww.syngress.com\n86\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 114,
            "text": "This may not be all that different from your standard postal mailbox. I know that\na good portion of the mail I receive is unsolicited commercial advertisements that I\ngenerally don’t even stop to look at. It may even range between 50 percent and 80\npercent just like spam. But, translating the e-mail statistics to your standard mail\nwould mean that if you received ten pieces of mail on a given day, eight of those\npieces would be commercial junk mail, one of those pieces would contain anthrax\nor some other infectious substance, and one would be a legitimate letter from your\nbrother in Kansas with pictures of your niece from her recent dance recital.\nSpam and malware are most definitely the bane of e-mail communications, but\nwhen you look at the statistics in comparison with the amount of unsolicited mar-\nketing on the radio, on television, or in your standard postal mailbox, spam doesn’t\nseem like quite as big a deal. However, even though malware accounts for a much\nsmaller percentage of the total e-mail volume, it can have a significant impact should\nyour computer become infected. For details on viruses and other malware, see\nChapter 3,“Viruses, Worms, and Other Malware.”\nHandwritten letters are wonderful and have a charm and personal touch that are\ndifficult to mirror in an electronic communication, but the capability to communi-\ncate virtually instantaneously to anyone around the world makes e-mail perfect for\nmany types of communications. Unfortunately, because of its speed and widespread\nuse it has also become the attack vector of choice for spreading malware.Anyone\nusing e-mail is essentially guaranteed to receive spam and malware, so the key is to\nmake sure you take the right precautions to use this communications medium effec-\ntively and safely at the same time.\nOpening Attachments\nWhen e-mail first began as a simple text-only command-line application to\nexchange simple messages between computer engineers it had not occurred to\nanyone that one day billions of messages would be flying around the globe or that a\ngood percentage of those messages would contain a file attachment of some sort.\nWhen the Internet exploded in the early 1990s and e-mail became a mainstream\nform of communication, file attachments soon emerged as a standard part of many\nmessages as well. For personal e-mail, users found it a quick and simple way to share\npictures of grandchildren with parents across the country or the world. For busi-\nnesses it became a competitive advantage to be able to send a business proposal or\nthe latest financial figures as a document or spreadsheet file attachment to an e-mail.\nIt didn’t take long for that competitive advantage to become a business necessity\nand for file attachments to become a requirement for conducting business. Fax\nmachines quickly became glorified paper weights as businesses found e-mail file\nattachments to be faster and more reliable than faxing.\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n87\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 115,
            "text": "For personal e-mail messages, the use of file attachments grew rapidly as well.\nUsers found that they could not only attach graphic images such as photographs, but\ncould attach files such as small movies and documents with jokes, and even share\nentire programs with friends and family.\nIt is an unfortunate fact when it comes to malware and malicious computer\nactivity that often what was intended as a feature can also be exploited and used\nagainst you. If a file attachment can be sent with a program you can click to execute\nand perform some function, there is nothing stopping a malicious developer from\ncreating one that executes and performs a malicious function.\nFor the most part, the success of file attachments as a means of propagating mal-\nware depends on what is called “social engineering.” Basically, the author of the mali-\ncious e-mail has to compel the recipient to open the file attachment in some way.\nOne of the first ways used to persuade recipients to open malicious e-mail\nattachments was by appealing to the user’s curiosity.The Anna Kournikova virus\nclaimed to contain a picture of the photogenic tennis star, but opening the attach-\nment simply infected the computer.\nThis social engineering was quickly followed by disguising the e-mail to\nappear to come from someone the user knows. Ostensibly, a user is more likely to\ntrust a message from his Uncle George or a coworker he eats lunch with than he\nis a message from a complete stranger. Malware developers began by programming\ntheir viruses to send themselves out to the addresses in the address book from the\ne-mail program of the infected computer. Using this method of propagation led to\na fairly high rate of success in ensuring that the infected e-mail went to people\nwho personally knew the owner of the infected computer and would therefore be\nmore likely to trust the message.\nEventually users started to get wise to the idea that even a message from a\ntrusted friend might be suspicious. Some companies educated their users and tried to\ncondition them not to open certain types of file attachments because they might\nexecute a malicious program. But, non-executable programs such as a TXT, or text,\nfiles were considered to be safe.\nThen one day someone received an e-mail from a friend with the Subject line\n“ILoveYou” and a message attachment called “Love-Letter-For-You.txt”… or so\nthey thought. Without stopping to consider the fact that their Windows operating\nsystem was configured not to show known file extensions, therefore the “txt” should\nnot be visible, they double-clicked on the attachment to open it and found them-\nselves infected with the LoveLetter virus.\nIn actuality, the file attachment was called “Love-Letter-For-You.txt.vbs” which\ncapitalized on the Windows “feature” that hides known file extensions and exploited\nthe acceptance of TXT files as being safe. LoveLetter was an excellent example of\nwww.syngress.com\n88\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 116,
            "text": "both social engineering and using “features” for malicious purposes. For details on\nhidden file extensions go to Chapter 1,“Basic Windows Security.”\nAlthough antivirus software is continually updated to detect these new threats as\nthey are created, it is still a reactive form of defense. Malware still gets past antivirus\nsoftware and entices users to execute infected file attachments before the antivirus\nsoftware is updated.To prevent these infections and to try to ensure that users do not\neven have an opportunity to execute malicious attachments, administrators began fil-\ntering certain attachment types regardless of whether they actually contained mali-\ncious code or not.\nThis is one of the most prevalent methods for proactively protecting the net-\nwork from potentially malicious executable file attachments, or file attachments that\nwill run a program or perform commands if they are opened.As the list of blocked\nfile types grows, malware developers simply find some other executable file types to\nspread malware and the cycle continues.\nInitially, this sort of proactive attachment blocking was reserved for corporate\nnetworks with administrators that knew how to build their own custom filters.\nEventually, some e-mail client software began to block potentially malicious attach-\nments as well. Starting with Outlook 2003, Microsoft began to block a lengthy list of\nattachment types that might potentially contain malicious code.\nBlocking file attachments that are known to be executable and therefore may\npose a risk from a security perspective is a move in the right direction, but it too is\nsomewhat reactive.Although it is more proactive to block a given file attachment\ntype by default, most administrators and mail filters don’t add a file type to the list\nof blocked types until after it has been used by some malware. In my opinion, all\nfile attachments should be blocked by default and then the administrator or user\nshould have to designate which types they will allow rather than the other way\naround.\nIt has been a fairly common practice in recent years to block all executable file\nattachments but to allow archive file types, specifically ZIP files from the popular\ncompression program WinZip.The logic was that some users might be tricked\nthrough social engineering to double-click an executable file attachment, but\nsurely if they had to first uncompress the archive file and then double-click the\nexecutable file it contained, that users would have enough sense not to do so\nunless they knew exactly what the file attachment was for and trusted the sender\nof the e-mail message.\nSome administrators even went so far as to block ZIP file attachments unless\nthey were password protected to try to ensure that even users who might fall for\nsocial engineering requiring them to first open a ZIP file before executing the file\nattachment would have to go through the additional step of supplying a password to\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n89\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 117,
            "text": "do so. Surely no user would go so far as to not only execute a file attachment they\nknow nothing about and that came from an untrusted source, but to also first extract\nit from a compressed archive that requires a password.\nTools & Traps…\nFiltering ZIP Files\nStripping file attachments that might be malicious or blocking e-mails containing\npotentially malicious attachments are both good ways to protect your system.\nMany network administrators began to block a variety of attachments by\ndefault and some even added ZIP files to the list of banned file types.\nSome companies were not willing to give up the convenience offered by\nbeing able to send ZIP files though, so they came up with other creative\nworkarounds. \nFor example, files named “file.zip” would be blocked, but files named\n“file.zzip” would not get caught by the filter. By telling employees and business\npartners to use the *.zzip designation, a company could continue to benefit from\nZIP files without remaining vulnerable to malware spread by them.\nWell, early 2004 proved those theories wrong. With a vengeance. New malware\ndubbed Bagel and Netsky hit the Internet. Rather than trying to overwhelm the\nuser with social engineering in the message, they each had exceptionally short, rather\ncryptic messages that simply said things like “the details are in the attachment.” Both\nof these malware threats used ZIP file attachments and yet people still opened the\nZIP file and executed the enclosed attachment and propagated the viruses. In fact,\nsome versions of these threats even used password-protected ZIP files with the pass-\nword included in the body of the message and users still opened the attachments and\nbecame infected.\nAlthough some users have been told for years to never open a file attachment\nunless they not only trust the sender, but also know exactly what the file attachment\nis and why the sender sent it to them, there are a vast number of home users who\nsimply don’t know. It’s like going to the wrong side of town late at night with no\n“street smarts” and no concept of the risks and threats that exist.\nThe “wrong” side of town can be relatively safe as long as you understand the\nrisks and threats and how to avoid them. Using the Internet and e-mail is the same\nway. Getting a new computer and jumping straight onto the Internet without taking\nsome security precautions is like driving without brakes or skydiving without a\nwww.syngress.com\n90\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 118,
            "text": "parachute.As long as there are file attachments though, the bottom line is that the\nresponsibility falls on you, the user, to exercise an appropriate amount of caution and\ncommon sense before choosing to open or execute them.\nWeb-Based versus POP3 E-mail\nMost home users use either a POP3 (Post Office Protocol) e-mail account or Web-\nbased e-mail such as Hotmail or Yahoo. With some ISPs you have the option of\ndoing either. Each type of e-mail has its advantages and security concerns.\nOne of the biggest issues with Web-based e-mail is that it bypasses many secu-\nrity measures designed for e-mail. Corporate networks often have antivirus scanners\nat the e-mail server level designed to catch and block any malicious e-mail before it\ncan get to the end user.There are also typically filters that block file attachments that\nmay contain malicious code as well. When e-mail comes through the Web rather\nthan through the pre-defined channels for e-mail, these security measures are useless.\nAccessing personal e-mail at all, or at least accessing personal e-mail via the Web\non your employer’s network is an activity that should be governed by some sort of\npolicy or procedure.You should check to make sure you aren’t violating any rules by\ndoing so.\nOn a positive note, the larger providers of Web-based e-mail; namely,Yahoo and\nHotmail, now provide virus protection on their e-mail. It does not replace the need\nto run antivirus software on your own computer since e-mail is only one means of\nspreading malware, but it at least significantly reduces the risk of receiving an\ninfected file attachment through Web-based e-mail.\nPOP3 e-mail is the other standard primarily used by home Internet users.\nPrograms like Outlook Express, Eudora, and Netscape Mail are typically used to\ndownload and view e-mail from a POP3 account. When you set up the client soft-\nware you have to supply information such as your username and password and the\nincoming and outgoing mail servers so the software can authenticate your account\nand send and receive e-mail. Rather than simply viewing your e-mail on a Web\npage, the actual messages are transferred from the e-mail server to your computer.\nWhether you use Web-based or POP3 e-mail, there are security concerns you\nshould be aware of. Sending an unencrypted e-mail is the digital equivalent of\nwriting your thoughts on a postcard. Would you write your bank account number,\nsocial security number or other personal and confidential information on a postcard\nto be seen by all as it passes from you to its intended destination? If you wouldn’t\nshare the information in public you shouldn’t send it in an e-mail. E-mail is not\ninherently secure. It is convenient and quick, but not secure.\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n91\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 119,
            "text": "Spoofed Addresses\nOne of the most confusing things about e-mail for many users these days is spoofed\ne-mail addresses. Most people by now have experienced receiving an e-mail infected\nwith some type of malware that appears to be from their cousins, best friends, or\nmothers. But when you contact those people to ask them why they sent you the e-\nmail or to let them know they are distributing infected e-mail, you discover that\nthey never actually sent you the e-mail to begin with.\nMost users have also had the opposite experience as well.You get the e-mail or\nphone call from your friends asking you why you sent them an infected e-mail mes-\nsage. It is also very common to receive an auto-reply from some mail server either\nletting you know that the e-mail you sent contained a virus or worm or that the\nuser you allegedly sent the e-mail to does not exist.\nAll of these are examples of spoofed IP addresses. If I mail a letter to someone I\ncould very easily write any name and address I choose in the return address portion.\nIf I wrote your address in as the return address and the message was undeliverable it\nwould get sent back to you rather than me. It is equally easy to alter or forge the\naddress information on an e-mail.\nUsing Microsoft Outlook you can enter an address in the From field as well as\naltering the Reply To address thereby making it appear that the e-mail came from a\ndifferent source and sending any replies back to that same source. On a corporate\nnetwork it’s not as easy because it will actually check to see if you have permission\nto send on behalf of the address you are trying to send from. However, you can\nsimply invent a non-existent e-mail address, even if it’s on a non-existent domain\nand that information is all the recipient will see.\nWell… almost all the recipient will see. Going back to the postal mail return\naddress example, I may be able to write a return address to make it appear the letter\noriginated from California, but the postmark will bear the mark of the city and state\nof the post office it actually came from. Similarly, each e-mail message contains\ninformation about its true source within the e-mail headers.\nIn Outlook Express you can right-click on an e-mail message and select\nProperties to display information about the message. If you choose the Details tab\nyou can click the button labeled Message Source and review information about\nexactly what server and IP address the message came from.You can view similar\ninformation in Microsoft Outlook by right-clicking the e-mail message and\nselecting Options to look at the Internet Headers.\nIt would help to stop the confusion and stop clogging users’ e-mail inboxes with\nuseless messages if e-mail server antivirus programs were not configured to automati-\ncally reply to the sender. Originally it was a good idea. Rather than just blocking or\nwww.syngress.com\n92\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 120,
            "text": "cleaning the e-mail, a courtesy message was also sent to the originator of the mes-\nsage to inform them they had sent an infected message and that perhaps they needed\nto update their antivirus software or scan their system to make sure they didn’t con-\ntinue propagating the malware.\nFor the past year or more, however, viruses and worms almost always spoof the\nsource e-mail address. Many malware threats scan deep within infected systems to\nfind addresses to propagate to as well as addresses to use in spoofing the source\naddress.They look not only in the standard address book files, but also scan through\ntemporary Internet files and other such data to find e-mail addresses embedded in\nWeb pages.\nThat means that the “courtesy” response to the sender ends up at the wrong\nplace and confuses some innocent user into believing their computer might be\ninfected or wondering how or why they even sent an e-mail to that address in the\nfirst place.\nThe primary thing you need to know when it comes to the source address of an\ne-mail is not to trust it.Almost every part of an e-mail header can be forged with\nenough knowledge; fields like the Sender or From e-mail address and the Reply-To\ne-mail address can be changed simply by typing in a new one with some e-mail\napplications.\nExercise caution and an appropriate amount of common sense before choosing\nto open an e-mail message. Even if it appears to be from your brother, if the Subject\nof the message or the message itself seem suspicious or awkward it is better to err on\nthe side of caution and simply delete it. When you receive a misguided response or\nauto-response to a message that spoofed your e-mail address you should simply\ndelete those as well.\nSpam \nWe have all heard of spam by now. I am not referring to the distinctively flavored\nspiced ham meat product, but the bane of e-mail.The term has some bizarre link\nwith a classic Monty Python skit based on the Hormel meat product and also owes\nits origination to a couple of attorneys from Phoenix,AZ who inundated Internet\nnewsgroups with unsolicited marketing in 1994.As much as Hormel might like\npeople to use some other term for unsolicited junk e-mail messages rather than pro-\nviding a negative connotation to their trademarked meat product name, the term\nspam has stuck.\nVirtually everybody with an e-mail account is accustomed to receiving offers to\nrefinance their home loan; purchase low-priced Vicodin, Viagra, and other pharma-\nceuticals on the Internet; hook up with an alleged blind date; and any number of\nother unsolicited commercial marketing.\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n93\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 121,
            "text": "Most corporations and many e-mail programs now have the capability to filter\ne-mail to try to block spam messages so that you aren’t bothered by them.There are\nalso third-party programs you can use to block spam from getting into your com-\nputer. Personal computer security software products such as Norton Internet\nSecurity Suite or McAfee Internet Security Suite include spam as one of the threats\nthat they protect against.\nLike most of the other security measures we have discussed, such as antivirus\nsoftware and intrusion detection, the filters to block spam messages are also reactive\nto some degree. Many of the spam-filtering applications use a point system to deter-\nmine whether a message is spam or not.They can block source e-mail or IP\naddresses known to distribute spam and can scan the subject and body of incoming\ne-mail messages and look for keywords like “Viagra” or “refinance” that tend to\nappear in spam e-mail messages.The more such keywords appear in a single message,\nthe more likely it is spam and will therefore be blocked.\nSpam filtering can still be somewhat messy, though. Legitimate messages you\nmay want to receive may get filtered or quarantined by your spam-blocking software\nwhile some spam messages will still make it through. Often you can help to “teach”\nthe spam-filtering software by letting it know when it has a false positive or false\nnegative like this.\nThe purveyors of spam continue to come up with new ways to try to trick or cir-\ncumvent spam filters and make sure their message gets to your inbox whether you like\nit or not. One trick is to include a wide range of meaningless words with the spam\nmessage to throw off the point system.The more words there are in the overall mes-\nsage the smaller the percentage of spam trigger words will be so the message will pass\nthe point scale system.The other trick is to use “hacker-speak” in place of real words,\nsubstituting alternate characters that look similar to the proper letters. For instance, you\nwill often see spam messages where “Viagra” is spelled “v1@gr@” or something sim-\nilar. Sometimes other characters might be inserted within the spelling as well like “v-i-\na-g-r-a.”All of these are tricks are designed to get past spam-filtering software.\nOutlook Express does not offer much in the way of spam or junk mail protec-\ntion. It is possible to block mail from a specific sender or an entire domain, but stop-\nping spam by blocking individual senders is like trying to stop water with a net and\nblocking the entire domain to stop spam is like demolishing a house to kill a fly.\nOutlook, at least Outlook 2003, offers significantly better junk mail filtering.The\njunk mail filter is enabled by default, but set to Low to avoid having too many false\npositives and potentially filtering out legitimate messages.As you can see in Figure\n6.1, you can add addresses to one of four junk mail filter lists: Safe Senders, Safe\nRecipients, Blocked Senders, and International. If a message is received from\nsomeone on the Safe Senders list it will be delivered even if it might otherwise have\nwww.syngress.com\n94\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 122,
            "text": "failed the spam filter test.You can also provide an extreme level of security for your\ne-mail by configuring the junk mail filter to allow incoming mail only from\naddresses that are on your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients lists. In effect, rather than\nblacklisting one by one all of the addresses you don’t want to get e-mail from, you\ncreate a much shorter list of only the addresses you do want e-mail from. Outlook’s\nJunk E-mail options enable you to choose how strict to be with identifying junk e-\nmail and what to do with it.\nFigure 6.1 Outlook’s Junk E-mail Options\nIn 2003, the United States Congress passed the CAN-SPAM Act. CAN-SPAM is\na snappy acronym for “Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and\nMarketing.” (Someone in Washington, DC, is probably making a pretty good salary\nfrom our tax dollars to make sure that our laws all have names that fit nicely into\nsome fun code word like CAN-SPAM or the USA-PATRIOT Act, which stands for\n“Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to\nIntercept and Obstruct Terrorism.”) Although the law was created ostensibly to\nreduce or eliminate spam, it actually does as much to legitimize spam as a form of\nmarketing as it does to eliminate it.\nWhat the CAN-SPAM act does do primarily is to provide the rules of engage-\nment, so to speak, for legal marketing via e-mail. CAN-SPAM requires that the pur-\nveyors of spam provide some identifiable means for recipients to opt out of receiving\nany future messages and that no deception is used in transmitting the messages. It\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n95\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 123,
            "text": "requires all e-mail advertising to contain a valid reply-to address, postal mailing\naddress, and a subject line and e-mail headers that are accurate. It provides penalties\nfor any marketer that does not stay within these bounds.\nIn essence, under this law a company can still inundate the Internet with useless\njunk mail and as long as they provide a legitimate reply-to e-mail address and postal\naddress and offer a means for the recipient to opt out of receiving future messages,\nthe responsibility falls on the user to basically unsubscribe from the spam. In Europe,\nthe anti-spam law works in reverse, requiring that the user opt-in or choose to\nreceive the commercial advertising before it can be sent.\nTools & Traps…\nSpam Zombies\nBroadband Internet service provider Comcast has approximately six million sub-\nscribers. Spam zombies within those six million subscribers were found respon-\nsible for sending out over 700 million spam messages per day.\nAlthough some ISPs such as Earthlink have simply blocked traffic from their\ncustomers on port 25, this method may also block some legitimate mail servers\nwithin the network.\nIn 2004, Comcast implemented a slightly different policy. Rather than\nblocking all traffic on port 25, Comcast opted to identify the source addresses\nand secretly send their modem a new configuration file that blocked port 25\ntraffic for them only.\nThere are three glaring issues with trying to legislate spam in this way. First, so-\ncalled legitimate marketers of spam will continue to overwhelm users with spam, just\nensuring that they do so within the bounds of the law. Second, the law can only rea-\nsonably be applied to companies or individuals within the United States even\nthough a vast majority of spam originates from outside of the United States.Third,\ntrying to control an activity through legislation assumes that the parties involved in\nthe activity have any regard for the law in the first place.\nThis last issue is evidenced by the explosion of spam zombies. In 2003, the two\nscourges of e-mail communications, spam and malware, converged as viruses such as\nSobig propagated themselves to unprotected computers and, without alerting the\nowners, millions of computers became spam servers.These Trojan spam servers are\ncommonly referred to as spam “zombies,” e-mail servers that are dead until the\nwww.syngress.com\n96\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 124,
            "text": "attacker who controls the Trojan program calls them to life and begins to use them\nto generate millions of spam messages.\nThese spam zombies enable the less scrupulous purveyors of spam to continue\nsending out hundreds of millions of unsolicited commercial message per day without\nregard for the CAN-SPAM act and with little concern that the messages can be\ntraced back to their true originator. With thousands upon thousands of such com-\npromised machines at their disposal, it also means that these spam pushers have vir-\ntually unlimited processing power and network bandwidth to work with.\nAside from using spam filters or third-party spam-blocking software, there are a\ncouple other things you can do to try to prevent spam from overwhelming your\ninbox. For starters, you should create a separate e-mail account to use for all Internet\nforms, registrations, and such. Whether your address is bought, stolen, or simply used\ninappropriately by the company you gave it to, there is a very good chance that once\nyou start using an e-mail address on the Internet you will see an increase in spam.\nBy using a separate e-mail account for those things and always using the same e-mail\naccount you can narrow down where the spam will go to and keep it out of your\nmain personal e-mail account.\nAnother step you can take is to use the literal word “at” rather than the @\nsymbol when typing your e-mail address in various places. Much of the e-mail\naddress harvesting done on the Web by spam companies is automated. Since an e-\nmail addressed to tony(at)computersecurityfornongeeks.com will not actually work\nit will most likely simply be removed from the spammer’s database. Some sites may\nrequire you to enter a valid e-mail address, but if you can get away with it you\nshould try the word “at” separated with parentheses or dashes or something.\nOf course, the best thing you can do to help control the flood of spam is to\nnever, ever respond to it and never actually purchase anything from a spam message.\nThe cost of advertising in a newspaper or on television can be quite expensive, but\nthe cost of sending out millions of spam e-mails is negligible.As long as even a frac-\ntion of a handful of the millions of people respond and make a purchase, it means\nthat the spam campaign was profitable.As long as spamming works and generates\nprofit for the spammers they will continue spamming.\nHoaxes and Phishing\nIf you have been using e-mail for more than a few weeks, perhaps you have received\nan e-mail message like the following:\nIf you receive an e-mail entitled “Bedtimes” delete it IMMEDIATELY.\nDo not open it. Apparently this one is pretty nasty. It will not only\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n97\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 125,
            "text": "erase everything on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything\non disks within 20 feet of your computer.\nIt demagnetizes the strips on ALL of your credit cards. It repro-\ngrams your ATM access code and screws up the tracking on your\nVCR and uses subspace field harmonics to scratch any CDs you\nattempt to play. It will program your phone auto dial to call only\n900 numbers. This virus will mix antifreeze into your fish tank.\nIT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE \nSHOWERING.\nIt will drink ALL your beer. FOR GOD’S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING??\nIt will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table when you are\nexpecting company! It will replace your shampoo with Nair and\nyour Nair with Rogaine. \nIf the “Bedtimes” message is opened in a Windows 95/98 environ-\nment, it will leave the toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer\nplugged in dangerously close to a full bathtub. \nIt will not only remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses\nand pillows, it will also refill your Skim milk with whole milk. \n******* WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN. \nSend to everyone. \nThe preceding is actually a hoax of a hoax.There is no shortage of hoax e-mail\ntopics, though. Maybe you’ve heard the one about how Bill Gates is beta testing\nsome secret new e-mail tracking program and will pay you for every address you\nforward the message to? Or maybe you got the inside tip about the $200 Nieman\nMarcus cookie recipe?\nAny message that implores you to send it to your entire address book or bad\nluck will befall you and your computer will suffer a catastrophic meltdown is, by\ndefinition, a hoax. Just to make sure we’ve covered all of the bases, here are a few\nmore of the most popular chain letter e-mail hoaxes that you can simply delete and\nsave the rest of us from having to read them yet again:\n■\nThere is no baby food manufacturer issuing checks as a result of a class\naction law suit.\nwww.syngress.com\n98\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 126,
            "text": "■\nDisney is not offering any free vacation for your help in sending their \ne-mail to everyone you know.\n■\nMTV is not offering backstage passes to anyone who forwards the message\nto the most people.\n■\nThere is no kidney theft ring and people are not waking up in a bathtub\nfull of ice with their kidney mysteriously removed.\n■\nThere is no bill pending in Congress to implement a tax on your Internet\nusage.\nThe list goes on and on (and on and on) of hoax e-mail chain letters. Some of\nthem have been traveling the globe for years. Small details may change here and\nthere and then off they go around the Internet again.The majority do no harm\nother than to waste network bandwidth and people’s time. One particularly tena-\ncious one causes some minor damage.\nThe Teddy Bear or JDBGMGR hoax has been around for awhile.The message\ncomes from a friend of a friend to let you know that you may in fact be infected\nwith this dreaded teddy bear virus.There are many variations of the message, but the\ngist of it reads as follows:\nHi, everybody: I just received a message today from one of my\nfriends in my Address Book. Their Address Book had been infected\nby a virus and it was passed on to my computer. My Address Book,\nin turn, has been infected. \nThe virus is called jdbgmgr.exe and it propagates automatically\nthrough Messenger and through the address book. The virus is not\ndetected by McAfee or Norton and it stays dormant for 14 days\nbefore it wipes out the whole system. It can be deleted before it\nerases your computer files. To delete it, you just have to do the fol-\nlowing.\nIt then goes on to let you know exactly where you can find this insidious file.\nLo and behold, there really IS a file there with a teddy bear icon.The catch with\nthis hoax is that the jdbgmgr.exe file with the teddy bear icon is a standard file that\nis installed with many versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, not an\ninfected virus file.\nInevitably, someone will receive this message and feel compelled to share the\ninformation as quickly as possible with everyone they know. One or two of those\npeople will also fall for this hoax and propagate it to their entire address book, and\nso the domino effect continues.\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n99\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 127,
            "text": "Here are some things to look for and some precautions to take to try to keep\nyourself from falling prey to one of these hoaxes and continuing to perpetuate this\ninsanity. First of all, if there are more than ten e-mail addresses in the To: or CC:\nfields you might want to question it. People don’t generally send legitimate messages\nto such a broad range of addresses.\nIf the actual message is five levels down because it’s a forward of a forward of a\nforwarded message, it is most likely some form of hoax or chain letter e-mail. If it\nimplores you to forward it quickly or send it to everyone you know, it is most like a\nhoax or chain letter e-mail. Even if it claims that the information has been authenti-\ncated or validated with a reputable source it does not mean that it has. In fact, the\nsimple statement claiming that it has been verified with a reputable source is reason\nto believe that it has not and also suggests that there is a good likelihood that the\nmessage is a hoax or chain letter e-mail.\nIt is fairly safe to assume that you will never receive a legitimate e-mail message\nthat you actually need to forward to everyone you know. If you ever have any\ndoubts about a message, check it out in one of the many hoax databases like Snopes\n(www.snopes.com) or the About.com Antivirus Hoax Encyclopedia (http://\nantivirus.about.com/library/blenhoax.htm) or at an antivirus vendor Web site like\nMcAfee (http://vil.nai.com/vil/hoaxes.asp). Even if you don’t find it on one of\nthese hoax reference sites, you should send it to your network administrator or the\ntech support or customer service from your ISP rather than to the world as you\nknow it.\nA phishing scam is a different and more malicious form of e-mail scam.\nPhishing, an adaptation of the word “fishing,” involves sending an e-mail out to a\nlarge number of addresses with some bait and seeing how many naïve users you can\nhook.Typically, the goal of a phishing scam is to acquire usernames and passwords to\nfinancial sites such as banking institutions or PayPal in order to get into the accounts\nand remove the money from them.\nPhishing scams are often very sophisticated, with a very professional look and\nfeel designed to mimic the real institution being targeted. In early 2004, the Gartner\nGroup reported a significant spike in phishing scams. By Gartner estimates the\nnumber of people who have been victimized by phishing scams is approaching the\ntwo million mark.\nA phishing scam usually involves creating an elaborate replica of the target com-\npany’s Web site. Past phishing scams have involved companies like Best Buy,AOL,\nEBay, PayPal, and Citigroup.An e-mail is then sent out to millions of users designed\nto look as if it is from the targeted company and using some form of social engi-\nneering to convince the user to click on a link that will take them to the malicious\nreplica site. Users may be asked to enter information such as their username, pass-\nwww.syngress.com\n100\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 128,
            "text": "word, account number, and other personal or confidential information.After the\nattackers have gathered this information, they can then access your account and\nmove or redirect your money to their own account.\nTypically, users end up protected and the company or financial institution takes\nthe loss for any money that victims of the phishing scams might lose.There have\nbeen suggestions though that perhaps users should just know better or have more\ncommon sense and that, in effect, the attacker didn’t “steal” anything because the\nuser volunteered the information and gave them the keys to the vault.\nIt can be very difficult to detect a phishing scam. Both the e-mail bait and the\nreplica Web site are generally very professionally done.The best bet to protect your-\nself is to remember that no reputable company will ask you to give them your user-\nname and password or other confidential and personal information on a Web site.\nUnder no circumstances should you use the link within the e-mail to connect to\nthe company’s Web site. One of the prevailing suggestions for handling phishing\nscams is to tell users that if they receive an e-mail that they are not sure about, they\nshould close the e-mail and visit the company Web site on their own and figure out\nhow to contact customer service for that company for more information.\nThis advice falls a little short though. Not only should you not use the link in\nthe e-mail, but you should completely shut down your e-mail client program and\nclose all Web browser windows.The attacker may have somehow executed a script\nor performed some other malicious magic that might redirect you to a replica site.\nAfter you have completely shut down your e-mail client and closed all browser win-\ndows, you can then open a new browser window and visit the Web site of the com-\npany in question.\nwww.syngress.com\nE-mail Safety • Chapter 6\n101\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 129,
            "text": "Summary\nE-mail is a vital function for most personal computer users.This chapter covered the\ninformation you need to know to understand the risks associated with e-mail and\nhow to protect yourself and your computer from them.\nAfter discussing a brief history of e-mail, we talked about e-mail file attachments\nand how to protect yourself from malicious file attachments. We also covered the\nrisk of POP3 versus Web-based e-mail software.\nYou learned how to filter and block unsolicited e-mails, or spam, and how to\nrecognize e-mail hoax and phishing attack messages and avoid becoming a victim.\nHaving read this chapter, you should be able to recognize the risks associated with e-\nmail and to effectively protect your computer so that you can use e-mail safely.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on e-mail safety:\n■\nHu, Jim.“Comcast takes hard line against spam.” ZDNetnews, June 10, 2004 \n(http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-5230615.html).\n■\nLandesman, Mary. Hoax Encyclopedia. About.com’s Antivirus Software Web\nPage (http://antivirus.about.com/library/blenhoax.htm).\n■\nMcAfee’s Hoax Database (http://vil.nai.com/vil/hoaxes.asp).\n■\nMcAlearney, Shawna.“Dangers of .zip Files.” Techtarget’s Security Wire\nPerspectives, March 4, 2004\n(http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/qna/0,289202,sid14_gci953548,00.\nhtml).\n■\nMessageLabs Intelligence 2005 Annual Security Report\n(www.messagelabs.com/Threat_Watch/Intelligence_Reports/2005_Annual\n_Security_Report).\n■\nSnopes (www.snopes.com).\nwww.syngress.com\n102\nChapter 6 • E-mail Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 130,
            "text": "Web Surfing \nPrivacy and Safety\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nThe Revolutionary World Wide Web\n■\nWeb Security Concerns\nChapter 7\n103\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 131,
            "text": "Introduction\nThroughout history there have been inventions and discoveries that fundamentally\nchanged the world as we know it. From the wheel to the printing press to the light\nbulb to airplanes, inventions have often been turning points in history.\nIn more modern times, the creation of the World Wide Web has proved to be\nsomething of a miracle. In one decade it has transformed the way people work,\nstudy, shop, and play, and within a generation it has changed the way people interact.\nIt has created entire business models, new streams of revenue, and new fields of\nemployment.The Web has made almost every piece of information you could pos-\nsibly want available at the click of a button. While the printing press made it possible\nto mass-produce written works so they could be shared with everyone rather than\nonly an elite few, the Web took the notion a quantum leap farther so that almost\nevery thought that has ever been written can be retrieved in the blink of an eye. In\nshort, the World Wide Web has changed the world. It has created new ways to con-\nduct financial transactions, conduct research, hold an auction, and shop for a car.\nHowever, with the advent of the Web and its conveniences, a new type of crime has\nalso emerged: cybercrime. In this chapter, we’ll discuss security concerns related to\nthe World Wide Web and show you what you can do to protect your computer\nwhile online.\nThe Revolutionary World Wide Web\nThe Web has revolutionized shopping: almost anything can be purchased with a few\nclicks.You can compare prices and review product information from a variety of\nsources, letting you make informed purchasing decisions and ensuring you get the\nbest price possible. Even items that can’t be purchased over the Web per se, such as a\ncar, can still be researched by comparing features, prices, customer feedback, and\nmore before choosing the one that’s right for you.\nThe Web has revolutionized personal finance:You can move money from bank\naccounts to investment accounts and reconcile your checking account.You can pay\nbills without licking envelopes or paying postage.You can do research on companies\nand investment opportunities and buy and sell stocks and mutual funds without a\nbroker.\nThe Web has revolutionized education: children can use it to play educational\ngames at any number of sites.Adults can take college-level courses via the Web and\ncomplete their bachelor’s, master’s, and even doctorate degrees from their computer.\nPeople of all ages can use it for studying and research. What used to take hours\nwww.syngress.com\n104\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 132,
            "text": "pouring through books and magazines at the library can now be done in minutes\nwith a quick search using Google or some other search engine.\nThe Web has also unfortunately revolutionized crime.The Internet and the\nWorld Wide Web have done wonderful things to help bring new services and the\naccess to mountains of information to people. But, just like computer software fea-\ntures that, though helpful to users, can often be used against them, many of the\nWeb’s convenient features and services can be exploited by malicious persons to steal\nusers’ personal information or harm their computers.\nAre You Owned?\nThe Bloomberg Break-In \nOne of the most well-known cases of cyber-extortion occurred in 2000 when two\nhackers from Kazakhstan broke into the Byzantine Bloomberg computer network\nand demanded $200,000 USD in exchange for not damaging or stealing data\nfrom the network.\nThousands of financial institutions and brokers buy and sell billions of dol-\nlars worth of investments each day based on data from Bloomberg’s computer\nsystems. Having this information damaged, stolen, or altered could have been\ncatastrophic.\nWhile Bloomberg could have easily paid the ransom, there would not be any\nguarantee that the attackers wouldn’t harm the network anyway or come back\nasking for more money at a later date. Rather than caving to the demands,\nMichael Bloomberg, the CEO, secretly brought undercover officers from London\nwith him to the meeting where he would hand over the money to the culprits,\nand they arrested the attackers on the spot.\nThis cyber-extortion drama had a happy ending, but it remains a growing\nproblem. In addition, it is difficult to know how often it occurs because many\ncompanies would rather pay the demands and keep any breaches of their com-\nputer network security secret so as not to undermine consumer confidence in\ntheir company.\nFor one thing, the Internet and the World Wide Web have created an entirely\nnew type of extortion: cyber-extortion. By definition, extortion means to use illegal\nforce or intimidation to obtain something. Essentially, to extort someone is to\nthreaten them with dire consequences should the demands of the extortionist not be\nmet. Cyber-extortionists typically contact companies and demand money in\nexchange for not breaking into their networks and causing harm to their data, or\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n105\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 133,
            "text": "exposing or stealing their customers’ personal and confidential information.They\nmay also threaten to launch some sort of Denial-of-Service attack, which would\neffectively render the victim’s network useless for an indefinite period if the\ndemands aren’t met.\nCyber-extortion doesn’t typically directly affect individual users like yourself\nunless your personal and confidential information happens to be part of the data\nstolen from the company. However, certain features of the Web, which were designed\nto make it a richer and more useful medium for users, also provide a means of attack\nif you’re unaware of such weaknesses and don’t exercise caution.These features of\nthe Web include the very languages and tools used to create the information you see\non the Web page.\nHTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the core language used to create\ngraphic Web pages. HTML can be used to define different fonts and sizes of text, as\nwell as to add color and pictures and configure other attributes of the Web page, but\nHTML is also static. In order to provide customized information and interactive\ncontent, many Web sites use ActiveX controls script languages such as JavaScript or\nVBScript.These mini-programs allow the Web page to interact with database infor-\nmation and provide more functionality. However, if the Web site can execute a mini-\nprogram on your computer in order to customize information for you, a malicious\nWeb site might also be able to execute a mini-program on your computer to install a\nTrojan or virus of some sort.\nIn the next sections, we will take a look at some of the security pitfalls of using\nthe Web and how you can get the most out of this great resource without compro-\nmising the security of your computer system.\nWeb Security Concerns\nSo what are the threats you’ll be facing and how do you protect yourself? These\nthreats come in a variety of guises, and over the next few pages we will look at those\nconcerns.\nCookies\nWho doesn’t like cookies? I love all kinds of cookies. I am particularly fond of\nhomemade chocolate chip cookies or some nice warm snickerdoodles. When Girl\nScout Cookie season rolls around I can go broke buying Thin Mints and Tagalongs,\nbut these aren’t the kind of cookies we’re referring to in this chapter so don’t go\ntrying to shove an oatmeal raisin cookie in your CD-ROM drive.The cookies we’re\nreferring to here are of a different and much less enjoyable variety.\nwww.syngress.com\n106\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 134,
            "text": "The basic concept of a Web cookie is not malicious or a security concern in and\nof itself. Basically, a cookie is a simple text file used by a Web server to store infor-\nmation about a user and the user’s activities on a given Web site.The Web server can\nthen retrieve this information to use in customizing future Web pages for that user.\nAside from simply remembering who you are and some of your personal infor-\nmation, cookies help the Web site track how often users visit the site and how long\nthey stay there or what pages they visit so they can work to design the Web site to\nbest meet the needs of their visitors.They can also be used to track information\nwhich can used to target advertising that is more likely to interest you or track\nwhich ads have been shown to you already.\nIf you’ve ever registered with the online retail site Amazon.com, you may have\nnoticed that not only does the site greet you personally upon each return visit, but it\nremembers items you’ve shown interest in or purchased in the past and makes rec-\nommendations of other items you might like based on your previous activity on the\nsite. It does this through the use of Web cookies.\nCookies are simple text files; they can’t actually do anything, malicious or other-\nwise.They can’t contain malware or spyware.They can’t access your hard drive or\ncompromise your security.The only data that can be passed from a Web server to a\ncookie is the name of the cookie, the value of the cookie, the path or domain that\nthe cookie is valid for, the expiration date of the cookie and whether or not the\ncookie requires a secure connection.As such, cookies pose no real security risk.\nThe main threat from cookies is to your privacy more than your security.You\nshould remember that Web sites and cookies have no way of getting your personal\ninformation except by you giving it to them. Many Web sites request that users reg-\nister for free accounts or provide basic information about themselves before being\nallowed to use the site. Generally this is because the information and resources on\nthe site are only free because the site is funded by advertising and the advertisers\nneed to know the demographic makeup of the site’s visitors so they know whether\nor not advertising on that site will be worthwhile. It is up to you though to make\nsure you’re comfortable with the privacy policies of the Web site in question and to\nexercise caution with what sites you choose to provide your information to.\nThere are a couple different kinds of cookies: session cookies and persistent\ncookies.A session cookie, as its name implies, exists only for the given Web session.\nSession cookies are removed from your computer once you close the browser\nwindow.The next time you visit that same site it will not retain any information\nabout you or be able to access the information from the previous cookie.\nA persistent cookie on the other hand remains on your hard drive until it\nexpires or until you delete it. Cookies like those used on Amazon.com are persistent\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n107\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 135,
            "text": "cookies.They help the site to remember you and your preferences and to customize\nthe information on the site to fit you.\nIt is possible to control how your Web browser handles cookies or if cookies are\nallowed at all. In Internet Explorer, you can click Tools on the menu bar and choose\nInternet Options and then click the Privacy tab.There are six levels to choose from,\nranging from Accept All Cookies to Block All Cookies and varying levels in\nbetween (see Figure 7.1).\nFigure 7.1 Internet Privacy Options\nSome personal firewall products also include functionality to protect your pri-\nvacy while you surf the Web, including restricting cookies. While the base version of\nZoneAlarm that is available for free does not have cookie filtering or blocking\nability, ZoneAlarm Pro allows you to choose how cookies are handled.You can\nselect whether or not to block session cookies or persistent cookies as well as\nwhether or not to allow third-party cookies. It also lets you remove private header\ninformation which prevents sites from seeing information such as your IP address or\nyour computer name or user account login name.You can also choose to override\nthe expiration time frame on persistent cookies and set them to expire when you\nchoose (see Figure 7.2).\nwww.syngress.com\n108\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 136,
            "text": "Figure 7.2 Custom Privacy Settings\nIf you’re concerned about privacy, it may sound logical enough to simply set\nyour Internet Explorer to Block All Cookies and call it a day. Depending on how\nyou use the Web and the types of sites you visit, this sort of blanket approach may\ncause more heartache than its worth. Many retail Web sites such as BestBuy.com,\nHomeDepot.com, or Target.com require cookies in order to provide you customized\ninformation about what is available at stores in your area. If you block all cookies,\nthese sites simply won’t work.\nInternet Explorer does offer the ability to control cookies on a site-by-site basis\nas well (see Figure 7.3). Even if your cookie settings are set to block all cookies, you\ncan click the Sites button at the bottom of the Internet Options Privacy tab. Here\nyou can override your default cookie restrictions and add domain names to set\nInternet Explorer to Always Allow or Always Block cookies from a particular\ndomain.\nPrivacy and Anonymous Surfing\nPrivacy is a very big issue for some people. It certainly seems you should at least\nhave the right to choose what companies, entities, or individuals get to see your per-\nsonal and confidential information.\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n109\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 137,
            "text": "Figure 7.3 Site-by-Site Cookie Control\nUnfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case and hasn’t been the case for a\nvery long time. Companies of all sorts collect reams of data on you. It’s not that\nthey’re trying to spy on you per se, but data has become a commodity of sorts and\nit’s better to have too much than too little as a general rule.\nIt seems that you can’t make a purchase these days without someone asking for\nyour Zip code, phone number, or e-mail address. Why a retail electronics chain\nwould need my life story and a DNA sample from my firstborn to sell me a 9-volt\nbattery is still an enigma to me. I get enough telemarketing calls and spam e-mails as\nit is without passing my information out at every transaction I make.\nWhen you make a purchase on your credit card or get cash from an ATM\nmachine there is a computer record somewhere marking the date and time you were\nat that location. Grocery stores have discount clubs with special discounts for mem-\nbers which are primarily a façade for gathering demographic information on their\ncustomers and tracking the items they buy for marketing efforts.\nServices like the Onstar service offered by General Motors in their vehicles can\nhelp you unlock the doors when you leave your keys in the car or summon emer-\ngency help if your vehicle is involved in an accident. It also means that there is\nsomeone out there tracking the exact location of your vehicle at any given moment.\nJust by putting together the pieces of the electronic trail left by people, you can\noften completely reconstruct their day. Starting from the credit card purchase at\nStarbucks in the morning, to the cell phone call placed from the dry cleaner, and the\nwww.syngress.com\n110\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 138,
            "text": "gasoline purchased with a credit card on the way to work, straight on through to\npaying for the pizza delivery on a credit card, you can tell where someone was, what\nthey did and what they ate throughout the day.\nNone of this data collection is meant to encroach on your privacy. It is all a\ntrade-off of convenience and security for privacy and anonymity. It’s convenient to\npay by credit card rather than carrying cash. It’s convenient to be able to place a\nphone call virtually any time and any place.There is safety in knowing that even if\nyou are knocked unconscious in a car accident that someone out there will get an\nalert and dispatch emergency services to your exact location.\nA lot of the data collected though does nothing for your safety, security, or con-\nvenience.Those inquisitive cashiers asking for your Zip code and those retail dis-\ncount clubs tracking your purchases are not for your benefit.The information\ngathered is used for marketing primarily.Almost universally (there might be some\nless scrupulous company out there that doesn’t fit this mold) this information is not\ntied to any personally identifying information.\nBy collecting data about how many people from a certain Zip code frequent a\ngiven store location, the company can choose how to target its marketing efforts for\nmaximum effectiveness.The more data that can be gathered, the more targeted the\nmarketing can be. By tracking purchasing habits it is possible to correlate informa-\ntion to determine that certain age groups or ethnicities or genders are more likely to\npurchase a given product or service which allows the company to make the best\npossible use of their advertising dollars.\nThis is the same sort of information gathering that goes on while you surf the\nWeb.There is a great deal of seemingly innocuous information about you that can\nbe extracted from the network traffic coming from your computer. When you visit a\nWeb site, it is possible for them in many cases to determine your IP address, your\ncity, state, and country, what Web browser you are using, how many Web pages you\nhave visited since opening the browser window, what Web page you came from to\nget to the page you are on and even read any information that might be sitting in\nyour Clipboard from the last cut-and-paste operation you performed.\nIn most cases, this information is harmless.The Web sites that track or collect\nthis data generally do it for the demographic and marketing reasons cited earlier. If\nthey know that the majority of their visitors use Internet Explorer, they can opti-\nmize their Web pages for that browser. If a company sees that most of their visitors\ncome from a specific region of the country or the world, they can use that informa-\ntion to target their marketing efforts.\nFor some, this may not seem like a big deal, but if the legitimate sites can\nretrieve this information from your computer, so can the malicious sites. Being able\nto determine your IP address and the Web browser you use is enough information\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n111\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 139,
            "text": "to get an attacker started.They know what address to target and they can research\nvulnerabilities of the browser being used to find holes they might be able to exploit.\nIf you have copied a credit card number, password, or any other confidential infor-\nmation into your Clipboard, that information may be accessible to an attacker as\nwell.\nSome of this information can be blocked or removed fairly easily. By using a\nDSL/cable modem home router that does NAT (Network Address Translation), you\ncan protect the IP addresses of the individual computers on your network. It will\nstill be possible to find the IP address of the router’s Internet connection, but not to\nidentify the individual computers connected to the router. Other personal informa-\ntion is more difficult to block or remove and may require the use of third-party\nproducts such as ZoneAlarm Pro or Anonymizer.\nZone Labs states that ZoneAlarm Pro strips or removes your personally identi-\nfying information from the packet headers before they leave your computer.\nAnonymizer is more a service than a product. With Anonymizer, all of your Web\naccess is redirected through Anonymizer servers that hide and protect your identity\nfrom the Web servers you are accessing.Anonymizer prevents those Web servers\nfrom interacting directly with your computer.\nIn many cases, having this information available is not harmful in any way, but if\nprivacy is a primary concern of yours, using a product like the two just mentioned\nwill help ensure your personal information is kept personal.\nGetting in the Zone\nI’ve mentioned a few times the fact that it is often a program feature designed to\nmake things more convenient or add functionality for the user that is exploited and\nused against the user. When it comes to surfing the Web, active scripting falls into\nthis category.\nActive scripting is a general term which refers to the ability to include a script,\nor short program, within a Web page that can perform functions or gather informa-\ntion to make the Web page dynamic and “active.” Whether it is simple information\n(like inserting the current date and time on a Web page) or more complicated (such\nas customizing data on the Web page to fit you personally), these small programs\nmake the Web truly functional rather than simply a repository of static information.\nIn the following example, document.write is used to load a control \ndynamically.\n<!-- HTML File -->\n<html>\n<body leftmargin=0 topmargin=0 scroll=no>\nwww.syngress.com\n112\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 140,
            "text": "<script src=\"sample.js\"></script>\n</body>\n</html>\n// docwrite.js\ndocument.write('<object classid=\"clsid:6BF52A52-394A-11d3-B153-\n00C04F79FAA6\">');\ndocument.write('<param name=\"URL\" value=\"sample2.wmv\">');\ndocument.write('<param name=\"autoStart\" value=\"-1\"></object>');\nBy its very nature, though, an active script program is able to interact with your\ncomputer. When you visit a Web site and allow an active script to execute, you don’t\nnecessarily know if it will just retrieve the current date and time from your com-\nputer so it can display it on the Web page, or if it will write a virus to your com-\nputer or completely erase your hard drive.\nOne way of providing at least some protection against this sort of malicious\nactivity is to make sure your User Account does not have administrative privileges.\nOften, the attack can only perform actions that the current User Account has the\nauthority to do.\nA more effective way is to simply disable the ability for active scripting or\nActiveX controls to run on your computer.This solution has a serious drawback\nthough.There are sites that require active scripting functionality in order to operate.\nInternet Explorer uses the concept of “security zones” to let you segregate Web sites\nand apply a different set of rules to one group than you do to the other.\nTo get to the security zones configuration, click the Tools menu option in\nInternet Explorer and select the Internet Options. Once the Internet Options\nwindow is open, select the Security tab.This window displays the four Internet\nExplorer Security Zones across the top: Internet, Local Intranet,Trusted Sites, and\nRestricted Sites (see Figure 7.4).\nEach of the zones can be configured using one of the four predefined rule sets\nin Internet Explorer, or you can create custom security configurations. By default,\nthe Restricted Sites zone is configured for High security, the Internet zone is\nMedium, the Local Intranet zone is Medium-Low, and the Trusted Sites zone is set\nfor Low.\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n113\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 141,
            "text": "Figure 7.4 Choose Your Security Levels\nMost of the sites you’ll visit will fall under the restrictions of the Internet zone.\nUnless a Web site exists on your local network or has been explicitly placed by you\ninto the Trusted Sites or Restricted Sites zones it is part of the Internet zone by\ndefault. If you find a site you know is safe and that needs lower restrictions, you can\nadd it to the Trusted Sites zone. Conversely, if you encounter a site which you deter-\nmine to be malicious in some way, you can add it to the Restricted Sites zone to\nprotect yourself from it.Any sites that are on your local network fall into the Local\nIntranet zone.\nIf you don’t like the predefined rule sets or just find you need more security or\nfewer restrictions, you can customize the security zones as you see fit.You simply\nselect the zone you wish to configure from the four options at the top and then\nclick the Custom Level button. From this screen, you can configure just about\nevery aspect of how Internet Explorer interacts with Web pages and what sort of\nactions are allowed to occur or not to occur (see Figure 7.5).\nwww.syngress.com\n114\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 142,
            "text": "Figure 7.5 Customize Your Security Settings\nYou can choose whether or not to allow various types of active scripting.You\ncan either disable them entirely, enable them entirely, or choose to be asked each\ntime one occurs so that you can decide on a case-by-case basis whether to allow it\nor not.You can select how to handle file downloading from Web sites, whether or\nnot a Web site can open other browser windows, and a variety of other settings.\nFor the most part, the predefined rule sets will suffice, but for added safety you\nmay want to customize the Internet zone and the active scripting options to Disable\nor to Prompt so that you can protect yourself from malicious scripts or at least be\naware when they are attempting to run.\nThe Security Zones in Internet Explorer are a fairly effective way of letting you\nprotect yourself from unknown Web sites without having to disable functionality on\nthe sites that you trust. One caveat though is that there have been occasional vulner-\nabilities which have allowed a malicious Web site to bypass the Security Zones or\nperform functions under the context of a different Security Zone than the one they\nwere in, so you still need to beware.\nSo you now have the means of protecting yourself from unknown Web sites, but\nhow do you know a site is what it says it is? That very question is discussed in the\nnext section.\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n115\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 143,
            "text": "Shopping Safely: SSL and Certificates\nMy first and best advice when it comes to shopping on the Web is the old Latin\nmaxim caveat emptor—Let the buyer beware. I don’t mean to scare you away from\ndoing business on the Internet. I do most of my purchasing, banking, and other\nfinancial transactions on the Web. But, like most things having to do with the Web\nand computer security, you have to know a few things and take some basic precau-\ntions in order to make it a safe endeavor.\nWhen you go shopping at an actual retail store and make your purchase with\nyour credit card, you obviously know that you are doing business with the store you\nare standing in. It’s a little trickier on the Web. Just because it looks like the Web site\nfor the store or company you want to do business with doesn’t mean it actually is.\nStores have no way of proving you are who you say you are, though.They don’t\nwant to get left with a bad check or a fraudulent credit card purchase because they\ndon’t make money that way. Instead, they rely on a third party, preferably a trusted\nthird party, to prove that you are you. In many cases (if they are doing their jobs), the\nretail clerks will ask to see some form of identification in order to validate that you\nare the actual owner of the credit card and to match the signatures. Usually the\nidentification is a driver’s license or some other form of identification that also has a\nphoto so they can see that you also look like who you say you are.\nWhen you are shopping on the Web, this sort of “prove you are who you say\nyou are” goes the other way. Because anyone can buy a domain name and set up a\nWeb site, and because attackers can sometimes intercept or redirect your attempts to\nconnect with a Web site, you need some way of proving that the Web site is legiti-\nmate.Typically, this is done using a digital certificate from a trusted third party. In\nessence, a company that issues digital certificates vouches for the Web site.\nWhen you try to purchase a digital certificate from companies such as Verisign,\nComodo, or Thawte, you are not issued one until you provide proof that authenti-\ncates who you are.As consumers, we might be suspicious of whether the site is legit-\nimate, but we accept the “word” of these third parties when we accept the digital\ncertificate.\nThe major Web browsers today, such as Internet Explorer and Netscape, have the\ncapability to use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) inherently. SSL is a protocol which not\nonly provides a means for authenticating the Web server but also encrypts the data\nbetween your Web browser and the Web server, as well as checks the traffic to\nensure it is not tampered with in any way.\nIf a Web server has a valid digital certificate, your Web browser will automati-\ncally connect using an SSL session. If your session is secured via SSL, you will see a\nlocked padlock icon at the bottom of your Web browser window. If the Web server\nwww.syngress.com\n116\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 144,
            "text": "has no digital certificate, your Web browser will establish a normal insecure connec-\ntion. However, if the Web server has an invalid or expired digital certificate, or if the\ncertificate was issued from a source that your Web browser is not configured to trust,\nyou will typically receive some sort of alert or warning which will allow you to\nchoose whether or not you want to accept or trust that certificate (see Figure 7.6).\nUnless you are very sure, not only that the company that owns the Web site is a rep-\nutable company, but that this is truly their Web server and not a malicious replica,\nyou should not accept the certificate.\nFigure 7.6 Accept or Don’t Accept the Certificate\nThere are some caveats even for a seemingly secure SSL connection. SSL relies\non keys.The encryption of the data flowing from the Web server to your Web\nbrowser is done using the Web server’s private key. Many Web servers store the pri-\nvate key in an area that can be accessed by an attacker. If an attacker obtains the pri-\nvate key of a Web server, they can create a spoof replica site and you would be\nunable to detect it because the digital certificate would match.They also would be\nable to decode any traffic going to and from that site.\nAnother thing to consider is that a malicious Web site might have a valid certifi-\ncate from a trusted third party as well.Your Web browser will establish the SSL con-\nnection and display the locked padlock icon, but that just tells you that you have an\nSSL connection established and that your communications with the Web server are\nencrypted. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the Web server is safe, so you still need to\nexercise the caveat emptor idea and make sure you know who you’re connecting to.\nFinancial Transactions\nI have been using financial software such as Intuit’s Quicken to track my bank\naccounts and personal finances pretty much since I have had finances. Initially, it was\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n117\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 145,
            "text": "a great tool but still required a lot more manual effort. I had to enter my transactions\nout of my checkbook each time I took money from an ATM machine.At the end of\neach month when my statement would come, I would have to go back line by line\nto compare the statement to my computer data and make sure they matched exactly.\nIn recent years, though, more and more banks have gone digital. I can now view\nmy accounts virtually in real time to see how much money is currently in each\naccount as well as what transactions have cleared. I can download all of that informa-\ntion straight into my personal finance software with a single click and reconcile the\ndata on my computer with the information from the bank as I go. I can move\nmoney from one account to another with a few clicks of the mouse.\nThe same digital revolution has occurred with personal investing. Investment\nsites such as E*Trade and Ameritrade popped up on the Web and soon the tradi-\ntional brick-and-mortar investment companies like Charles Schwab and Salomon\nSmith Barney began to establish a presence online as well.\nWhen you establish an account with one of these investment companies, you\nhave many of the same abilities you have with an online bank account.You can view\nyour portfolio of investments and buy or trade stocks, bonds, and mutual funds with\na few clicks.These sites also offer a wealth of investment research and resources to\nhelp you analyze the various investments and find the ones that work best for your\nportfolio.\nVirtually every type of company you transact money with is now available\nonline. In many cases, you can pay your mortgage payment, car payment, electric\nbill, gas bill, phone bill, cable bill, and just about any other bill online directly at the\ncompany’s Web site. Even in cases where the actual company you are conducting\nbusiness with isn’t available online, many banks offer you the ability to pay your bills\nonline directly from the bank Web site as well.\nAll of these services are tremendously convenient. Without leaving your chair\nyou can move money from your checking account to your savings account and rec-\noncile your bank accounts with your personal finance software.You can sell a few\nshares of stock and buy a few shares of mutual funds and then pay all your bills\nwithout writing a single check or licking a single envelope or stamp.Thousands of\ndollars whiz back and forth digitally across the Internet in the blink of an eye. Of\ncourse, there are security concerns you should be aware of and certain precautions\nyou should take.\nIn the case of online banking, investing, and bill paying, the security concerns\nand precautions are pretty much the same as for online shopping.You need to be\nsure the Web site you’re visiting is secure. Banks, investment companies, and other\ncompanies that transact money over the Web should have valid digital certificates\nfrom a trusted third party.You should check for the locked padlock icon on your\nwww.syngress.com\n118\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 146,
            "text": "Web browser before conducting any business because that lets you know that the\ndata you send to the Web server is secure.\nMost of these Web sites use a unique username and password to authenticate\nusers.The SSL connection and digital certificate are your way of knowing you are\ntalking securely with the correct server.The username and password are the Web\nserver’s way of proving that the person accessing the account has the authority to do\nso. It is important that you choose a good, strong password and that you keep that\nusername and password secure.Anyone who acquires your username and password\nwill be able to access your account and perform any of the same financial transac-\ntions you can perform.You should also use a different username and a different pass-\nword for each site so if your information from one site is compromised, an attacker\nwon’t have access to all of your accounts. For more details on using passwords, see\nChapter 2.\nAnother serious security concern when it comes to using financial Web sites is\nthe dramatic rise in phishing scams. It is very important to understand that no rep-\nutable company will ask you for your username and password, account number,\ncredit card number, or any other confidential information through e-mail. If you do\nget an e-mail that claims to be from a financial institution that you do in fact have\nan account with, you should either contact their customer service by phone or close\nyour e-mail software and all open Web browser windows and then open a new\nbrowser window to visit their site. Never click a link in an e-mail to visit a financial\nWeb site. For more details on e-mail phishing, see Chapter 6.\nSo your financial information is safe. But how about your children?\nContent Filtering and Childproofing\nThe Web is a valuable resource and it can be both entertaining and educational.\nAlmost any piece of information on any subject is available somewhere on the Web\nif you just know how to look for it.The Web also has a lot of sites of a questionable\nnature.There are porn sites, sites that push violence or hatred of one sort or another,\nand malicious sites that will attempt to infect your computer with a virus or com-\npromise your security by installing a Trojan of some sort.\nIf you stick to visiting well-known, brand-name sites like cnn.com, espn.com,\ndisney.com, bestbuy.com, and so on, you can be fairly sure you won’t run into these\nquestionable or malicious sites. But, if you start trying to find information using a\nsearch engine like Google or Yahoo, there is no guarantee that the sites that come up\non your search will be as clean.\nChildren seem to be at a higher risk of accidentally landing on sites like these.As\na rule they use the Internet and the Web differently than adults. Sites that children\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n119\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 147,
            "text": "tend to frequent more often, such as gaming sites and music sites, seem to have a\nmuch higher chance of leading to unscrupulous sites.\nIf you somehow access a distasteful or inappropriate Web site, you can simply\nignore it and shut down the browser window or visit another site. With children\nthough, it is important that such sites not be allowed to be displayed in the first\nplace.You need some means of blocking these sites and shielding your children so\nthat they can use the Web safely.\nA variety of products are available to filter the Web content before it’s allowed to\nbe displayed on your screen. Some products are available for free, such as the content\nfilter software available at we-blocker.com, while commercial products to filter Web\ncontent include such items as Net Nanny.\nThese products generally work in one of two ways. Some will maintain a\ndatabase of Web sites that are known to fall into the various categories you might\nwant to block. It will then block access to any Web sites that are in its database based\non how you configure the content filter.The other method is to actually examine\nthe Web content in real time and search for key words or phrases or other clues that\nthe site should be blocked. Some products may use a combination of these two\nmethods.\nRegardless of which content filtering product you choose it will be up to you to\nconfigure it how you wish. Some people may want significantly more or less restric-\ntions than others.You should also ensure that the software cannot be disabled or\nbypassed in any way by your children. Usually there is a password required to access\nthe master or parent account and other users will not be able to configure or disable\nthe software.\nIf you are still unsure of what your children are doing on the computer or you\nwant a little extra assurance you can install a monitoring program such as Spector\nPro. Spector Pro from Spectorsoft records all e-mail, instant message chatting,\nkeystrokes typed, Web sites visited, programs used, and peer-to-peer network files\naccessed.Additionally it will block access to Internet Web sites based on your con-\nfiguration just like the content monitoring programs mentioned above.You can also\nconfigure Spector Pro to send an e-mail message to you instantly if the computer is\nbeing used in some inappropriate manner, and you can install it in such a way that\nother users— namely, the children using the computer—are not even aware that the\nsoftware exists.\nA good percentage of your time on your personal computer will probably be\nspent surfing the Web for one reason or another.There is a seemingly endless supply\nof news, information, advice, entertainment and education on the Web. If you exer-\ncise these basic precautions and use some old-fashioned common sense you can\nenjoy this vast resource safely and securely.\nwww.syngress.com\n120\nChapter 7 • Web Surfing Privacy and Safety\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 148,
            "text": "Summary\nSo, in this chapter you have learned that while the Web has made advancements pos-\nsible in online shopping, personal finance, education, and of personal communica-\ntion, there are dangers lurking out there for the unaware and unprotected.There are\nways, however, to protect one’s self and with a little effort you can defend yourself\nand your family from those dangers.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on Web surfing privacy and\nsafety:\n■\nDo Cookies Compromise Security? Webopedia.com\n(www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2002/Cookies.asp).\n■\nMoulds, Richard. Whose Site is it Anyway? Help Net Security. March 29,\n2004 (www.net-security.org/article.php?id=669).\n■\nSafe Internet.Anonymous Surfing and Privacy. Settings Internet Explorer 6.0.\nHome.zonenet.com\n(www.home.zonnet.nl/roberthoenselaar/a)SettingsInternetExplorer.html).\n■\nSalkever,Alex.“Cyber-Extortion: When Data Is Held Hostage.”\nBusinessWeek Online.August 22, 2000\n(www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/aug2000/nf20000822_308.htm).\n■\nThe All-New Netscape Browser 8.12. Netscape.com\n(http://wp.netscape.com/security/techbriefs/servercerts/index.html).\n■\nWeiss,Todd.“New Explorer 6 Active Scripting Flaw Reported.”\nComputerworld. November 26, 2003 (www.computerworld.com/security-\ntopics/security/holes/story/0,10801,87582,00.html).\nwww.syngress.com\nWeb Surfing Privacy and Safety • Chapter 7\n121\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 149,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 150,
            "text": "Wireless \nNetwork Security\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nThe Basics of Wireless Networks\n■\nBasic Wireless Network Security Measures\n■\nAdditional Hotspot Security Measures\nChapter 8\n123\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 151,
            "text": "Introduction\nI have a wireless network in my home. I am no “Mr. Fix-it” when it comes to home\nprojects, so when I had to figure out how to run network cable from the router in\nthe kitchen to my kids’ rooms, going through walls and floors and around cinder\nblocks, I sprang for the wireless equipment instead.At first, it was primarily so that I\ncould use my laptop from any room in the house, but as time went by we eventually\nswitched almost every computer in the house to a wireless connection.\nWireless networks provide a great deal of convenience and flexibility, and are rel-\natively easy to set up.Actually, they may be too easy to set up. Some pieces of wire-\nless equipment are almost plug-and-play devices, which might explain why so many\npeople don’t read the manual or do their homework to figure out how to secure the\nnetwork airwaves.\nI took my laptop out with me today to work on this book. I had no particular\nneed for a network connection since I was just using my word processor on my\ncomputer, but as I drove through the subdivision I watched as my wireless network\nadapter detected network after network completely insecure and announcing their\npresence to the world. Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm rather than the\nexception.\nThis chapter will take a look at wireless network security from two perspectives,\nand the steps you must take to use it securely in both. We will start with a brief\noverview of the wireless protocols and technology, and then look at what’s required\nto secure your own home wireless network to keep unauthorized users out of your\nnetwork. Lastly, we will examine the security precautions you should take to securely\nuse a public wireless network.\nThe Basics of Wireless Networks\nThink about how a wireless network affects the security of your network and your\ncomputers. When you have a wired network, you have only one way in more or\nless. If you put a firewall on the network cable between your computers and the\npublic Internet, your computers are shielded from most unauthorized access.The\nfirewall acts as a traffic cop, limiting and restricting access into your network through\nthat single access point. Now you throw a wireless device on your network. It\ndoesn’t matter if it’s one computer with a wireless network adapter or a wireless\nrouter or access point, the results are the same: you are now broadcasting data\nthrough the air.Your “access point” is now all around you. Rather than a single point\nof access that can be easily protected, your access point is now three dimensional, all\nwww.syngress.com\n124\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 152,
            "text": "around you, at various ranges, from the next room to the house next door to the\nroadside in front of your home.\nAre You Owned?\nWardriving\nThe practice of cruising around in search of available wireless networks is known\nas “wardriving.” The term derives from a similar activity to search for available\nmodem connections by “wardialing,” or automatically dialing phone numbers to\nidentify which ones result in a dial-up modem connection.\nArmed with a wireless device and antenna, wardrivers patrol city streets and\nneighborhoods and catalog the wireless networks they discover. Some sophisti-\ncated wardrivers also tie their wireless network discovery to a GPS to identify the\nexact coordinates of each wireless network. \nFor years, a group dedicated to demonstrating how insecure most wireless\nnetworks are and increasing awareness of wireless network security issues has\norganized something called the WorldWide WarDrive (WWWD). After four years,\nthey have decided that the WWWD has done all it can to raise awareness and\nhave moved on to other projects, but their efforts helped to spotlight the issues\nwith insecure wireless networks.\nFor more information about wardriving and wireless network security in\ngeneral, you can check out the book WarDriving and Wireless Penetration\nTesting.\nWireless equipment often boasts of ranges over 1,000 feet.The reality is that\nunless there are no obstructions, the temperature is above 75 and less than 78, the\nmoon is in retrograde and it’s the third Tuesday of the month, the range will be\nmore like 100 feet. But if your wireless data can make it the 75 feet from your wire-\nless router in the basement to where you are checking your e-mail while watching a\nbaseball game as you sit on the couch in your living room, it can also make it the 60\nfeet over to your neighbor’s house or the 45 feet out to the curb in front of your\nhome.Although standard off-the-shelf equipment doesn’t generally have tremendous\nrange, the wardrivers, a term used to describe actively scouting areas specifically\nlooking for insecure wireless networks to connect to, have homegrown super\nantennas made with Pringles cans and common household items from their garage\nthat can help them detect your wireless network from a much greater range.\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n125\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 153,
            "text": "It is important that you take the time to understand the security features of your\nwireless equipment and make sure you take the appropriate steps to secure your net-\nwork so that unauthorized users can’t just jump onto your connection. Not only are\nyour own computers exposed to hacking if an attacker can join your network, but\nthey may initiate attacks or other malicious activity from your Internet connection\nwhich might have the local police or the FBI knocking on your door to ask some\nquestions.\nA wireless network uses radio or microwave frequencies to transmit data through\nthe air. Without the need for cables, it is very convenient and offers the flexibility for\nyou to put a computer in any room you choose without having to wire network\nconnections. It also offers you the ability to roam through your home freely without\nlosing your network connection.\nIn order to connect to the Internet, you will still need a standard connection\nwith an ISP. Whether you use dial-up or a broadband connection like DSL or a\ncable modem, the data has to get to you some way before you can beam it into the\nair.Typically, you would connect your DSL or cable modem to a wireless router and\nfrom there the data is sent out into the airwaves. If you already have a wired router\non your network and want to add wireless networking, you can attach a wireless\naccess point to your router.Any computers that you wish to connect to the wireless\nnetwork will need to have a wireless network adapter that uses a wireless protocol\ncompatible with your router or access point.\nA variety of wireless network protocols are currently in use.The most common\nequipment for home users tends to be either 802.11b or 802.11g with 802.11a\nequipment coming in a distant third.The most common protocol, particularly for\nhome users, has been 802.11b; however, 802.11g is becoming the default standard\nbecause of its increased speed and compatibility with existing 802.11b networks.The\nfollowing is a brief overview of the different protocols:\n802.11b\nWireless network equipment built on the 802.11b protocol was the first to really\ntake off commercially. 802.11b offers transmission speeds up to 11 mbps, which\ncompares favorably with standard Ethernet networks—plus, the equipment is rela-\ntively inexpensive. One problem for this protocol is that it uses the unregulated\n2.4GHz frequency range, which is also used by many other common household\nitems such as cordless phones and baby monitors. Interference from other home\nelectronics devices may degrade or prevent a wireless connection.\nwww.syngress.com\n126\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 154,
            "text": "802.11a\nThe 802.11a protocol uses a regulated 5GHz frequency range, which is one con-\ntributing factor for why 802.11a wireless equipment is significantly more expensive\nthan its counterparts. 802.11a offers the advantage of transmission speeds of up to 54\nmbps; however, the increased speed comes with a much shorter range and more dif-\nficulty traversing obstructions, such as walls, due to the higher frequency range.\n802.11g\nThe 802.11g protocol has emerged as the new standard at this time. It combines the\nbest aspects of both 802.11b and 802.11a. It has the increased transmission speed of\n54 mbps like 802.11a, but uses the unregulated 2.4GHz frequency range, which\ngives it more range and a greater ability to go through walls and floors, and also\nhelps keep the cost of the equipment down. 802.11g is also backwards-compatible\nwith 802.11b, so computers with 802.11b wireless network adapters are still able to\nconnect with 802.11g routers or access points.\nNext-Generation Protocols\nWireless networking is relatively new and constantly evolving.A number of new\nprotocols are currently being developed by the wireless industry, such as WiMax,\n802.16e, 802.11n, and Ultrawideband.These protocols promise everything from\nexponentially increasing home wireless network speeds to allowing you to use a\nwireless connection to your ISP and even maintain a wireless network connection\nwhile in a moving vehicle.\nSome of these concepts may not appear in the immediate future, but others are\nalready in use in one form or another. Most wireless network equipment vendors\nhave already begun producing Pre-N or Draft-N devices.These devices are based off\nof the 802.11n protocol, but have been produced before the 802.11n protocol has\nactually been finalized.They promise speeds 12 times faster than 802.11g, and a\nrange up to four times that of 802.11g.\nThe major mobile phone carriers, such as Verizon, Cingular, and TMobile, all\noffer some sort of broadband wireless access which can be used virtually anywhere\ntheir cellular phone network can reach. Using a service like this can give you wire-\nless access almost anywhere, any time, without restriction to any specific site.\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n127\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 155,
            "text": "Basic Wireless \nNetwork Security Measures\nRegardless of what protocol your wireless equipment uses, some basic steps should\nbe taken to make sure other users are not able to connect to your wireless network\nand access your systems or hijack your Internet connection for their own use.\nSecure Your Home Wireless Network\nTo begin with, change the username and password required to access the administra-\ntive and configuration screens for your wireless router. Most home wireless routers\ncome with a Web-based administrative interface.The default IP address the device\nuses on the internal network is almost always 192.168.0.1. Finding out what the\ndefault username and password are for a given manufacturer is not difficult.The\nequipment usually comes configured with something like “admin” for the username,\nand “password” for the password. Even without any prior knowledge about the\ndevice or the manufacturer defaults, an attacker could just blindly guess the user-\nname and password in fewer than ten tries. With a default IP address and default\nadministrative username and password, your wireless router can be hacked into even\nby novices. Figure 8.1 shows the administration screen from a Linksys wireless\nrouter.This screen allows you to change the password for accessing the router man-\nagement console.\nFigure 8.1 The Administration Screen from a Linksys Wireless Router\nwww.syngress.com\n128\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 156,
            "text": "Make sure you change the username to something that only you would think\nof. Just like renaming the Administrator account on your computer, you want to\nchoose a username that won’t be just as easy to guess as “admin” or whatever the\ndefault username was.You also want to choose a strong password that won’t be easily\nguessed or cracked. Lastly, you should change the internal IP subnet if possible.The\n192.168.x.x address range is for internal use only.A large percentage of those who\nuse this address range use 192.168.0.x as their subnet, which makes it easy to guess.\nYou can use any number from 0 to 254 for the third octet, so choose something like\n192.168.71.x so potential attackers will have to work a little harder. For details on\nuser accounts and administrator privileges, see Chapter 1.\nRemember, the goal is to make it difficult for attackers or malware to penetrate\nyour system. Nothing you do will make your network 100-percent impenetrable to\na dedicated and knowledgeable attacker. But, by putting various layers of defense in\nplace such as complex passwords, personal firewalls, antivirus software, and other\nsecurity measures, you can make it sufficiently hard enough that no casual attacker\nwill want to bother.\nChange the SSID\nAnother big step in securing your home wireless network is not to announce that\nyou have one. Public or corporate wireless networks may need to broadcast their\nexistence so that new wireless devices can detect and connect to them. However, for\nyour home, you are trying to prevent rogue wireless devices from detecting and con-\nnecting to your network.\nThe wireless router or access point has a Service Set Identifier (SSID). Basically,\nthe SSID is the name of the wireless network. By default, wireless routers and access\npoints will broadcast a beacon signal about every 1/10 of a second, which contains\nthe SSID among other things. It is this beacon which wireless devices detect and\nwhich provides them with the information they need to connect to the network.\nYour wireless network will most likely only have a handful of devices. Rather\nthan relying on this beacon signal, you can simply manually enter the SSID and\nother pertinent information into each client to allow them to connect to your wire-\nless network. Check the product manual that came with your wireless equipment to\ndetermine how to disable the broadcasting of the SSID.\nYour device will come with a default SSID which is often simply the name of\nthe manufacturer, such as Linksys or Netgear. Even with the SSID broadcasting\nturned off, it is important that you not use the default SSID.There are only a handful\nof manufacturers of home wireless equipment, so it wouldn’t take long to guess at the\npossible SSIDs if you leave it set for the default.Therefore, you need to change this,\nand preferably not to something equally easy to guess, like your last name.\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n129\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 157,
            "text": "Configure Your Home Wireless Network\nNext, you should configure your wireless network and any wireless network devices\nfor infrastructure mode only.Two types of wireless networks are available for set up:\ninfrastructure and ad hoc. In an infrastructure mode network, a router or access\npoint is required, and all of the devices communicate with the network and with\neach other through that central point.\nAn ad hoc network, on the other hand, allows each device to connect to each\nother in an “ad hoc” fashion (hence the name). Since you are going through all of\nthis effort to make your router or access point more secure, you also need to make\nsure that the wireless devices on your network are not configured for ad hoc mode\nand might be providing another means for rogue wireless devices to gain unautho-\nrized access to your network.\nBy accessing the Properties for your wireless connection, you can click the\nAdvanced button at the bottom of the Wireless Networks tab to configure\nwhether your wireless adapter will connect to infrastructure, ad hoc, or both wireless\nnetwork types (see Figure 8.2).\nFigure 8.2 Configuring Connections for Your Wireless Adapter\nRestrict Access to Your Home Wireless Network\nTo restrict access to your wireless network even further, you can filter access based\non the MAC (Media Access Code) addresses of your wireless devices. Each network\nadapter has a unique MAC address that identifies it.As stated earlier in this chapter,\nyour network will most likely consist of only a handful of devices, so it wouldn’t\nrequire too much effort to enter the MAC address of each device into your wireless\nrouter or access point and configure it to reject connections from any other MAC\naddresses.\nwww.syngress.com\n130\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 158,
            "text": "Even after you do all of these things, you’re not completely secure.You’re\nobscure, but not secure. Using tools freely available on the Internet, a war-driver\ncould still intercept your wireless data packets as they fly through the air.They\nwould be doing so blindly because your wireless access point is no longer broad-\ncasting its presence, but it can still be done. Intercepting the traffic in this way can\nprovide an attacker with both the SSID and a valid MAC address from your network\nso that they could gain access.\nBy adding the MAC addresses of the devices that you know you want to con-\nnect to your wireless network, you can block access by other unknown devices and\nprotect your wireless network (see Figure 8.3).\nFigure 8.3 Adding MAC Addresses to Your Wireless Router\nUse Encryption in Your Home Wireless Network\nTo further protect your wireless communications, you should enable some form of\nencryption. Wireless manufacturers, in their haste to start selling equipment, rushed\nto create WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption to provide some level of\nsecurity while waiting for the official 802.1x security protocol to be standardized. It\nwas quickly discovered that the underlying technology of WEP has a number of\nflaws which make it relatively easy to crack.\nThe wireless industry has since migrated to the newer WPA (Wi-Fi Protected\nAccess) encryption, which offers a number of significant improvements over WEP yet\nremains backwards-compatible with WEP devices. In order to use WPA though, all\ndevices on the network must be WPA-capable. If one device uses WEP, the network\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n131\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 159,
            "text": "will not be able to use some of the improved security features of WPA and your net-\nwork may still be vulnerable to being exploited by the weaknesses found in WEP.\nWPA2 has recently emerged to replace even WPA. Devices that are WPA2-com-\npliant meet stricter security requirements. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)\nfully supports the features and functions of WPA2, allowing a higher level of wireless\nnetwork security as long as all of your wireless network clients are capable of the\nsame security level.\nWhile a knowledgeable and dedicated attacker with the right tools can still crack\nthe encryption and access your wireless data, this should not discourage you from\nenabling it. It would be unusual for someone to dedicate that much time and effort\nto get into your wireless network when they can probably find five more unpro-\ntected wireless networks on the next block. It isn’t practical to think you will be\n100-percent secure, but turning on some form of encryption combined with the\nother precautions listed previously will deter the casual hacker and curious passerby.\nThe more complex encryption schemes require more processing power to\nencode and decode, so you may consider sticking with the 40-bit (64-bit on some\ndevices) WEP encryption rather than the stronger 128-bit, or even the WPA\nencryption, if you notice any performance issues. It is the difference between locking\nyour house with a normal lock or using a deadbolt. Since an attacker can get past\nboth with about the same effort, you may as well use the one that is easier for you\nbut that still prevents most users from accessing your wireless network.\nReview Your Logs\nMost wireless routers keep logs of the devices that attach to them. Even if you have\ntaken all of the preceding steps to secure your wireless network, it is a good idea to\nperiodically review the logs from your wireless router and check for any rogue\ndevices that may have gained access.\nThe other major points to consider regarding a secure home wireless network\nare the same as they are for a wired network or computer security in general.You\nshould make sure you are using strong passwords that can’t be easily guessed or\ncracked on all of your devices, and protect your computers with personal firewall\nsoftware.\nOne final word of advice when it comes to securing your wireless network: a\ndevice that is not connected to the Internet can’t be attacked or compromised from\nthe Internet.You may want to consider turning off your wireless router or access\npoint overnight or when you know that it won’t be used for extended periods. If\nthere are too many users trying to access the Internet and use their computers at\nvarying hours, it may be impractical to turn off the wireless router, but you can still\nwww.syngress.com\n132\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 160,
            "text": "turn off any computers when not in use so that they are not exposed to any threats\nwhatsoever.\nUse Public Wireless Networks Safely\nPublic wireless networks, often referred to as hotspots, are springing up all over.\nNational chains such as Starbucks Coffee, Borders Books, and McDonalds’ have\nstarted adding wireless network access to their establishments through services pro-\nvided by companies like TMobile or Boingo. Major hotel chains have gone from no\naccess to dial-up access to broadband access, and now many are offering wireless net-\nwork access. Many airports and college campuses have wireless networks as well. It\nseems like every week someplace new pops up where you can surf the Web while\nyou’re out and about.\nIt is perilous enough jumping onto the Internet using your own network in the\ncomfort of your home, but sharing an unknown network and not knowing if the\nnetwork or the other computers are secure adds some new concerns. Some of the\nthings you must do to use a public wireless network securely are just simple rules of\ncomputer security no matter what network you’re connecting to, while others are\nunique to accessing a public wireless network.\nInstall Up-to-Date Antivirus Software\nFor starters, you should make sure you have antivirus software installed and that it is\nup-to-date.You don’t know what, if any, protection the network perimeter offers\nagainst malware or exploits, or whether or not the other computers on the network\nwith you are trying to propagate some malware.You also need to make sure that\nyour operating system and applications are patched against known vulnerabilities to\nhelp protect you from attack. For details on protecting your computer from malware,\nsee Chapter 3.\nInstall a Personal Firewall\nYour computer should have personal firewall software installed.Again, you have no\nway of knowing offhand if the network you are joining is protected by any sort of\nfirewall or perimeter security at all. Even if it is, you need the personal firewall to\nprotect you not only from external attacks, but also from attacks that may come\nfrom the other computers sharing the network with you. For details on personal\nfirewalls, see Chapter 5.\nAs a standard rule of computer security, you should make sure that your critical,\nconfidential, and sensitive files are password protected. In the event that any attacker\nor casual hacker happens to infiltrate your computer system, it is even more impor-\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n133\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 161,
            "text": "tant that you protect these files when joining a public wireless network. Make sure\nyou restrict access to only the User Accounts that you want to access those files and\nuse a strong password that won’t be easily guessed or cracked.\nTools & Traps…\nAirSnarf\nAirSnarf, a Linux-based program created to demonstrate inherent weaknesses in\npublic wireless hotspots, can be used to trick users into giving up their usernames\nand passwords.\nThe AirSnarf program can interrupt wireless communications, forcing the\ncomputer to disconnect from the wireless network. Immediately following the\nservice interruption, AirSnarf will broadcast a replica of the hotspot login page to\nlure the disconnected user to enter their username and password to reconnect.\nThe person sitting at the table next to you or sipping an iced latte in the\nparking lot could be running the program and it would be very difficult for you\nto realize what was going on. You should monitor your hotspot bill closely for\nexcess usage or charges, and change your password frequently.\nMore importantly, it is vital that you disable file and folder sharing.This is even\nmore critical if you happen to be using Windows XP Home edition because of the\nway Windows XP Home manages file and folder sharing and uses the Guest account\nwith a blank password for default access to shared files and folders. Some attackers or\nmalware may still find their way into your system, but that is no reason to leave the\ndoor unlocked and a big neon sign welcoming visitors.\nAdditional Hotspot Security Measures\nAll of the things I have mentioned so far are basic security measures that apply\nwhether you are at home, at work, or connecting to a public wireless network while\nbrowsing books at Borders. Now let’s take a look at some extra things you need to\ndo or consider when connecting to a hotspot.\nVerify Your Hotspot Connection\nTo begin with, you need to make sure you are connecting to a hotspot and not a\nmalicious rogue access point. When you are connecting to a public wireless network,\nwww.syngress.com\n134\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 162,
            "text": "it will broadcast the SSID, or network name, along with other information your\nwireless adapter needs to know in order to connect. It is very easy though for an\nattacker to set up a rogue access point and use the same or similar SSID as the\nhotspot.They can then create a replica of the hotspot login Web site to lure users\ninto giving up their usernames and passwords or possibly even get credit card num-\nbers and other such information from users who think they are registering for access\non the real site.\nYou should make sure that the location you are at even has a hotspot to begin\nwith. Don’t think that just because you happen to be at a coffee shop and a wireless\nnetwork is available that it must be a free wireless hotspot.\nIf you are at a confirmed hotspot location and more than one SSID appears for\nyour wireless adapter to connect to, you need to make sure you connect to the right\none. Some attackers will set up rogue access points with similar SSIDs to lure unsus-\npecting users into connecting and entering their login or credit card information.\nWatch Your Back\nOnce you take care of ensuring that you are connecting with a legitimate wireless\nnetwork, you need to take stock of who may be sitting around you. Before you start\nentering your username and password to connect to the wireless network or any\nother usernames and passwords for things like your e-mail, your online bank\naccount, and so on, you want to make sure that no overly curious neighbors will be\nable to see what you are typing.\nAfter you have determined that nobody can see over your shoulder to monitor\nyour typing and you have established that you are in fact connecting to a legitimate\npublic wireless network, you can begin to use the Internet and surf the Web.You\nshould always be aware though of the fact that your data can very easily be inter-\ncepted. Not only can other computers sharing the network with you use packet\nsniffer programs such as Ethereal to capture and analyze your data, but because your\ndata is flying through the air in all directions even a computer in a nearby parking\nlot may be able to catch your data using programs like NetStumbler or Kismet.\nUse Encryption and Password Protection\nTo prevent sensitive data or files from being intercepted, you should encrypt or pro-\ntect them in some way. Compression programs, such as WinZip, offer the ability to\npassword-protect the compressed file, providing you with at least some level of pro-\ntection.You could also use a program such as PGP to encrypt files for even more\nsecurity.\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n135\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 163,
            "text": "Password-protecting or encrypting individual files that you may want to send\nacross the network or attach to an e-mail will protect those specific files, but they\nwon’t stop someone from using a packet sniffer to read everything else going back\nand forth on the airwaves from your computer. Even things such as passwords that\nobviously should be encrypted or protected in some way often are not. Someone\nwho intercepts your data may be able to clearly read your password and other per-\nsonal or sensitive information.\nDon’t Linger \nOne suggestion is to limit your activity while connected to a public wireless net-\nwork.You should access only Web sites that have digital certificates and establish\nsecure, encrypted connections using SSL (typically evidenced by the locked padlock\nicon and the URL beginning with “https:”).\nUse a VPN\nFor even greater security, you should use a VPN (virtual private network). By estab-\nlishing a VPN connection with the computer or network on the other end, you\ncreate a secure tunnel between the two endpoints.All of the data within the tunnel\nis encrypted, and only the two ends of the VPN can read the information. If\nsomeone intercepts the packets midstream, all they will get is encrypted gibberish.\nFor SSL-based VPNs, just about any Web browser will do. However, a large per-\ncentage of the VPN technology in use relies on IPSec, which requires some form of\nclient software on your computer to establish a connection. It is not important that\nthe VPN software on your computer and that on the other end be the same or even\nfrom the same vendor, but it is a requirement that they use the same authentication\nprotocol. Corporations that offer VPN access for their employees typically supply the\nclient software, but you can also get VPN client software from Microsoft or from\nBoingo.\nUse Web-Based E-mail\nOne final tip for using a public wireless network is to use Web-based e-mail. If you\nare connecting to a corporate network over an encrypted VPN connection and\naccessing a corporate mail server like Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes, you will\nbe fine. But if you are using a POP3 e-mail account from your ISP or some other e-\nmail provider, the data is transmitted in clear text for anyone to intercept and read.\nWeb-based e-mail generally uses an encrypted SSL connection to protect your data\nin transit, and major Web-based mail providers such as Hotmail and Yahoo also scan\ne-mail file attachments for malware. For details on Web-based e-mail, see Chapter 6.\nwww.syngress.com\n136\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 164,
            "text": "Summary\nWireless networks represent one of the greatest advances in networking in recent\nyears, particularly for home users who want to share their Internet connection\nwithout having to run network cabling through the floors and walls. Unfortunately,\nif not properly secured, wireless networks also represent one of the biggest security\nrisks in recent years.\nIn this chapter, you learned about the basic concepts of wireless networking and\nthe key features of the main wireless protocols currently being used. We also covered\nsome fundamental steps you need to do to protect your wireless network, such as\nchanging default passwords and SSIDs, disabling the broadcasting of your SSID, or\neven filtering access to your wireless network by MAC address.\nThis chapter also discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the wireless encryp-\ntion schemes such as WEP and WPA, and why you should ensure that your wireless\ndata is encrypted in some way.You also learned that a layered defense, including\ncomponents such as a personal firewall and updated antivirus software, is a key com-\nponent of overall security, particularly when using public wireless hotspots.\nThe chapter ended by discussing some other security concerns that are unique\nto public wireless hotspots, such as ensuring that the wireless network you are con-\nnecting to is a legitimate one and not a rogue hotspot set up to steal your informa-\ntion. In addition, you learned that using a VPN for communications and utilizing\nWeb-based e-mail can help improve your security and protect your information\nwhile using public wireless networks.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on wireless network security:\n■\nBowman, Barb. How to Secure Your Wireless Home Network with Windows XP.\nMicrosoft.com \n(www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/bowman_\n05february10.mspx).\n■\nBradley,Tony, and Becky Waring. Complete Guide to Wi-Fi Security.\nJiwire.com, September 20, 2005 (www.jiwire.com/wi-fi-security-traveler-\nhotspot-1.htm).\n■\nElliott, Christopher. Wi-Fi Unplugged:A Buyer’s Guide for Small Businesses.\nMicrosoft.com \n(www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/broadband_mobil\nity/wifi_unplugged_a_buyers_guide_for_small_businesses.mspx).\nwww.syngress.com\nWireless Network Security • Chapter 8\n137\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 165,
            "text": "■\nPGP Encryption Software (www.pgp.com/).\n■\nWi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) Overview. Microsoft TechNet, May 6, 2005\n(www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/\ncg0505.mspx).\n■\nWinZip Compression Software (www.winzip.com/).\nwww.syngress.com\n138\nChapter 8 • Wireless Network Security\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 166,
            "text": "Spyware \nand Adware\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nWhat Is Adware?\n■\nWhat Is Spyware?\n■\nGetting Rid of Spyware\nChapter 9\n139\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 167,
            "text": "Introduction\nIn many ways, the discussion of spyware is really just an extension of the“Privacy\nand Anonymous Surfing” section of the Chapter 7.At its core, the problem of spy-\nware relates directly to your privacy and how much, if any, information you wish to\nshare with third parties, especially when you are unaware they are gathering the\ninformation. Spyware warrants its own chapter because it crosses the line from the\nethical gray area of monitoring your activity and gathering your personal informa-\ntion, and heads into the starkly black area of gathering your information without\nyour knowledge or consent, sometimes with malicious intent. Much of what a spy-\nware removal program detects—such as cookies, Registry entries, and programs\nknown to be related to spyware of some sort—are still more of an annoyance than a\nthreat. However, there are still some spyware programs that pose a risk to the secu-\nrity of your system. But even those that don’t pose a threat may still affect the per-\nformance and stability of your computer system.\nThis chapter will examine the following:\n■\nThe difference between adware and spyware\n■\nThe pitfalls of the End User License Agreement (EULA)\n■\nHow to protect your system against spyware\n■\nTools to detect and remove spyware  \nWhat Is Adware?\nThe terms adware and spyware are often lumped together. In truth, there is a funda-\nmental difference between the two, where adware tends to fall into that ethical gray\narea and stops short of crossing the line.Adware is software that’s commonly used to\ngenerate ads, hence the name. Spyware often performs much more insidious actions,\nsuch as monitoring your keystrokes and capturing your username and password\ninformation or credit card numbers.\nWhen you watch standard network television (not cable), it doesn’t cost you\nanything other than the price of the television itself and the electricity to run it.The\nvarious television networks make their money from advertising. Companies choose\nwhat programs or what time of day to broadcast their commercials based on viewer\ndemographics. If a show is watched primarily by women, they won’t waste their\nmoney advertising men’s shaving gel. If a show is watched primarily by children,\nthey won’t run commercials for Lite beer.\nwww.syngress.com\n140\nChapter 9 • Spyware and Adware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 168,
            "text": "Some web sites and free software programs operate on this same business model.\nIn effect, they provide the program or service to you free of charge and rely on\nadvertising support to generate their profits. In order to determine your interests,\nthese programs will often install adware which sits silently in the background.The\nadware can monitor various aspects of how you use your computer and what sorts\nof web sites you frequent, and then transmit that data back to the company.\nAfterward, the information can be used to select pop-up or banner ads that would\nmost likely be of interest to you.\nIronically, in the case of adware, you often agreed to install it and accepted what-\never activity the adware is designed to perform when you installed the software.\nWhat makes adware legal, if not fully ethical, is that it is generally contained in the\nEnd User License Agreement (EULA).The EULA is that thing that comes up while\nyou are installing software that asks whether you have read and agree to the terms as\ndescribed—you know, that screen where you glance briefly and see that it’s a bunch\nof techno-legal jargon and just click “yes” without actually reading anything?\nOne well-known service that works in this way is the Kazaa peer-to-peer (P2P)\nnetwork. P2P networks have come under a great deal of scrutiny as a result of the\nRecording Industry Association of America’s war against users illegally swapping\nsongs that are protected by their members’ copyrights. P2P networking, however, is\nitself perfectly legal. It is possible to pay for the software and get a version that does\nnot run ads, but a vast majority of users still choose to accept the advertising in\nexchange for getting access to the Kazaa network for free.\nKazaa has over 2.5 million users, many of whom use the adware version of their\nP2P client software. Kazaa is not shy or secretive about the fact that adware will be\ninstalled on your system. In fact, it is clearly stated during the installation process.\nStep two of the installation lists all of the applications and adware that you agree to\ninstall in order to use Kazaa (see Figure 9.1).\nIn order to proceed to step 3, you must check the box next to the statement “I\nagree to the Kazaa Media Desktop End User License Agreement and Altnet Peer\nPoints Manager Package End User License Agreements.”There is probably a fair\nchance that 99 percent of the users who click this box never even looked at the\nEULAs in question, much less actually read every word of them to understand what\nthey were agreeing to. Unfortunately, this is true of all EULAs. People consider them\nan annoyance and fail to understand that it is a binding legal agreement between you\nand the software vendor.\nwww.syngress.com\nSpyware and Adware • Chapter 9\n141\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 169,
            "text": "Figure 9.1 The Kazaa Media Desktop Installer \nThe Kazaa Media Desktop End User License Agreement (EULA) explains that\nto remove the included adware components or even to attempt to block or impede\ntheir functionality is a violation of the agreement (see Figure 9.2).The EULA out-\nlines the terms and conditions you must agree to in order to legally use the product.\nMany freeware programs contain similar wording in their EULA, and so removing\nthe adware components may in fact disable the free program you are trying to use.\nFigure 9.2 The Kazaa EULA \nwww.syngress.com\n142\nChapter 9 • Spyware and Adware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 170,
            "text": "The other EULA Kazaa requires you to agree to is from the third-party adware\nprovider.The programs installed with Kazaa Media Desktop all have some remotely\nuseful function. For example, Gator is used to provide context-sensitive advertising,\nwhile PerfectNAV suggests alternate web sites when the site you are searching for\ncan’t be found.\nThe products installed by Kazaa Media Desktop and adware in general may be\nof value to some. It may seem wrong to force you to install those third-party appli-\ncations in order to install and use the software, but that is the price for the “free”\nproduct.They aren’t forcing you to install their software in the first place.\nBefore you choose to accept installing these programs and agreeing to the EULA\nthat governs them, you should take a look at what you are agreeing to.The EULA for\nAltnet Peer Points Manager and My Search Toolbar states that you agree that they can\nupdate the software at any time without notice and that you agree to accept “all\nupdates” (see Figure 9.3). In effect they could “update” the software with completely\nnew functionality that may perform actions you don’t want on your system.\nFigure 9.3 The EULA for Altnet Peer Points Manager \nEven if you don’t mind the privacy or security implications of running adware\non your system and you’re willing to accept that as a fair tradeoff for “free” software,\nyou should keep the stability and performance of your system in mind.Adware is\nconstantly running in the background, monitoring and recording your actions so it is\nusing memory and processing power resources that could be put to better use.At\nsome interval, it will have to transmit the accumulated data it has gathered back to\nwww.syngress.com\nSpyware and Adware • Chapter 9\n143\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 171,
            "text": "its home base, a process which will use some portion of your network bandwidth.\nOn a broadband connection you may not notice it, but on a dial-up connection\nevery byte counts and having adware communicating in the background could bring\nyour already crawling network access to a virtual stop.\nWhat Is Spyware?\nWhile many people call all adware and spyware “spyware,” there is a difference.As I\njust pointed out in the discussion of adware, adware is technically legal, if not always\nethically right, and is something that you most likely have unwittingly agreed to\ninstall on your system. Spyware, by comparison, is a more covert or stealthy form of\nadware. In fact, many spyware applications are closer to being Trojan programs than\nactual adware, due to the fact that they come disguised as something else and install\nwithout your knowledge.\nAdware tends to stay in that gray area and focus its recording and monitoring\nefforts on data that is less personal and confidential, such as simply tracking generali-\nties like what types of sites you visit, how often you visit them, how long you stay\non each page, and other similar statistical data which can help web sites monitor\nhow the site is used and help advertisers get the most bang for their buck by getting\ntheir ads in front of people more likely to be interested in their product or service.\nSpyware crosses the line into actual malware by installing itself secretly and\nwithout the user’s consent, as well as through the data it tracks and reports in many\ncases. Some spyware actually relies on exploiting known vulnerabilities in your web\nbrowser to execute and install without your knowledge or consent.\nWhile adware is, for the most part, up front about the functions it will perform,\nspyware is covert and tenacious. Many spyware programs not only install without\nany clear method of uninstalling them, but actually go out of their way to obscure\nany way of removing them and may even disable some of the configuration and\ncontrol options of the Web browser to prevent you from tampering with them.\nSpyware programs also sometimes spy on a broader scope of information than\nstandard adware.They may even log your every keystroke, allowing them to capture\nusernames, passwords, account numbers, credit card numbers, and every word you\ntype in your e-mail program, among other things.This obviously crosses the line\nfrom simply monitoring your activity for demographic reasons to carrying out pure\nspying with malicious intent. Still, the majority of spyware consists of Web bugs and\ntracking cookies designed to track and monitor your activity just like adware, except\nwithout your knowledge or consent.\nOf course, I keep stating that spyware is bad or malicious because it does these\nthings without the “user’s” knowledge. What I should be saying is that spyware is bad\nwww.syngress.com\n144\nChapter 9 • Spyware and Adware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 172,
            "text": "and malicious if it does these things without the owner’s knowledge.There is a whole\nmarket segment devoted to legal spyware designed for employers, which they can\ninstall on their computers to monitor the activity of their employees, and similar\nproducts for parents that can be installed on their computers to monitor the activity\nof their children.\nProducts like Spector Pro from Spectorsoft silently sit in the background and\nmonitor and record all Web activity, all incoming and outgoing e-mail messages, all\ninstant-message chat sessions, capture every keystroke typed, and monitor every pro-\ngram used and every file exchanged on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. In fact,\nSpector Pro can also be configured to record an actual snapshot image of the screen\nat set intervals so the contents of the screen can be reviewed as well in case all of the\nother monitoring and tracking missed something.\nSpector Pro CNE (Corporate Network Edition) and similar products such as\nNetVizor from Employee-Monitoring.com promise to increase employee produc-\ntivity, eliminate the leaking of trade secrets and confidential company information\nand aid in the investigation of employees suspected of inappropriate activity among\nother things.\nIn a home environment, you aren’t typically worried about losing trade secrets\n(What are your kids going to do? E-mail the secret family recipe for apple pie?) or\nlack of productivity. But, with so much inappropriate content on the Web and so\nmany unknowns, it provides a tremendous amount of peace of mind to know that\nyou can see every last thing that occurs on the computer when you’re not there.\nWith a product like Spector Pro, you can also configure the software to block cer-\ntain sites or services during specific hours of the day and set it to e-mail you imme-\ndiately if certain key words occur in e-mails or on the Web sites being viewed.\nGetting Rid of Spyware\nEradicating spyware from your system is sometimes much easier said than done.\nAdware, and simpler spyware that are similar to adware, are fairly easy to remove.\nLegitimate adware will often have an actual uninstall program. But, to scan your\ncomputer for spyware and adware and help remove it, you can use a product such as\nAd-aware from Lavasoft (www.lavasoftusa.com) or Spybot Search & Destroy\n(http://spybot.safer-networking.de/en/) from Patrick Kolla.\nBoth of these programs are free for personal use and do an excellent job of\ndetecting and removing adware and spyware.They each rely on a database of known\nspyware, using a method similar to how an antivirus software compares files to a\ndatabase of known malware. Before running a scan, you should always check for\nupdates from the vendor to make sure your software can catch any new spyware and\nwww.syngress.com\nSpyware and Adware • Chapter 9\n145\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 173,
            "text": "adware. Both products are excellent, but often one will catch things that the other\ndoesn’t, so you may want to run both just to be thorough.\nWhen you run a scan, the product will examine the processes currently running,\nlook for files such as cookies, as well as executable program files, and will scan your\nsystem Registry for any entries related to known spyware (see Figure 9.4). Unless\nyou have your cookie security completely locked down, which may make surfing\nsome Web sites difficult or impossible, you will most likely find at least some entries\nfor tracking cookies detected as spyware or adware.\nFigure 9.4 Scanning a Computer with Ad-aware \nWith both products, you will be presented with a list of the files, Registry\nentries, and processes that were detected and identified as spyware or adware.You\ncan then choose whether or not to remove each of them.Ad-aware allows you to\nget some clarification about what the object is by double-clicking it to get details\nsuch as its size, location, the last time it was accessed and what risk-level Ad-aware\nhas assigned it, as well as a short description of the object (see Figure 9.5).You can\nalso look up the name of the object or the vendor of the object in Google to try\nand research more details about where the spyware came from and what it is\ndesigned to do.\nwww.syngress.com\n146\nChapter 9 • Spyware and Adware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 174,
            "text": "Figure 9.5 Ad-aware’s Object Details\nI should reiterate that in some cases you agreed to install the adware in exchange\nfor a “free” product or service and that removing or disabling the adware in any way\nis a violation of your agreement with the EULA. If you opt to remove the adware,\nyou should technically uninstall the software that it came with to remain legal.The\nspyware removal products will generally warn you of this same thing before moving\nforward with the cleaning and deleting process.\nAd-aware and Spybot Search & Destroy will both detect and remove the vast\nmajority of spyware and adware in existence. For the money (free) you can’t beat\nthem, but they have to be run manually and only remove what they find when you\nscan your computer after the fact.They don’t proactively protect your system from\ngetting spyware and adware installed in the first place.\nAntivirus software vendors Symantec (makers of Norton antivirus products) and\nMacAfee, Inc. have added the capability for their software to detect and block\nknown spyware and adware. Even personal firewall software like Zone Alarm Pro\nwill let you control adware by blocking cookies and alerting you to programs that\ntry to execute without your knowledge.The line between antivirus software, per-\nsonal firewall software, anti-spyware software, and other security products is con-\nstantly being blurred as vendors add functionality to their products.\nLavasoft offers a more advanced version of Ad-aware,Ad-aware Pro, at a reason-\nable price which provides significantly more security, specifically aimed at protecting\nyour computer from spyware and adware.Ad-aware Pro locks down areas of the\nwww.syngress.com\nSpyware and Adware • Chapter 9\n147\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 175,
            "text": "memory and Registry targeted by spyware and provides real-time blocking of spy-\nware, adware, and attempts to download software without your knowledge. It also\nblocks pop-up ads and allows you to scan mapped drives across a network.\nNeither Spybot nor Ad-aware will detect or remove commercial spyware prod-\nucts such as Spector Pro or its sibling, eBlaster. Hopefully, if these products exist on\nyour system, they have been installed legitimately by the owner of the computer\nsystem to monitor its usage. However, it is possible that someone might install a\nproduct like this on your system as a spying tool to stealthily monitor your actions,\nread your e-mails, collect your passwords, and have it all e-mailed to them without\nyour knowledge. If you feel there may be an unauthorized installation of a program\nlike this installed on your system, you should try scanning it with SpyCop.\nSpyCop (http://spycop.com/) will detect not only the typical spyware and\nadware, but claims to also detect over 400 commercially available snooping programs\nsuch as Spector Pro. SpyCop scans every single file on the system to ferret out\nkeystroke loggers, password recorders, e-mail recorders, and all other types of insid-\nious or malicious software. SpyCop boasts the largest database of spying and surveil-\nlance software in the world.\nIf you suspect you might have spyware on your system, or you know that you do\nbut none of the products mentioned can detect or remove it, as a last resort try using\nHijackThis (www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php).This will scan your com-\nputer like the other programs, but it will also look for spyware-like traits or activities\nrather than simply comparing the scan to a database of specific known spyware.\nHijackThis is a powerful tool, but analyzing the results can be tricky for novices.\nWhen you perform a scan using HijackThis, it quickly generates a log of objects that\nmay or may not be spyware (see Figure 9.6). Some may be programs you’ve installed\nintentionally. For most people, the information supplied will look like gibberish. But,\nthankfully, you can highlight any item on the list and click the program’s Info On\nSelected Item button for a brief description of it.You can also refer to sites such as\nSpywareInfo.com or WildersSecurity.com for extra assistance.These sites (and many\nothers) offer users an opportunity to submit HijackThis log files, which volunteer\nexperts then help decipher and let you know what is valid and what is potentially\nspyware or adware.\nIf the analysis still doesn’t make any sense to you or if you’re unable to deter-\nmine if a file or program should be removed or left alone, you can refer to the\nHijackThis tutorial (it’s hosted at a few different sites, but a good place to find it is at\nwww.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html) to learn more about what all of\nthe codes and gibberish mean.The bottom line though is that HijackThis is not a\ntool for beginners or novices. If you can’t find an entry on the forums previously\nlisted that refers to the same object you have a question about, you can click “Save\nLog” to save the information from your scan and submit it to get some expert help.\nwww.syngress.com\n148\nChapter 9 • Spyware and Adware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 176,
            "text": "Figure 9.6 Results of a Scan with HijackThis \nIf an item is determined to be safe, you can check the box next to it and click\nthe Add Checked To Ignorelist button so it won’t show up again on future scans. If\nyou discover traces of spyware or adware that you want to remove, simply check the\nboxes for those items and click Fix Checked.You need to be positive that you only\ncheck the boxes on items you are sure are related to spyware or malware, however.\nOnce you click Fix Checked, there is no turning back and if you remove the wrong\nthings you may cause legitimate software programs to stop functioning.\nPrivacy is a serious concern for many, and spyware and adware infringe on your\nprivacy by tracking your actions and habits and reporting that information back to\nsome third party. However, most spyware and adware doesn’t infringe on your pri-\nvacy any more than your credit card company knowing where and when you\nshopped and what you bought or your cell phone company knowing what phone\nnumber you called, where you were when you called it, and how long you talked. It\nis a personal choice to decide how much information you are comfortable sharing,\nbut remember that spyware and adware also use computer system resources like\nmemory, processing power, and Internet bandwidth, and may cause your system to\nperform poorly or crash entirely. Using the information and tips from this chapter\nwill help you take back control of just how much information you care to share and\nwith whom.\nwww.syngress.com\nSpyware and Adware • Chapter 9\n149\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 177,
            "text": "Summary\nSpyware poses a serious threat to computer users and it is important that you under-\nstand this threat and how to defend against it. In this chapter, you learned the some-\ntimes subtle differences between adware and spyware, and the way some spyware\napplications use the EULA to get permission from the user to install themselves.\nYou learned that many types of adware and spyware are more of a nuisance than\na threat, but that there are some very malicious types of spyware out there as well.\nWe then discussed some of the tools and techniques available which you can use to\ndetect and remove spyware applications from your computer.Armed with this infor-\nmation, you should be better prepared to protect your system from the threat of spy-\nware.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information about spyware and adware:\n■\nAd-aware\n(www.lavasoftusa.com/default.shtml.en).\n■\nBradley,Tony. How to Analyze HijackThis Logs\n(http://netsecurity.about.com/od/popupsandspyware/a/aahijackthis.htm).\n■\nHijackThis\n(www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php).\n■\nKroeker, Kirk. Beyond File Sharing:An Interview with Sharman Networks CTO\nPhil Morle. ECT News Network, Inc.’s TechNewsWorld. January 21, 2004\n(www.technewsworld.com/story/32641.html).\n■\nSo How Did I Get Infected Anyway?\n(http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index.php?act=SF&f=7).\n■\nSpybot Search & Destroy\n(http://spybot.safer-networking.de/en/).\n■\nSpyCop\n(http://spycop.com/).\nwww.syngress.com\n150\nChapter 9 • Spyware and Adware\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 178,
            "text": "Part III: \nTesting and\nMaintenance\n151\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 179,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 180,
            "text": "Keeping \nThings Secure\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nGeneral PC Maintenance\n■\nPatches and Updates\n■\nWindows XP Security Center\nChapter 10\n153\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 181,
            "text": "Introduction\nThe care and feeding of your computer is an ongoing process, not a product or\nevent. Some people believe that their computer must be secure because it came with\nantivirus software installed. What they fail to realize is that new vulnerabilities are\ndiscovered and exploits created daily.\nYour antivirus software, operating system, and other applications are only as\nstrong as their last update. If it has been a week since you last updated, your system is\npotentially vulnerable to any threat that has been created or discovered in the past\nseven days.\nIt is imperative for the security of your computer that you regularly update\nproducts such as your antivirus, personal firewall, and anti-spyware software.You\nshould also apply patches and updates for your operating system and applications to\nmake sure they are protected against known vulnerabilities.\nEven in the absence of actual threats to the security of your computer system, a\ncomputer requires regular maintenance and upkeep. Just like your car needs to have\nthe oil changed, the air filter replaced and the windshield washer fluid refilled peri-\nodically, the computer needs some basic cleaning and tuning to keep it running\nsmoothly. Removing unnecessary files and defragmenting your hard drive are two\ntasks that can speed up your PC and extend its lifespan at the same time.\nThis chapter will cover the different tasks you need to perform for regular com-\nputer maintenance as well as the applications and services that you must keep\npatched and updated to maintain a secure computer. In this chapter, you will learn\nhow to do the following:\n■\nMaintain your hard drive through Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter.\n■\nErase your pagefile to protect your personal information.\n■\nPatch and update your computer against new vulnerabilities.\n■\nUse the Windows XP Security Center to monitor security.\n■\nKeep your antivirus and firewall software up to date.\nGeneral PC Maintenance\nMaintaining your hard drive may not seem like it has much to do with security. In\npart, this is true. Defragmenting your hard drive will help it run smoother and last\nlonger and increase the overall speed and efficiency of your computer, but it won’t\ndo anything to make your PC more secure.\nwww.syngress.com\n154\nChapter 10 • Keeping Things Secure\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 182,
            "text": "Defragmenting your data will not make it more secure, but it will improve per-\nformance and increase the speed of your computer. Slow computer performance is\none of the primary indicators of malware infection or computer compromise, so\nanything that helps keep your hard drive humming along is a good thing and keeps\nyou from being overly paranoid about security.\nDisk cleanup may not seem like it has anything to do with security either.\nHowever, this general PC maintenance task can help protect your computer system\nand your personal information. Part of the process of performing Disk Cleanup on a\nMicrosoft Windows XP system is to clean out temporary files and Internet cache\nfiles and other data remnants that might be lurking on your computer harboring\nsensitive or confidential information that an attacker could potentially gain access to.\nDisk Cleanup\nAs you use your computer each day, there are a variety of files that get used or\nwritten to your computer that can contain sensitive information. Most of these files\nare not meant to be kept long term. In fact, they can’t even be viewed or accessed\nlike normal files. But, the information is still there and a knowledgeable attacker may\nbe able to locate it and decipher the contents to learn valuable information about\nyou or your computer system.\nFiles like the temporary Internet files or the temporary files within Windows are\ntwo common areas where sensitive information might be lingering.The Recycle Bin\nmay also hold data that you thought you had gotten rid of, but is still hanging\naround on your hard drive.\nTo clear out this data and keep your hard drive uncluttered by useless, unneces-\nsary, and possibly damaging data, you should perform Disk Cleanup once a week.To\nbegin Disk Cleanup, click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools\n| Disk Cleanup.You will see a window like the one in Figure 10.1. When you\nfirst start Disk Cleanup, you must choose the drive you want to clean.\nwww.syngress.com\nKeeping Things Secure • Chapter 10\n155\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 183,
            "text": "Figure 10.1 Selecting the Drive You Want to Clean\nDisk Cleanup works only on hard drives, and it only cleans up one drive at a\ntime. If you have more than one hard drive, or your hard drive is partitioned into\nmultiple drives, you will have to run Disk Cleanup separately for each drive that you\nwant to clean.\nAfter you select the drive you want to clean and click OK, Windows will ana-\nlyze the drive.This can take a minute as Windows checks all the files on the drive to\ndetermine which ones should be compressed or deleted. While it is thinking, you\nwill see a window with a progress bar so you can see that things are moving along.\nAfter the analysis is completed, Disk Cleanup will display the results and let you\nknow how much space you can potentially free up on your hard drive by com-\npleting Disk Cleanup.The display (see Figure 10.2) begins with statement about the\ntotal disk space that can be freed up and lists the different types or areas of data that\ncan be removed along with the total space that you can potentially free up by\nremoving them.\nFigure 10.2 Results of Analysis with Disk Cleanup\n156\nChapter 10 • Keeping Things Secure\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 184,
            "text": "Check or uncheck the different boxes to choose which data you want to get rid\nof and which you want to hang on to.You can click on each one to view a short\ndescription of it to help you determine what you want to do.After you finish\nselecting, click OK to begin the Disk Cleanup process.This can take some time, par-\nticularly if you have selected to compress old files.\nErase the PageFile\nWindows uses part of your hard drive space as “virtual memory.” It loads what it\nneeds to load into the much faster RAM (random access memory), but creates a\nswap, or page, file on the hard drive that it uses to swap data in and out of RAM.\nThe pagefile is typically on the root of your C: drive and is called pagefile.sys.\nPagefile.sys is a hidden system file, so you won’t see it unless you have changed your\nfile viewing settings to show hidden and system files.\nVirtual memory enables Windows to open more windows and run more pro-\ngrams simultaneously while keeping only the one being actively used in RAM.The\npagefile can be a security risk as well, though.The issue is the fact that information\nremains in the pagefile even after the program or window is shut down.As you use\ndifferent programs and perform different functions on your computer, the pagefile\nmay end up containing all sorts of potentially sensitive or confidential information\nfor an attacker to discover.\nTo reduce the risk presented by storing information in the pagefile, you can\nconfigure Windows XP to erase the pagefile each time you shut down Windows.\nClick Start | Control Panel. From the Control Panel, select Administrative\nTools | Local Security Policy to open the Local Security Settings window (see\nFigure 10.3).The Local Security Settings window enables you to customize the local\nsecurity policy settings, including clearing the pagefile on system shutdown.\nDouble-click Shutdown: Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile, and then select the\nEnabled radio button. Click OK and close the Local Security Settings window.\nFrom now on, when you shut down Windows, the pagefile will automatically be\ncleared as well.\nwww.syngress.com\nKeeping Things Secure • Chapter 10\n157\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 185,
            "text": "Figure 10.3 The Local Security Settings Window \nDisk Defragmenter\nWhen you first write a file to your hard drive, your computer does its best to keep\nall the data together on the disk. However, as data is read, deleted, rewritten, copied,\nand moved, a single file may end up scattered across the entire drive with a few kilo-\nbytes of data here and a sector or two there.\nThis file fragmentation can degrade performance and reduce the overall\nlongevity of the hard drive. When you access a fragmented file, the hard drive has to\nwork double-time to bounce all over the place and put the pieces of data back\ntogether instead of just reading the data in order in one place.To cure this, you\nshould periodically defragment your hard drive.\nThe Windows Disk Defragmenter utility can be found in System Tools. Click\nStart | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter\n(see Figure 10.4).\nAt the top of the Disk Defragmenter console is a list of the drives available for\ndefragmentation. Initially, you have only two choices for what to do with those\ndrives.After you select a drive, you can simply dive right in and start defragmenting\nby clicking Defragment, or you can click Analyze to have Disk Defragmenter take a\nlook and let you know just how fragmented your disk is.The Windows Disk\nwww.syngress.com\n158\nChapter 10 • Keeping Things Secure\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 186,
            "text": "Defragmenter uses a color-coded representation to illustrate how fragmented the\nselected drive is.\nFigure 10.4 The Windows Disk Defragmenter Utility \nIf you do select Analyze, the Disk Defragmenter will take a look and let you\nknow if it is worth your while to defragment the drive at this time. Before you actu-\nally start a defragmentation, you should be aware that the process takes a toll on\nsystem resources.You can still use your computer, but the drive will be chugging\naway as fast as it can, moving and juggling pieces of files to get them back in order\non the drive.You will probably notice that your computer is much slower and less\nresponsive while it is in the process of defragmenting. It is best to start the defrag-\nmenting utility when you are done using the computer for the day or stepping away\nfor a lunch break or something.\nScheduled Tasks\nIf you leave your computer on overnight, it may be best to simply create a\nScheduled Task in Windows to run the Disk Defragmenter automatically while you\nsleep. Using a Scheduled Task will not only execute the defragmenting when you\naren’t busy using the computer but also ensure that your hard drive is defragmented\non a regular basis without you having to manually initiate it.\nTo create a scheduled task, click Start | All Programs | Accessories |\nSystem Tools | Scheduled Tasks. In the Scheduled Tasks console, click Add\nScheduled Task.You can then follow the wizard to create your task (see Figure\nwww.syngress.com\nKeeping Things Secure • Chapter 10\n159\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 187,
            "text": "10.5).The wizard displays a list of programs to choose from, but you can also browse\nand select virtually any executable to use for your scheduled task. Disk Defragmenter\ndoes not typically show up on the list of programs to choose from in the wizard.You\nwill need to click the Browse button and find the file manually.The file is called\ndefrag.exe and is located in the System32 directory under Windows on your hard\ndrive.\nAfter you select the file to execute, you can provide a name for your scheduled\ntask and choose the frequency for performing it. I recommend that you schedule\nDisk Defragmenter to run at least monthly, or possibly even weekly.You will need to\nsupply a username and password for an account that has permission to run Disk\nDefragmenter.\nFigure 10.5 The Add Scheduled Task Wizard \nIf you click Finish on the next final screen of the wizard, the Disk Defragmenter\nutility will run at the scheduled time, but it will just open the utility rather than\nactually initiating drive defragmentation.You must specify the drive you want to\ndefragment in the command line for the scheduled task. If you have multiple drives\nor partitions, you will need to create a separate scheduled task to defragment each\none.\nOn the final screen, make sure you check the box next to Open advanced\nproperties for this task when I click Finish, then click Finish. In the Run field\nof the Advanced Settings, type a space at the end of the command and then add the\ndrive letter you wish to defragment, such as C: (see Figure 10.6). Click OK to close\nAdvanced Settings and you are done creating the Scheduled Task to defragment your\ndrive(s).\nwww.syngress.com\n160\nChapter 10 • Keeping Things Secure\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 188,
            "text": "Figure 10.6 The Run Field of Advanced Settings\nPatches and Updates\nWhen it comes to keeping your computer secure, keeping it patched and updated is\narguably the most important thing you can do.Antivirus, anti-spyware, and personal\nfirewall software all contribute to the security of your computer system, but malware\nand exploits typically take advantage of known vulnerabilities. If your computer was\npatched so that the vulnerabilities no longer exist, the malware would not be able to\nfunction in most cases.\nMicrosoft provides a number of ways for you to stay informed about the latest vul-\nnerabilities and patches so that you can protect your computer:\n■\nAutomatic Updates Windows has a feature called Automatic Updates\nwhich, as its name implies, automatically checks for new patches that affect\nthe security of your computer system.You can configure Automatic\nUpdates to download and install new updates, just download them, but\nleave the installation to you, or to simply notify you when new updates are\navailable.\n■\nWindows Update Site Automatic updates only works for critical patches\nor updates that affect security. For patches that affect simple functionality, or\nupdates to device drivers and such, you have to periodically visit the\nwww.syngress.com\nKeeping Things Secure • Chapter 10\n161\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 189,
            "text": "Windows Update site. Click Start | All Programs | Windows Update.\nFollow the prompts on the site to let Windows Update scan your system\nand identify the patches or updates that affect your computer.You can\nchoose whether to use Express, and let Windows Update patch your system\nautomatically, or use Custom, which lets you pick and choose which\npatches you want to apply.\n■\nMicrosoft Security Bulletins The second Tuesday of each month is\nMicrosoft’s “Patch Tuesday.”This is the day they release all their Security\nBulletins, and related patches, for the month. On rare occasions, if a new\nvulnerability is discovered and actively being exploited in the wild,\nMicrosoft will release a Security Bulletin out of cycle. But, to stay informed\nyou should mark your calendar or subscribe to receive the notifications\nfrom Microsoft when new Security Bulletins are released. Microsoft offers a\nMicrosoft Security Newsletter for Home Users\n(www.microsoft.com/athome/security/secnews/default.mspx), or you can\nstay informed using Really Simple Syndication by adding the Security At\nHome RSS Feed (www.microsoft.com/athome/security/rss/rssfeed.aspx)\nto your RSS reader.\n■\nUpdating Other Applications There are far too many vendors and\napplications for us to cover them all. Many vendors have built-in methods\nto automatically check for current updates. Where possible, I recommend\nthat you use these features.You can also sign up with vendors to receive\nnotices or alerts when patches or updates are available.You can also use\nsecurity sites such as Secunia (http://secunia.com) to stay informed of vul-\nnerabilities that affect your operating system or applications.\nFor more in-depth information, see Chapter 4,“Patching.”\nWindows XP Security Center\nThe Windows XP Security Center provides a sort of one-stop shopping information\ndashboard for the security status of your computer. Using a standard\nGreen/Yellow/Red system, you can tell at a glance if your personal firewall, auto-\nmatic updates, and antivirus software are up-to-date (see Figure 10.7).To get more\ninformation on the status of your computer, click the options in the Windows XP\nCenter.\nThe Security Center recognizes most personal firewall and antivirus applications,\nso status will still be reported as Green as long as you have something installed.The\nwww.syngress.com\n162\nChapter 10 • Keeping Things Secure\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 190,
            "text": "Security Center will report status as Yellow or Red on your antivirus software,\nthough, if the software has not been updated recently.\nWhen the Windows XP Security Center detects an issue that affects the security\nof your computer, it will also notify you with a pop-up alert from the systray at the\nlower-right corner of your screen. If your personal firewall or antivirus software is\nnot green, you should check the software to make sure it is running properly and\nhas current information for detecting the latest threats from the vendor.\nYou can use the links on the left of the screen to access more security informa-\ntion and resources from Microsoft.There is a link to get the latest virus and security\ninformation and also a link to access the Windows Update site to get the latest\npatches and updates for your computer.\nFigure 10.7 Options in the Windows XP Security Center \nwww.syngress.com\nKeeping Things Secure • Chapter 10\n163\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 191,
            "text": "Summary\nInstalling security software and configuring your computer to be more secure are\nboth valuable accomplishments. However, security is a process, not an event, and it\nrequires ongoing awareness and maintenance to keep your computer secure.\nIn this chapter you learned about some basic computer maintenance tasks such\nas Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter and how to erase your pagefile. Some of\nthese tasks are not directly related to security, but they do keep your system running\nsmoothly, which stops you from falsely believing your computer has been infected\nby malware.\nWe also talked about ensuring that you keep your computer patched and\nupdated.This applies not only to the operating system, but also to the other applica-\ntions that you use.You learned that most malware and other malicious attacks use\nexploits of known vulnerabilities and that by patching your computer you can pro-\ntect it from those attacks.\nLastly, we had a short overview of the Windows XP Security Center. We dis-\ncussed how the Security Center is a dashboard for monitoring the current state of\nsecurity on your computer and that it provides useful information and links to\nresources that you can use to keep your system secure.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on how to keep your computer\nsecure:\n■\nBradley,Tony. Automatically Erase Your Page File.About.com (http://netsecu-\nrity.about.com/od/windowsxp/qt/aa071004.htm).\n■\nDescription of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP. Microsoft.com\n(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312/).\n■\nHow to Defragment Your Disk Drive Volumes in Windows XP. Microsoft.com\n(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848/).\n■\nHow to Schedule Tasks in Windows XP. Microsoft.com\n(http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308569).\n■\nManage Your Computer’s Security Settings in One Place. Microsoft.com.August\n4, 2004 (www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/internet/sp2_\nwscintro.mspx ).\nwww.syngress.com\n164\nChapter 10 • Keeping Things Secure\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 192,
            "text": "When \nDisaster Strikes\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nCheck the Event Logs\n■\nEnable Security Auditing\n■\nReview Your Firewall Logs\n■\nScan Your Computer\n■\nRestore Your System\n■\nStart from Scratch\n■\nRestore Your Data\n■\nCall In the Pros\nChapter 11\n165\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 193,
            "text": "Introduction\nNo matter how much time, effort, and technology you put into securing your com-\nputer or network, it is almost inevitable that something will eventually infect your\nsystem or compromise your data.To minimize the impact that such events have on\nyou, it is important to take the proper steps to protect your data.\nThere are some steps you must take in advance if you want to be able to recover\nfrom a security incident, and others that you should take once you think your com-\nputer has been compromised in order to clean it up system and to get it back up\nand running as quickly as possible.\nCheck the Event Logs\nOne of the first places you should look if you suspect that something is amiss is the\nWindows Event Logs. Most users don’t even know that the Event Logs exist, and\neven those who do often forget to use them as a troubleshooting resource.\nThe Event Logs contain information and alerts regarding virtually any aspect of\nthe Windows operating system.There are different categories of Event Logs. Some\napplications add their own auditing and logging functionality into the Windows\nEvent Viewer, but by default the categories of logs are Application, Security, and\nSystem.\nTo access the Event Viewer, which lets you see the log entries, click Start |\nControl Panel | Administrative Tools | Event Viewer. If you click Security\nin the left pane, the entries for security events will appear in the right pane of the\nEvent Viewer console (see Figure 11.1).The Event Viewer Console displays the logs\nfor different categories of events, providing information about access, execution, and\nerrors, among other things.\nThe catch with logging in the Event Viewer, particularly when it comes to\nevents in the Security category, is that Windows will capture log data only for the\nevents it is configured to monitor. By default, none of the security event auditing is\nenabled in Windows XP Professional, but Windows XP Professional provides control\nover how event logging is done.\nwww.syngress.com\n166\nChapter 11 • When Disaster Strikes\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 194,
            "text": "Figure 11.1 The Event Viewer Console \nTools & Traps…\nSecurity Event Log in Windows XP Home\nUnlike Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home does not let you configure\nwhat events to monitor for the Security Event logs.\nWindows XP Home does audit and log security events, and you can view\nthem in the Event Viewer just as in Windows XP Professional. You just can’t cus-\ntomize which events to monitor and log.\nEnable Security Auditing\nTo enable Security event logging in Windows XP Professional, click Start |\nControl Panel | Administrative Tools | Local Security Policy. In the left\nwww.syngress.com\nWhen Disaster Strikes • Chapter 11\n167\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 195,
            "text": "pane of the Local Security Settings console, click the plus sign (+) next to Local\nPolicies, then click Audit Policy (see Figure 11.2).The Local Security Settings\nConsole allows you to specify various security policy options, including which secu-\nrity events to include in auditing and logging.\nFigure 11.2 The Local Security Settings Console \nFor each of the events listed in the right pane, you can configure Windows to\ndisable event auditing, audit successful events, audit failed events, or audit both suc-\ncess and failure events. For example, if you enable Success for Audit account logon\nevents, a log entry will be created each time an account logs onto the system suc-\ncessfully. If you enable Failure on the same setting, Windows will create a log entry\nevery time an account logon attempt fails.\nTools & Traps…\nControl Log File Size\nOne of the reasons for customizing which events to log is that the log data takes\nup space. If you log every event possible, you will impact system performance\nand hard drive space.\nYou can control how much space the event logs fill and how Windows han-\ndles writing events once the log is full by right-clicking the Event Viewer cate-\ngory in the left pane of the console and selecting Properties.\nIn the Properties box that appears, under the Log Size section, you can\nchoose a maximum size for the event logs and you can opt to overwrite events\nonce the space is full, overwrite only events older than a specified timeframe, or\nnever overwrite events. If you choose this last option, once the log fills up no\nevents will be written until you manually clear the logs.\nwww.syngress.com\n168\nChapter 11 • When Disaster Strikes\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 196,
            "text": "After a suspected attack or compromise of your computer, you can review the\nEvent Viewer Security logs for signs of suspicious or malicious behavior. Either\nSuccess or Failure alerts could provide useful information depending on the sce-\nnario. If you find Successful account logon entries at a time that you know for sure\nyou did not use your computer, it demonstrates that perhaps someone else has\ngotten your username and password. If you find Failure entries for account logon in\nthe Event Viewer, it shows you that an attacker has been attempting to gain access to\nyour system.These are examples of some entries that you might find suspicious and\nthat could help you determine if your system was compromised, and if so, identify\nwho, when, or how it happened.\nAt first you might think it makes sense that you would want to audit all events,\nSuccess and Failure.You have to keep in mind that the monitoring and logging of\neach and every event takes its toll on the computer processor and uses memory\nresources, impacting the overall performance of the computer.Also, the log data takes\nup space on the hard drive. Logging every single event may cause your log data file\nto quickly fill up or grow larger than you can effectively manage.\nThe trick is to find a good balance between monitoring and logging the events\nthat will be most useful in identifying issues without affecting system performance\nor filling your hard drive. For home users, we recommend that you configure Audit\nPolicy to monitor and log the Security events shown in Table 11.1.\nTable 11.1 Security Events\nAudit Policy\nNo Auditing\nSuccess\nFailure\nAudit account logon events\nX\nX\nAudit account management\nX\nAudit directory service access\nX\nAudit logon events\nX\nAudit object access\nX\nAudit policy change\nX\nAudit privilege use\nX\nAudit process tracking\nX\nAudit system events\nX\nX\nwww.syngress.com\nWhen Disaster Strikes • Chapter 11\n169\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 197,
            "text": "Review Your Firewall Logs\nIf you don’t find any evidence of suspicious or malicious activity in the Event\nViewer logs, you can take a look at the logs for your personal firewall software.\nAdmittedly, the information is more cryptic than most home users will be able to\nunderstand, but with a little bit of effort and maybe a few Google searches, you\nmight be able to weed out specific log entries that help identify where or how a\nproblem originated.\nIf you are using the Windows Firewall, logging will need to be enabled just like\nthe Security event logging.To turn on logging for the Windows Firewall, click Start\n| Control Panel | Security Center, and then click the Windows Firewall link at\nthe bottom of the Security Center console.\nIn the Windows Firewall properties console, click Advanced, then select\nSettings (next to Security Logging) to open the Log Settings window. On the Log\nSettings window, you can choose to log dropped packets and/or successful connec-\ntions.You can specify what the log file should be called, where you want it to be\nlocated, and what the maximum size is before it begins to overwrite itself (see Figure\n11.3).\nFigure 11.3 The Windows Firewall Log Settings \nThe resulting log file generated by the Windows Firewall is simply a TXT file\nthat can be viewed in Notepad or any other text editor program.The information\nprovided includes the time and date of the log entry, source IP address and port, des-\ntination IP address and port, the protocol being used, and some advanced informa-\ntion that is typically blank in the logs anyway. Because the information is in a TXT\nfile, the columns don’t line up well and it can be difficult to match up the informa-\ntion with the column it belongs in. Other personal firewall software, such as the per-\nsonal firewall component of Trend Micro’s PC-cillin Security Suite (see Figure 11.4),\nwww.syngress.com\n170\nChapter 11 • When Disaster Strikes\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 198,
            "text": "provides a more graphical log viewer that makes it easier to tell which information\nbelongs in which column.\nFigure 11.4 The Trend Micro PC-cillin Personal Firewall \nThe firewall logs typically show the source and destination IP address and the\nsource and destination port for traffic to or from your computer. Some personal fire-\nwalls provide more details, such as what network protocol is being used, the applica-\ntion generating the traffic, or a description of what the potential issue is.\nAs I stated, this information is more complex and confusing than most home\nusers will be able to handle. However, you may be able to isolate specific traffic that\nseems suspicious based on the application being used or the time of day the log\nentries were made; this information may help you determine how or when your\ncomputer became infected or compromised.\nScan Your Computer\nScanning through firewall logs or reviewing entries in the Windows Event Viewer\nmay both be too technical for an average user. If analyzing log data seems more\ninvolved or complex than you would like, you probably should start by scanning\nyour system using your antivirus and/or antispyware software.\nwww.syngress.com\nWhen Disaster Strikes • Chapter 11\n171\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 199,
            "text": "If you notice that your system is acting weird or is unusually slow, or you just\nhave reason to suspect that something isn’t quite right, run a manual virus and spy-\nware scan of your computer (see Figure 11.5).You should be aware up front that full\nsystem scans generally take quite a while to complete and that they are very\nmemory- and processor-intensive. In other words, you should plan on taking a\ncoffee break or something while the scan is running because it will probably be dif-\nficult to do anything productive with the computer during this time.\nFigure 11.5 Running a Full Manual Scan of Your Computer with Your\nAntivirus Software \nBefore you even start running a virus or spyware scan, verify that you have the\nmost current version of the virus or spyware signatures from your software vendor.\nThere is no point in scanning your system with information from last week if the\nmalware that compromised your machine was just discovered yesterday.\nIn some cases, you actually may want to reboot the computer into Safe Mode in\norder to execute the scan.The reason is that some malware can hijack or shut down\nprocesses that your antivirus or antispyware software needs to do the scan.There are\nalso some malware threats that are tenacious and can’t be removed or cleaned up\nwhile they are still running in memory. Booting the computer into Safe Mode\nallows only the bare minimum processes to run, which blocks malware that is pro-\ngrammed to run at Startup from being able to start.\nwww.syngress.com\n172\nChapter 11 • When Disaster Strikes\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 200,
            "text": "Restore Your System\nWindows XP does provide a very useful feature when it comes to troubleshooting\nand repairing issues with the computer system.The System Restore feature lets you\nessentially go back in time to when the computer was still running smooth and\nhappy. If you know approximately when you started noticing issues with your com-\nputer or when you think your computer may have become infected, you can simply\nrevert to an earlier system restore point to undo the damage.\nClick Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System\nRestore to open the System Restore console.You can use the System Restore con-\nsole either to return your system to a previous state or to mark a new system restore\npoint (see Figure 11.6). Installing new software in Windows generally creates a new\nsystem restore point automatically, but you can also manually create a system restore\npoint before you make configuration changes as a safety net to let you undo your\nchanges if something goes wrong.\nFigure 11.6 The System Restore Console \nIf you click Restore my computer to an earlier time and then click Next,\nthe System Restore utility will display a calendar.The days that have system restore\npoints saved will be bold.You can click a date, then select the system restore point\nyou want to use and click Next.\nwww.syngress.com\nWhen Disaster Strikes • Chapter 11\n173\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 201,
            "text": "The final screen warns you that Windows will shut down and reboot as a part of\nthe System Restore process, and that any programs you have installed since the\nsystem restore point was created will be lost. It also reassures you that any data files\nwill be retained though, so you won’t lose Word documents or Quicken financial\ndata by reverting to a previous system restore point.\nStart from Scratch\nIf your computer is in fact infected or compromised in any way, hopefully your\nsecurity software, such as antivirus and antispyware applications, will be able to iden-\ntify and remove the problem. Depending on the threat, though, simply “cleaning up”\nmay not be sufficient.\nAre You Owned?\nBooting into Safe Mode\nMany malware programs embed themselves in Windows to automatically start\nbacking up each time you reboot your computer. Sometimes your security soft-\nware will be unable to remove a worm or spyware threat that is already running,\nand because the malware starts itself back up each time you boot the computer,\nyou end up stuck in a vicious circle.\nTo start Windows without starting the malware process, boot into Safe\nMode. To boot your computer into Safe Mode, you should restart the system and\npress the F8 key repeatedly to bring up the boot menu. Technically, you should\npress F8 when the screen displays the “Starting Windows…” message, but that\nappears and disappears so quickly that it is hard to get the timing right.\nSelect Safe Mode from the menu and press Enter to complete the boot\nprocess. Once you are done working in Safe Mode, just restart and let the com-\nputer boot into Windows normally.\nFor the majority of viruses, worms, and spyware, simply detecting and removing\nthe malware are all that is needed. However, once a system is infiltrated it is some-\ntimes difficult to tell exactly what has or has not been compromised.Your antivirus\nsoftware may remove the detected malware, but fail to recognize backdoor or rootkit\nsoftware left behind by the attacker.\nIf you are not confident that your computer is completely free of malware\nthreats and that no malicious applications are still lingering on your computer,\nwww.syngress.com\n174\nChapter 11 • When Disaster Strikes\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 202,
            "text": "allowing an attacker to access or control your computer, you should consider simply\nstarting over. Make sure you have backed up your personal data, and then simply\nreinstall the Windows operating system from scratch.\nBefore you blow away your computer system, you should make sure you have at\nleast Service Pack 2 available on a CD so that you can install it without having to\nconnect to the Internet. Once you reinstall the operating system, you will need to\nvisit the Windows Update Web site or use Automatic Updates to get caught up on\nvulnerability patching again.\nRestore Your Data\nAs a matter of regular system maintenance and data protection, you should be\nbacking up your personal or critical data on a regular basis. Only you can decide\nhow often is good enough. For a small business, backing up daily to ensure customer\ndata and transactions are protected may make sense. But, if you are a home user who\ncares about protecting only your personal financial information and you only do\nyour bills monthly, a monthly backup may suffice.\nRegardless, it is critical that you back up your data. It is an area where Murphy’s\nLaw is almost guaranteed to bite you. If you back up your data, you will probably\nnever need it. But, if you do not back up your data, you are inviting catastrophe to\nstrike and it is only a matter of time before some malware or just a plain, old-fash-\nioned hard drive failure wipes your data out.\nFor the sake of argument, we’ll assume that you have been backing up your data\non a regular basis.You might be using a third-party backup product such as Backup\nFor One or WinBackup, or you might be using the built-in backup utility that\ncomes with Windows XP (see Figure 11.7). Whatever method you have used, you\nwill need to follow the vendor instructions for restoring your backed-up data once\nyou complete the fresh installation of your operating system.\nCall In the Pros\nBetween System Restore or simply reinstalling the operating system and restoring\nyour data from backup, most home users ought to be able to remove or undo what-\never program or configuration change is causing the problem and get back to using\nthe computer.\nwww.syngress.com\nWhen Disaster Strikes • Chapter 11\n175\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 203,
            "text": "Figure 11.7 The Built-in Backup Utility in Windows XP \nFor businesses however, there may be other legal implications involved.\nBusinesses may be governed by a variety of computer security regulatory require-\nments, which dictate how customer or financial data must be stored and protected\nand what to do if you suspect that data may have been compromised.\nFor small office / home office computers that you suspect may be infected or\ncompromised in some way, you should seek professional help to make sure that laws\nare followed and that all proper steps are taken to clean the system, collect evidence\nto identify the attacker, and notify any customers whose personal or confidential data\nmay have been compromised.\nSummary\nIf you have followed the advice in the rest of the book, you would hopefully not\nneed to worry about a disaster. But, even with the best of security, it is entirely pos-\nsible that your computer may someday become infected or compromised by mal-\nware or an attack of some sort.\nThis chapter walked you through some of the steps you can take to identify and\nremove any threats from your computer when an attack or security breach occurs.\nYou learned how to configure and use the Windows Event Viewer to review\nSecurity logs and how to analyze your personal firewall logs for signs of intrusions or\nsuspicious activity.\nThe chapter also discussed running a manual scan of your computer for viruses,\nspyware, or other malware, including how to do so in Safe Mode for particularly\ntenacious threats.You also learned that you can use System Restore to go back in\ntime to undo problems, although sometimes it is best simply to reinstall the oper-\nwww.syngress.com\n176\nChapter 11 • When Disaster Strikes\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 204,
            "text": "ating system and restore your personal data in order to be completely sure that your\ncomputer is clean and safe.\nLastly, we talked about calling for professional help, especially in the case of a\nbusiness where private or personally identifiable customer information may have\nbeen compromised. Businesses are governed by a variety of computer security regu-\nlations that dictate how security breaches should be handled.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following resources provide more information on topics covered in this chapter:\n■\nBackup for One. Lockstep Systems, Inc. (www.backup-for-\none.com/index.html).\n■\nBradley,Tony. How to Configure the Windows XP Firewall. About.com.\n(http://netsecurity.about.com/od/securingwindowsxp/qt/aaqtwinfirewall.h\ntm).\n■\nBradley,Tony. How to Enable Security Auditing in Windows XP Pro. About.com\n(http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/tutorials/ht/ht040503.htm).\n■\nHow to restore the operating system to a previous state in Windows XP.\nMicrosoft.com. (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306084/EN-US/).\n■\nHow to use Backup to restore files and folders on your computer in Windows XP.\nMicrosoft.com.\n(http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;%5Bln%5D;309340).\n■\nTo Start the Computer in Safe Mode. Microsoft’s Windows XP Professional\nProduct Documentation.\n(www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/prod-\ndocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx?mfr=true).\n■\nWinBackup. Uniblue Systems Ltd. (www.liutilities.com/products/win-\nbackup/).\nwww.syngress.com\nWhen Disaster Strikes • Chapter 11\n177\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 205,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 206,
            "text": "Microsoft\nAlternatives: Inside\nthe Linux Desktop \nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nCommon Desktop Environments\n■\nX Window Servers, and Window Managers \n■\nE-Mail and Personal Information\nManagement Clients\n■\nWeb Browsers\n■\nOffice Application Suites\n■\nRunning Windows Applications on Linux\nChapter 12\n179\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Additional Resources\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 207,
            "text": "Introduction\nThe primary focus of this book has been on how to secure and protect computers\nthat are running Microsoft operating systems, specifically Windows XP.Although\nyou won’t typically find them preinstalled on the computer system you buy at the\nlocal electronics retail giant, there are alternatives out there. Microsoft has taken a lot\nof heat for the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in its software security, and it is a\nfavorite target of attackers. Some security experts suggest simply using other prod-\nucts such as a version of the Linux operating system.\nWhen it comes to discussing Linux, most end users are not very interested in\nwhat vendors or consultants focus on (i.e., the advantages that appeal to the “pro-\npeller head”).The tech set focuses on selling points such as system stability, the possi-\nbility of enhanced security, and the fact that Linux can save companies money on\nlicensing.\nHowever, most end users simply care about their desktop experiences. Users\nstate that they want a desktop that is “intuitive” and “easy to understand.” What they\nare implying, however, is that they want a desktop similar to what they already know.\nOne of the things that Microsoft and Apple have done admirably is to convince end\nusers that their interfaces have always been intuitive and easy to use, even though\nthese companies have changed these interfaces radically over the last 10 years.\nEnd users want to know how to access productivity applications once they have\nlogged on.They want to know how to locate files on the hard drive and open them\nwith the proper application.They really tend to care very little about anything else.\nSo, in this chapter, you will learn about choosing the proper desktop environ-\nment and window manager.You will learn which e-mail, personal information man-\nagement (PIM) and Web browser applications are optimal for to migrating from\napplications such as Outlook, Outlook Express, and Internet Explorer. Because you\nwant to open Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files, you will need to know the ideal\nLinux office suite, as well as additional open-source solutions. By the end of this\nchapter, you will know how to ensure that you will be able to remain productive on\nyour desktop.\nCommon Desktop Environments\nAt one time, UNIX versions (like other operating systems of the day) did not have a\ngraphical user interface (GUI). By the time Macintosh and Windows appeared,\nUNIX systems had become somewhat obscure to the average end user.\nwww.syngress.com\n180\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 208,
            "text": "With the increasing popularity of Linux, questions such as whether Linux uses\nthe command line are becoming less common. Still, one of the first tasks end users\nface is choosing the right desktop environment.\nYou will want to choose a desktop that you consider:\n■\nEasy to use (and easy to learn)\n■\nEasy to customize\n■\nEasy to upgrade\nOf course,“easy” is a relative term, but you will have to consider the relative\nbenefits and drawbacks of the most common desktop environments. Remember,\nwith any UNIX-based operating system, there is more than one way to do anything.\nYou should get information from consultants who will provide you with a manage-\nable set of choices.Ask consultants to justify the environments that they recommend\nto you.\nThe most common desktop environments are Gnome (www.gnome.org) and\nKDE (www.kde.org).Additional environments exist, including the Common\nDesktop Environment (CDE) and Xfce. In the following sections of this chapter, we\ndiscuss each of these environments. We have one caveat for you, however: Please do\nnot think that we are partial to any one of these desktops over the other. We prefer\nan environment provided by the Blackbox window manager, mostly because the\ninterface is cleaner and does not imitate the Windows desktop. Making the “right”\nchoice of a desktop environment depends on various factors.\nAvoid becoming a victim of the “Gnome versus KDE” wars. Have a consultant\nshow you various desktop environments.Take a “test drive.” Only then will you be\nable to make a relatively informed choice. So, as you read on, consider the relative\nstrengths and weaknesses of each environment.\nGnome\nThe Gnome desktop was developed by The GNU Project (www.gnu.org), which is\nresponsible for developing a wide array of software for various platforms, including\nWindows, Linux, and Macintosh. Figure 12.1 shows the Gnome desktop on a Red\nHat Linux system.\nUnderstand, however, that the desktop shown in Figure 12.1 represents default\nsettings. It is possible to customize your desktop so that it appears significantly dif-\nferent. Gnome offers users the following benefits:\n■\nIt is associated with The GNU Project (www.gnu.org). Consequently,\nGnome is licensed under GNU’s General Public License (GPL), which\nensures that the code is created by open-source, freely available technology.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n181\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 209,
            "text": "Figure 12.1 The Gnome Desktop Environment\n■\nMany applications are written to Gnome or use Gnome libraries. Gnome\nprides itself in being the desktop environment that welcomes diverse devel-\nopment environments, including C, C++,Tcl/Tk, and Python. Gnome’s\nuse of the GPL is also a contributing factor to the sheer diversity of appli-\ncations available to Gnome.\n■\nThe code is reviewed by the same team that works on projects such as\nGnuPG (essentially open-source PGP) and many other applications.\n■\nGnome desktop developers have taken special steps to make sure that\nGnome is accessible by the disabled.\n■\nIf you want to use applications such as Galeon, Evolution, and\nGnomeMeeting, you might want to consider using Gnome as the default\ndesktop.\n■\nGnome is often considered cleaner because, by default, it provides fewer\noptions.\nThe Gnome desktop often does not appear as tightly integrated as KDE’s\ndesktop. Moreover, Gnome applications have traditionally been produced at a slower\nrate than KDE applications. However, many vendors have adopted Gnome because\nwww.syngress.com\n182\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 210,
            "text": "of its association with GNU, which means that the software is more likely to remain\nopen source.To learn more about Gnome, go to www.gnome.org.\nKDE\nFor many, KDE appears to be the most similar to the Windows environment. Figure\n12.2 shows the KDE environment in a Red Hat Linux system.\nFigure 12.2 Using KDE\nCompare Figure 12.2 with Figure 12.1.As you can see, Red Hat took special\npains to make both interfaces look remarkably similar.This does not have to be the\ncase. KDE offers the following benefits:\n■\nApplications are tightly integrated.You can tell that the people who devel-\noped KDE set out from the start to design a desktop with a logical flow\nand a coherent organization. End users often feel that a KDE desktop pro-\nvides access to more applications more quickly.\n■\nThe KDE desktop provides well-written applications that allow you to\nconfigure networking easily.\n■\nIf you like applications such as KMail and Konqueror, you might want to\nmake KDE the default desktop.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n183\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 211,
            "text": "One of the drawbacks of the KDE environment is that it tends not to invite\ndiverse development, as does Gnome.Therefore, you may not find as many KDE-\ncompatible applications as in Gnome. KDE is based on the Qt GUI toolkit, and as a\nresult, it was not based on GNU’s GPL.This is no longer the case. Nevertheless, this\nhistory caused many developers to adopt Gnome, at least throughout the 1990s. In\naddition, there is a general perception that KDE runs slower than Gnome. Personally,\nwe have found that both KDE and Gnome run slowly, compared with more Spartan\nenvironments, such as Blackbox, which is discussed later in this chapter.\nNotes from the Underground…\nAvoiding Controversy\nIn some ways, we wish we hadn’t discussed Gnome and KDE in terms of “bene-\nfits and drawbacks.” Discussing KDE and Gnome tends to make people get quite\npassionate very quickly. You will have to determine the best environment for your\nown situation. Make sure that any consultants you speak with are ready to jus-\ntify their recommendations based on solid business reasons, and not necessarily\non their own personal preferences. \nCommon Features\nBoth Gnome and KDE have the following priorities:\n■\nEase of use and customization\n■\nSupport for multiple languages\nBoth Gnome and KDE support Windows-like menus. Experienced Windows\nusers should feel comfortable quite quickly, as long as they know where to access\nthe applications they need. Both KDE and Gnome include their own versions of\nthe “Start” application dialog box, which allows end users to launch applications\nthat do not reside on the menu.Again, the best strategy for you is to experience\nboth environments.\nBecause both KDE and Gnome pride themselves in providing a full GUI envi-\nronment, they can run quite slowly. Many people seem to have access to powerful,\nmodern computers, so this is often not an issue.\nwww.syngress.com\n184\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 212,
            "text": "Install Both, Make One the Default\nIf disk space permits, install both Gnome and KDE.Then choose the desktop you\nwant to use by default. Consequently, you can have access to both KDE and Gnome\napplications in either environment. Not every Gnome application is compatible in\nKDE, and vice versa. However, compatibility problems are increasingly rare.\nConduct research about additional desktop environments and how to choose\nthem.This way, you will be empowered to choose and customize your desktop\nenvironment.\nAlternative Window Managers\nThe Xfce desktop environment was designed to run on any UNIX system,\nincluding Linux. It is also designed to be compatible with both Gnome and KDE.\nOne of the features special to Xfce is that it supports “drag-and-drop” file manage-\nment more completely than its competitors do. For more information on Xfce, go\nto www.xfce.org.\nAnother alternative desktop environment is the Common Desktop Environment\n(CDE), which was developed by a team composed of employees from HP, Novell,\nSun, and IBM. Sun Solaris systems have traditionally shipped with CDE. It is not a\ncommon window manager. For more information about CDE, go to\nwwws.sun.com/software/solaris/cde/.\nThe X Window \nSystem and Window Managers\nThe X Window system was designed to provide a standards-based GUI environ-\nment.Thus, a developer who wants to create an X Window server simply needs to\nread common standards. He or she can then create applications that conform to\nthose standards.\nThe X environment was designed from the beginning to be network compat-\nible, meaning that it is possible to run an X Window session over the network.\nConsequently, using the X Window environment, you can connect to a remote\nsystem’s X Window server to control it as if you were sitting directly in front of the\nremote system.\nAn X Window server is responsible for making sure that the GUI environment\nis available.This environment is most often made available to the local system, but it\ncan also be made available to remote systems.Thus, whenever you log on to the\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n185\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 213,
            "text": "Gnome or KDE environment, you are running an X Window session.The Gnome\nor KDE environment is simply a client to the local system.\nTwo primary implementations of the X Window environment exist:\n■\nX.org The X Window server used by the majority of Linux distributions,\nbecause it conforms to the GPL.\n■\nXFree86 Until roughly 2002, the default X Window server software for\nmost platforms. However, XFree86 adopted a new license, dropping the\nGPL.As a result, many vendors and developers began supporting the X.org\nserver.\nFigure 12.3 shows the X.org Web site.\nFigure 12.3 The X.org Web Site\nX Window Servers versus Window Managers\nA window manager mediates between the X server and the desktop environment. It\nis responsible for managing window toolbars and menus. It is also responsible for\ndetermining the position of applications as they are launched. Commonly used\nwindow managers include:\n■\nMetacity The default window manager for Gnome desktops, after version\n8.0.\n■\nSawfish The default window manager for Gnome versions 8.0 and older.\nwww.syngress.com\n186\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 214,
            "text": "■\nKWin The default window manager for KDE.\n■\nTab Window Manager (TWB) An older window manager designed to\nprovide only the necessary elements for a desktop. Often used during\nremote X sessions to ensure maximum compatibility with systems that may\nnot have more ambitious window managers installed.\n■\nEnlightenment At one time, Enlightenment was meant to be an upgrade\nto FVWM. For some time, however, it has been an independent project.\nYou can learn more about Enlightenment at www.enlightenment.org.\n■\nFVWM The latest version of FVWM is FVWM2, available at\nwww.fvwm.org.\n■\nAfterSTEP You can learn more about AfterSTEP at www.afterstep.org.\n■\nWindowMaker You can learn more about WindowMaker at www.win-\ndowmaker.org.\n■\nBlackbox Some support for KDE, but does not officially support Gnome.\nYou can obtain Blackbox at http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net.\nAt least a dozen window managers exist. Choose a window manager that makes\nsense to you. If you expect a full KDE environment that most closely imitates\nWindows, then you will want to use KWin. If you want a simpler desktop, you\ncould use WindowMaker or Blackbox. If you want a desktop that appears exactly\nlike a Macintosh system, then choose Metacity. For more information about window\nmanagers, go to www.xwinman.org.\nTools & Traps…\nDesktop Environment, X Window Server, \nWindow Manager . . . What’s the Difference?\nYou may not understand the difference between desktop environments, X\nWindow servers, and window managers. Here is a brief discussion of each.\nA desktop environment such as Gnome is not the same thing as a window\nmanager. A desktop environment includes many features, such as configuration\napplications (for example, yast/yast2 for SUSE Linux, or draconf for Mandrake\nLinux) and default applications (for example, word processors, FTP applications,\nand calculators). A desktop environment includes a window manager. Without\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n187\nContinued\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 215,
            "text": "the desktop environment, you would have a “bare bones” graphical environment\nthat would alienate most users accustomed to Windows.\nAn X Window server acts as the foundation of a Linux GUI. It is responsible\nfor providing the fonts, and the networking capability. Without the X Window\nserver, you would not be able to have a GUI.\nA window manager is a client to the X Window server (for example, one\nfrom X.org, or from the XFree86 organization). It works behind the scenes, and\nis responsible for the look and feel of desktop windows, including the appear-\nance of toolbars and menus. A window manager controls how menus appear on\nyour desktop, too. If you can access a Linux system, begin an X Window session\nand then launch any application. Look at the title bar to the application. Notice\nhow the application is launched into a certain portion of the screen (for example,\nin the center, or to the left). Use your mouse’s right and left buttons. These ele-\nments are all controlled by your window manager. Without a window manager,\nthe content served up by the X Window server would be incoherent, and would\nnot have a common theme.\nWindow Managers \nas Alternative Desktop Environments\nYou are not limited to Gnome, KDE, CDE, and XFCE.Alternatives to the Blackbox\nwindow manager are shown in Figure 12.4. Blackbox is quite different from both\nGnome and KDE. For example, it does not have Windows-like menus or taskbars. In\naddition, Blackbox is a window manager, and not simply a desktop environment.\nFigure 12.4 The Blackbox Environment\n188\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 216,
            "text": "You simply right-click on the desktop to make the menu appear.You can then\nselect the applications you want to run. One of the benefits of an environment like\nBlackbox is that it is less resource intensive, and thus loads faster. We prefer speed in\nany case, mostly because we do not have the money to purchase a new system each\ntime a Gnome or KDE developer introduces a new process-hungry GUI feature.\nNotes from the Underground…\nWhat Do You Want?\nWhen migrating from Windows to Linux desktops, you need to consider the fol-\nlowing points:\n1. Identify your needs. Determine the services that you want. Create a\ndetailed list of your needs. Present your needs to a consultant and\nask him or her to determine right away if an open-source alternative\nexists. If Linux is not part of that solution, do not let a consultant try\nto force-fit Linux into your environment. If you do, you will end up a\ndisgruntled customer.\n2. Identify solutions. Make sure you find a consultant who under-\nstands the open-source choices that exist. Be sure the consultant has\nknowledge about the latest solutions. Frequently visit sites such as\nFreshmeat (www.freshmeat.net), SourceForge\n(www.sourceforge.net), and even Slashdot (www.slashdot.org) to\nremain informed concerning the latest software developments.\n3. Fulfill your needs. Meet with a consultant who uses Linux-based\napplications to create feasible, workable solutions that enable you to\naccess the desired services and obtain the desired information with\nminimal retraining. Make sure that your consultant has run an exten-\nsive test deployment to ensure that a solution truly meets your needs.\nAnother step includes conducting a final acceptance test. You will\nwant to have a “grace period” so that you can determine if a solution\nis working properly. Finally, make sure that you receive proper training\nfrom a consultant so that you understand the solution.\nEven the most experienced consultants have failed to please their customers\nat one point or another. Avoid being disappointed by a consultant by making\nsure you follow the preceding three steps.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n189\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 217,
            "text": "E-mail and Personal \nInformation Management Clients\nE-mail and PIM have become closely related, because most people communicate\ntheir availability through e-mail these days.This section discusses e-mail and PIM\nsoftware that will help you remain organized, even without Outlook.\nIt has been our experience that most end users think Outlook is e-mail. Many\npeople don’t realize that they are simply using an application to send and get their e-\nmail. So even if you you no longer use Outlook or Outlook Express, you still can\nuse e-mail.\nIf you aren’t sure how e-mail exists outside of Outlook or Outlook Express, read\nthe following sections.There is certainly no shortage of e-mail applications in the\nLinux space. Commonly used e-mail applications include:\n■\nEvolution\n■\nKDE Suite/KMail\n■\nMozilla mail/Thunderbird\n■\nAethera\n■\nSylpheed\nEvolution\nEvolution is Gnome’s default mail and PIM client. KMail and Evolution will run in\nany window manager you decide to use.They will also run inside the KDE, Gnome,\nor Blackbox environments. Figure 12.5 shows the Evolution e-mail interface. From\nhere, you can send and receive e-mail.\nEvolution stores its files in the mbox format. If your username is james, look for\ne-mail in the directory /home/james/evolution/local, which contains directories for\nall of your mail folders. Inside each folder you will find a file called mbox, which is\nyour mail in mbox format.\nEvolution also has PIM features, including the calendaring feature shown in\nFigure 12.6.\nwww.syngress.com\n190\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 218,
            "text": "Figure 12.5 Evolution and the E-mail Interface\nFigure 12.6 Evolution Showing the Calendaring Interface\nBenefits of using Evolution include:\n■\nIt is developed by Novell, a company with a history of developing a solid\ncustomer base.\n■\nIt will run on any common window manager (for example, KDE or\nGnome).\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n191\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 219,
            "text": "■\nIt is designed to work with common groupware servers, such as Microsoft\nExchange.\nEvolution, Microsoft Exchange,\nNovell GroupWise, and OpenExchange\nEvolution is unique in that it works well with servers created by other vendors. For\nexample, Evolution’s Connector for Microsoft Exchange allows you to take advan-\ntage of all features provided by Exchange. Similarly, plug-ins for Evolution allow it to\nact as a client for Novell GroupWise and Novell’s OpenExchange servers.You can\nlearn more about Evolution at www.novell.com/products/evolution.\nKDE Suite/KMail\nKDE’s default mail client is called KMail. It can either be run by itself or built into\nKontact, which makes it look more like Outlook. In KMail and most other mail\nclients, all your mail will end up in your home directory in a folder called Mail\nunless you are running IMAP. Inside your /home/user_name/Mail folder are all of\nyour mail files such as inbox, trash, sent, drafts, and so forth. Copy the files over and\nmake sure you set permissions correctly so that you have sole read and write permis-\nsions on them.Your Mail folder should look something like this:\nls -lh /home/james/Mail \ntotal 11M\n-rw------- 1 james james 0 Aug 20 19:51 drafts\n-rw------- 1 james james 11M Aug 20 19:51 inbox\n-rw------- 1 james james 0 Aug 20 19:51 outbox\n-rw------- 1 james james 26K Aug 13 19:04 sent-mail\n-rw------- 1 james james 0 May 17 18:32 trash\nFigure 12.7 shows the KMail application.\nKontact\nKontact is essentially KMail on steroids. It allows you to connect to the following\ngroupware servers:\nwww.syngress.com\n192\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 220,
            "text": "Figure 12.7 KMail\n■\nMicrosoft Exchange Currently, Kontact supports Microsoft Exchange\n2000 only. For more information, go to www.microsoft.com.\n■\nNovell GroupWise Currently, Kontact supports version 6.5. For more\ninformation, go to www.novell.com.\n■\neGroupWare A PHP-based groupware application designed by and for\nthe open-source community, eGroupWare runs on Linux servers. For more\ninformation, go to www.egroupware.org.\n■\nThe Kolab project Kolab is a groupware server first established by the\nGerman government. For more information, go to www.bsi.bund.de.\nThus, KMail is a competitor (or should we say, kompetitor?) to Evolution.You\ncan learn more about Kontact at www.kontact.org.\nAethera\nLike Evolution,Aethera is an e-mail application with bundled PIM software, and it is\nlicensed under the GPL. However,Aethera is designed to support only the Kolab\ngroupware server as of this writing. Figure 12.8 shows Aethera’s calendaring feature.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n193\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 221,
            "text": "Figure 12.8 Aethera’s Calendaring Feature\nAethera is a GPL application, and is considered quite reliable. However, its lim-\nited groupware support may be a problem for those companies that do not want to\nmigrate to a Kolab server.You can learn more about Aethera at\nwww.thekompany.com/projects/aethera/index.php3.\nMozilla Mail/Thunderbird\nMozilla Mail, shown in Figure 12.9, is bundled in with the Mozilla Web browser and\nComposer, a GUI HTML editor. Mozilla Mail is a capable e-mail client, and sup-\nports SMTP, POP3, and IMAP.\nFigure 12.9 Mozilla Mail\n194\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 222,
            "text": "Mozilla Mail is extremely common, and it is a stable product. Because it is bun-\ndled with an HTML editor and a browser, it is a perfect recommendation for com-\npanies that want an integrated suite. Many companies will find that their end users\ncan take advantage of the HTML editor, and the Web browser.You can learn more\nabout Mozilla Mail at www.mozilla.org. We also discuss Mozilla Mail in the section\nof this chapter titled “Migrating Mail.”\nThunderbird\nEven though Thunderbird is also created by the developers at Mozilla.org, it uses\ndifferent code than Mozilla Mail does.Thus,Thunderbird deserves to be treated as a\ndifferent application. Figure 12.10 shows the Thunderbird application.\nFigure 12.10 Thunderbird Application\nThunderbird does not support groupware servers, loads fast, and has a small foot-\nprint, making it ideal for those who need a stand-alone e-mail application.You can\nlearn more about Thunderbird at www.mozilla.org.\nSylpheed\nSylpheed, shown in Figure 12.11, is one of many e-mail applications that exist in the\nmarket. It does not have groupware or scheduling features. However, it does one\nthing quite well: it supports PGP and GPG.Although many clients say that they sup-\nport PGP and GPG, few work as well as Sylpheed.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n195\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 223,
            "text": "Figure 12.11 Sylpheed\nThus, if you need to use PGP or GPG, consider Sylpheed.To learn more about\nSylpheed, go to http://sylpheed.good-day.net. Sylpheed’s creators have focused on\nmaking sure that it supports IPv6, which is the next version of IP, designed to\nimprove security.\nEssential Information\nNo matter what client you plan to use, you will need the following information:\n■\nThe SMTP server name or IP address\n■\nThe POP3 or IMAP server name or IP address\n■\nUser authentication information (for example, username and password)\nTake the time to write down this information so that it is handy.As you conduct\na migration, you will not want to repeat this information constantly to those who\nare helping you.\nE-mail and PIM Software\nDon’t think that you have to receive just one recommendation from a consultant for\ne-mail or a PIM application. In many cases, you may have to install multiple applica-\ntions to get what you want. For example, you may need to use Evolution to connect\nto your company’s Exchange server and use your calendars, but use KMail in order\nwww.syngress.com\n196\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 224,
            "text": "to use your Internet e-mail. It is more likely, however, that you will want to stan-\ndardize to use of one application.\nIf you preferred Outlook, you will probably prefer Evolution. If you already use\nthe Windows Mozilla/Netscape/Thunderbird variants, you will find it very easy to\nmake a transition over to their Linux counterparts. If you are still using Eudora, you\nwill likely choose KMail, as it has a relatively similar look and feel.All these applica-\ntions are all quite stable and feature rich.\nMigrating Mail\nIf you are using something other than Outlook for your mail, you may not have to\nconvert your e-mail format, as your mail is most likely already in an mbox format.\nHowever, if you are using Outlook, you have to convert the format in which your\nmail is stored.There are five ways to do this. We will start with the easiest, and move\nto the “if all else fails” way last. Depending on the version of client that is in use, you\nmight have to upgrade before you can move the mail.This part of the migration can\ntake a long time per person if you need to migrate thousands of e-mails per client.\nOne of the best ways to ensure that you have time for a proper migration is to\nplan a staged migration, which involves using multiple applications to convert your\ne-mail.You may find that you cannot export mail directly from a Windows e-mail\napplication and then import it into a Linux application.You will find that you must\nfirst export e-mail into an intermediary e-mail client that can then export your e-\nmail into the format required by the e-mail application you want to use.\nNow, let’s look at the steps necessary when migrating from Outlook and\nOutlook Express.\nMigrating from Outlook or Outlook Express\nThe first step is to back up your e-mail in case you have any problems. In Outlook,\nyou want to export your e-mail messages to a single .pst file.This step is done by\nclicking on File | Import and Export to bring up the Import and Export Wizard\ndialog box.You then select Export to a file, as shown in Figure 12.12.\nAfter clicking Next, choose Personal Folder File (.pst).Then, select the top\nof the tree by clicking on Personal Folders and make sure to select the check box\nInclude all subfolders. Make sure that you remember where you save the\nbackup.pst file.As you save the file, do not export your backup using any encryp-\ntion, compression, or password protection. If you do, the import process will fail.You\ncan now import the file into Mozilla.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n197\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 225,
            "text": "Figure 12.12 The Microsoft Outlook Import and Export Wizard Window\nImporting Outlook Mail into Mozilla\nNow, install Mozilla on the Windows desktop system. Make sure you select Mozilla\nand not Firefox or Thunderbird for this step, even if you do not plan to run Mozilla\nat the end of the process.\nFirst, install Mozilla and select Complete when asked which components you\nwant to install.You do not need to tell the system to make Mozilla the default\nbrowser or e-mail client. Once it’s installed, start Mozilla and click on\nWindows|Mail & Newsgroups.You do not need to fill in the settings in the\naccount wizard that will pop up.You can import these into Mozilla from Outlook if\nyou’re so inclined; it will appear as a second account.\nOnce you have the account set up you need to import the old mail out of\nOutlook into Mozilla. Now, do the same for the settings and the address book. If\nyou prefer, you can just export the address book in .csv format from Outlook or\nOutlook Express and import it into Mozilla the same way as the mail.\nTo do so, click Tools|Import on the Import screen, select Mail, and select the\nmail client your importing from; it will do the rest. Once you have completed these\nsteps, you will have your mail converted from a .pst format to a standard mbox mail\nformat. In our case, the imported mail folders end up in C:\\Documents and\nSettings\\james\\Application Data\\Mozilla\\Profiles\\default\\033c70c1.slt\\Mail\\Local\nFolders\\Outlook Mail.sbd\\Inbox.sbd.\nwww.syngress.com\n198\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 226,
            "text": "Inside this folder are all the folders that existed in the Outlook client.You will\nnotice you have two files for every folder: the mail file itself and an index of what is\nin the file. If you try to open the file without the .msf extension in something such\nas Notepad, you will see it’s a standard mbox mailfile. Some people have reported\nthat Mozilla does not do the conversion.\nNow you can copy all of these files over to the new system in whatever fashion\nyou prefer—burn them to a CD, FTP them to the server, or use winscp to copy\nthem over to the new system.\nLibPST\nLibPST is a Linux application that converts PST files into Mozilla-compatible mbox\nfiles.Therefore, once you have generated a PST file, you simply install and use\nLibPST on your Linux system to prepare the contents of your PST file for use with\nMozilla.You can obtain LibPST from http://sourceforge.net/projects/ol2mbox.\nLibPST is ideal if you have a particularly large PST file that you need to convert. In\nmany cases, Mozilla will fail to process it using its own conversion utility.\nImporting Outlook Mail into Evolution\nOne way you can import Outlook Mail into Evolution is to use an application\ncalled Outport.You can download Outport from http://outport.sourceforge.net. For\nexample, suppose you have a group of e-mail messages named Syngress in Outlook\nExpress, similar to that shown in Figure 12.13.\nFigure 12.13 E-mail Messages in Outlook\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n199\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 227,
            "text": "All you have to do is download Outport, and then double-click the outport.exe\napplication.The Outport main interface will appear, as shown in Figure 12.14.\nFigure 12.14 Using Outport to Export Messages from Outlook\nWhen the Outport interface appears, you can choose various Outlook elements\nto export, including:\n■\nOutlook Calendar entries\n■\nContacts\n■\nMail messages\n■\nJournal entries\n■\nNotes\n■\nIndividual tasks\nBefore clicking the Export button, you will need to specify a destination direc-\ntory. In the preceding example, the C:\\outport directory is used.After clicking\nExport, Outport will convert and export the files into the Outport directory, where\nyou can view them in a file manager, such as Windows Explorer, shown in Figure\n12.15, or Gentoo, a file manager for Linux (www.obsession.se/gentoo).\nwww.syngress.com\n200\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 228,
            "text": "www.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n201\nFigure 12.15 Viewing Exported Messages in Windows Explorer\nOnce you have exported these files, you can then import them into Evolution\nor into another application so that you can more easily convert them into files that\nEvolution understands.\nDocument Standards\nAs you migrate e-mail and PIM software settings from Windows systems to Linux,\nyou will have to become familiar with the following standards:\n■\nThe Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object\nSpecification (iCalendar) standard Known as Ical, it is defined in RFC\n2445.Apple machines were among the first to adopt this standard. Used for\npersonal calendars.\n■\nThe Vcalendar standard (Vcal) Used for making appointments.\n■\nVirtual Card standard (Vcard) An electronic business card format\nmeant to provide a uniform, textual representation of an event. It is a cross-\nplatform way to represent a calendar event. Outport can export into these\nformats.This standard is defined in RFC 2426, and is used often used in\nPIM software.\nThe Hard Way\nThe least favorable migration option is to simply forward e-mail from a Windows\nclient to the new Linux system. If you have to resort to this method, perhaps the\neasiest way is to forward an entire mail folder. Still, forwarding a large number of \ne-mail messages as one e-mail will probably guarantee that you will never find the\ne-mails again, unless you work hard to sift through (perhaps) dozens of attachments\nburied in a folder.Therefore, use your best judgment when forwarding e-mail.\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 229,
            "text": "Web Browsers\nWeb browsers are not just used to “surf the Web”; they can be used to launch\nembedded applications, check e-mail, and view groupware calendars.As a result, Web\nbrowsers are increasingly sophisticated, and must support various authentication and\nencryption schemes. In this section, we discuss how to choose the appropriate\nbrowser(s).\nMost end users will expect their Linux systems to offer one (and only one)\nbrowser. With Windows, everyone tends to use Internet Explorer.This browser has\nbeen on every computer since Windows 98; many end users became accustomed to\nInternet Explorer on Windows 95 systems.\nWith Linux, however, there are several choices, including:\n■\nMozilla\n■\nFirefox\n■\nGaleon\n■\nKonqueror\n■\nOpera\nNo single Linux Web browser can meet everyone’s needs.You will have to\nbecome familiar with many of the browsers available. In this section, we discuss the\nmost important GUI-based browsers.\nMozilla\nMozilla, shown in Figure 12.16, is actually a group of applications that includes the\nMozilla browser, Mozilla Mail, and Composer.\nMozilla’s advantages include:\n■\nTabbed browsing The ability to see multiple pages in one window\nallows you to browse more efficiently.\n■\nThe Gecko rendering engine An engine that renders the Web pages\nquickly and efficiently.\n■\nSpeed The browser renders pages quickly and loads into memory quite\neasily.\n■\nStability The code is extensively reviewed, and it can be more stable than\nmany other vendors’ browsers.\nwww.syngress.com\n202\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 230,
            "text": "■\nBuilt-in pop-up blocking You do not need to download third-party\nsoftware to block pop-up ads if you are using Mozilla.\n■\nBuilt-in applications You can view newsgroups and can use an Internet\nRelay Chat (IRC) client.\nFigure 12.16 Mozilla\nIf you need a full-service package and do not want to deal with separate applica-\ntions, choose Mozilla.\nMozilla and Microsoft CHAP\nThe Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server uses a special form of the\nChallenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), called MS-CHAP. Microsoft\ndesigned IIS this way.The intent was that if an IIS administrator was to enable MS-\nCHAP, only those using Internet Explorer could authenticate securely.\nHowever, Mozilla.org was able to implement MS-CHAP as of version 1.6.This\nis an important development, because it eliminates one more reason for remaining\nwith Internet Explorer, which has experienced the most serious security problems.\nFirefox\nFirefox is a stand-alone browser based on the Gecko engine, just like Mozilla (see\nFigure 12.17).\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n203\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 231,
            "text": "Figure 12.17 Firefox\nHowever, Firefox is not simply another form of Mozilla. Firefox has the fol-\nlowing features:\n■\nImproved customization From font choice to determining which but-\ntons you will see, Firefox is designed to allow more customization.\n■\nFaster page rendering Firefox has a more current version of the Gecko\nengine.\n■\nSmaller footprint The Firefox developers have tried to keep the applica-\ntion’s size down to roughly 4 MB.\nIf you do not mind using separate applications (for example, separate Web\nbrowsers and e-mail clients), then choose Firefox. Finally, Firefox benefits from MS-\nCHAP compatibility.You can learn more about Firefox at www.mozilla.org.\nGaleon\nGaleon is specially designed for the Gnome desktop. However, it uses Mozilla’s\nGecko rendering engine. Consequently, it is a solid choice if you want the stability\nand speed of the Gecko engine, and want to take advantage of the Gnome desktop\nenvironment.As good as Mozilla and Firefox are, they are not specifically designed\nto run in Gnome.Therefore, Galeon may load and render faster than any browser in\nan optimized Gnome environment. For more information about Galeon, go to\nhttp://galeon.sourceforge.net.\nwww.syngress.com\n204\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 232,
            "text": "Konqueror\nKonqueror, shown in Figure 12.18, is KDE’s default browser. It uses the KHTML\nrendering engine. Interestingly, the new browser in Mac OS, Safari, uses the same\nrendering engine. If you are migrating over from Macintosh systems, Konqueror\nmight be the best choice.\nFigure 12.18 The Konqueror Web Browser\nOf all the browsers profiled in this chapter, Konqueror is the only one meant\nspecifically for Linux/UNIX systems. It is not a cross-vendor browser.\nOpera\nOpera is the only fee-based browser discussed in this chapter.To some companies,\npaying for software actually brings a sense of security. Paying for software, many feel,\nresults in a stronger support contract. Opera’s developers argue that Opera has the\nfollowing advantages:\n■\nThe fastest rendering of any Web browser\n■\nTabbed browsing\n■\nThe ability to focus and “zoom in” on content\n■\nIRC compatibility\nIn many ways, Opera offers the same features as Mozilla.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n205\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 233,
            "text": "Migrating Bookmarks\nYou will find that migrating to a Linux browser is relatively easy, because virtually\nevery browser that runs Linux automatically imports the bookmarks exported from\nInternet Explorer.The exported bookmark data is easily found. However, with\nrecent versions of Internet Explorer, this data is stored in a directory. On our system,\nthe Internet Explorer bookmarks are found in C:\\Documents and\nSettings\\james\\Favorites.\nOnce you have installed Mozilla, Firefox, or Opera, this data is easier to get to\nsince it will be stored in a single file.This file can be called bookmark.htm, book-\nmarks.htm, bookmark.html, or bookmarks.html, depending on the version of the\nbrowser.All you have to do is copy this file to the new Linux system when you\nmigrate the operating system.Then, simply find the feature for managing book-\nmarks. In Firefox, for example, you would go to Bookmarks | Manage\nBookmarks. When the Bookmarks Manager window opens, go to File | Import,\nand then select the From File option button.You can then select the Internet\nExplorer bookmark file you exported.\nBrowser Plug-Ins\nWindows users are likely aware of dozens of browser plug-ins. In Linux, you will\nfind a more limited set of plug-ins, although most of the essential ones are sup-\nported, including:\n■\nMacromedia Flash, and Shockwave/Director\n■\nRealNetworks Realplayer\n■\nAdobe Acrobat Reader\nFollowing is a discussion of each plug-in technology.\nMacromedia Flash and Shockwave/Director\nMacromedia Flash has been available in Linux for a number of years. It is relatively\neasy to install. However, Flash does not automatically upgrade itself in Linux as it\ndoes in Windows browsers. Make sure you understand that you will have to manu-\nally update your Flash plug-ins periodically.\nInstalling Flash is as simple as downloading it from Macromedia’s Web site at\nwww.flash.com. Once you download the file (for example, install_flash_\nplayer_7_linux.tar.gz), you simply unzip and untar it and then change to the\nwww.syngress.com\n206\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 234,
            "text": "install_flash_player_7_linux/ directory.You then run the flashplayer-installer script\n(for example, flashplayer-installer) and follow the onscreen instructions.\nAs of this writing, Macromedia Shockwave/Director can be installed in Linux\nonly by using the CrossOver Office Plugins bundle, which we discuss later in this\nchapter. However, this will likely change, as Macromedia has begun demonstrating\ntrue interest in Linux, now that its market share has increased. Because there is virtu-\nally no business justification for it, though, few people other than graphic artists or\nhome users will need this functionality. In short, if you need Shockwave/Director,\ninstall the CrossOver Office Plugins bundle.\nRealPlayer\nRealPlayer, shown in Figure 12.19, is one of the more essential plug-ins, because it\nallows you to view streaming media.You can use it for both streaming audio and\nvideo.\nFigure 12.19 RealPlayer\nYou can run RealPlayer from any of the Web browsers profiled in this chapter.\nFor example, in Konqueror, you will be asked which application you want to use.\nSimply enter the name of the RealPlayer binary (for example, realplay), and you will\nbe able to see or hear the media you have chosen.You can download the basic ver-\nsion of RealPlayer free of charge at www.realplay.com.You will have to meet with a\nconsultant to discuss which version to use.\nYou may have to specify RealPlayer as a “helper application” in order to prop-\nerly run streaming video.To do this, open the Preferences in any browser and\naccess the appropriate window that allows you to define file associations. For\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n207\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 235,
            "text": "example, in Konqueror, you would go to Settings | Configure Konqueror, and\nthen select the File Associations screen. In Mozilla, you would go to Edit |\nPreferences, select Helper Applications, and then define the appropriate MIME\ntype. Common MIME types for streaming media include:\n■\napplication/x-pn-realaudio (for rm and ram files)\n■\naudio/x-realaudio (for ra files)\n■\naudio/x-wav (for wav files)\nAdobe Acrobat Reader\nAnother essential plug-in is Adobe Acrobat Reader, shown in Figure 12.20.\nFigure 12.20 Acrobat Reader\nYou may have to define the MIME type for PDF on certain browsers. MIME\ntypes you can define include:\n■\napplication/pdf\n■\napplication/x-pdf\n■\napplication/acrobat\nwww.syngress.com\n208\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 236,
            "text": "■\ntext/pdf\n■\ntext/x-psdf\nWe have always found application/pdf to be sufficient.Acrobat Reader is avail-\nable free of charge at www.adobe.com.\nOffice Application Suites\nYou have already learned about migrating workstations to Linux-based e-mail/PIM\nclients and Web browsers.You will likely find a way to be happy managing e-mail\nand using browser-based applications. However, you do not simply use e-mail and\nWeb browsers all day; you will need to create documents and presentations.\n“Where,” you will ask,“is Microsoft Word?”You will also want to know where your\nExcel and PowerPoint applications are. In other words, you will want to know if you\nwill be able to work with your files.\nYou will want to do your jobs, and you will not want the operating system to “get\nin the way.” Managers will be concerned about lost productivity.You will need to\nreceive assurance from a consultant that even though you will be migrating from\nMicrosoft Office, you will remain productive.You will need to be shown that you will:\n■\nStill be able to work with your .doc, .rtf, .xls, and .ppt files.\n■\nBecome comfortable with new applications in an acceptable period of\ntime.\n■\nBe able to exchange files with others who will still be using Microsoft soft-\nware.\nThe most common office software suites include:\n■\nOpenOffice,org\n■\nStarOffice\n■\nKOffice\n■\nHancom Office\nThe following sections will discuss each suite.\nOpenOffice.org\nOpenOffice.org quickly became the standard for the Linux office suite when Sun\nintroduced it in 1999. OpenOffice has several applications.The following are the\nmost often used:\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n209\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 237,
            "text": "■\nStar Writer (swriter) A word processor; the equivalent of Microsoft\nWord.\n■\nStar Impress (simpress) Slide presentation software; the equivalent of\nMicrosoft PowerPoint.\n■\nStar Calc (scalc) Spreadsheet software; the equivalent of Microsoft Excel.\n■\nStar Web (sweb) Web page creation software; the equivalent of Microsoft\nFrontPage Express.\nBasically, very little needs to be done to OpenOffice once you have it installed.\nIf you share documents outside of your company, as many people do, you can make\ndocument sharing easier by telling OpenOffice to save in .doc, .xls, or .ppt format\nnatively.This step is done by clicking Tools|Options|Load&Save|General, and\nin the standard file format section, make sure you select Always save as Microsoft\nWord 97/2000/XP for Document type, text document. Do the same for\nSpreadsheet and Presentations. Make sure you do not select templates, though, as\nthis has to be done differently.You can learn more about OpenOffice at\nwww.openoffice.org.\nOpenOffice.org can open any document created in Microsoft Office 2000. For\nexample, the document shown in Figure 12.21 was created in Microsoft Office 2000.\nFigure 12.21 Star Writer\nwww.syngress.com\n210\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 238,
            "text": "The document shown in Figure 12.21 was also modified by Office 2003. Figure\n12.22 shows the Star Impress program.You can see that the interface is quite similar\nto PowerPoint.\nFigure 12.22 Star Impress\nThe document shown in Figure 12.22 was created in PowerPoint, and then\nopened in Star Impress. In fact, the majority of the slides created for this chapter\nwere created in Star Impress.These slides were then sent to several individuals who\nused nothing but Microsoft PowerPoint.They were completely oblivious that the\nslides were created on a Linux system.\nFigure 12.23 shows the Star Calc application opening a simple spreadsheet.\nThe spreadsheet in Figure 12.23 is relatively simple. However, most individuals\nwill do little more with a spreadsheet than create rows and columns, and then calcu-\nlate summaries. Notice also that this particular spreadsheet supports tabbed sheets.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n211\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 239,
            "text": "Figure 12.23 Star Calc\nLimitations: Macros and PDF Files\nWith very few exceptions, PDF files are all easily read, created, or modified by\nOpenOffice.The exception to this rule is if you’re using macros.Although these\nwon’t run natively on OpenOffice or any of the other alternatives, there is a way to\nrewrite your macros to work with OpenOffice, as it contains its own very powerful\nMacro Writer.\nOpenOffice.org has the capability to create PDF files “on the fly.”This feature is\nquite impressive, but is still not completely perfected. It is anticipated that future ver-\nsions will offer production-quality PDF generation.\nWe have found that more complex templates do not work well in OpenOffice.\nThis suggests that more complex work, such as that done by desktop publishers, may\nbe too ambitious for OpenOffice.org. However, OpenOffice.org can handle the vast\nmajority of your word processing, slide presentation creation, and spreadsheet devel-\nopment demands.\nNevertheless, the average end user will not encounter any difficulty using\nOpenOffice. Only those end users who engage in truly advanced word processing\nand spreadsheet creation will encounter problems. Microsoft Office 2003 has intro-\nduced features not supported by OpenOffice.org, as well as Office 2000 and Office\nXP. For example, Microsoft Office 2003 allows you to create editing restrictions on\ncertain portions of a file. OpenOffice.org does not support this feature. It is impor-\ntant to understand, however, that many people have not upgraded their Office 2000\nsoftware to Office 2003, and that they, too, do not take advantage of these features.\nwww.syngress.com\n212\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 240,
            "text": "One other weakness of OpenOffice.org is macro support.You cannot simply\nimport all of your macros into StarOffice.At its best, recreating macros is never par-\nticularly fun.At its worst, it is an enormous time burden. If you require extensive\nmacro support, we suggest that you read about CrossOver Office.\nSo don’t let a consultant leave you with the impression that office suites such as\nOpenOffice.org will replace Microsoft Office painlessly. In some cases, you will end\nup disappointed. Make sure that you determine exactly what you need and make\nsure that any consultant you meet with has thoroughly tested a solution before \nrecommending it.\nFuture Plans\nIt is likely that OpenOffice.org will be able to generate Shockwave Flash (SWF) files\non the fly.Thus far, no office suite has this capability. OpenOffice.org already uses\nXML as the basis of its files. Consequently, this suite is capable of handling complex\ntasks. It is simply going to take time for OpenOffice.org to equal products such as\nMicrosoft Office.\nStarOffice\nStarOffice is essentially a stable version of OpenOffice.org with the promise of cus-\ntomer support. Perhaps an analogy will help: StarOffice is to OpenOffice.org much\nlike Netscape Navigator is to Mozilla. Just as Netscape takes a stable version of\nMozilla and then sells it, Sun takes OpenOffice.org and sells it as StarOffice.\nCorporations are becoming increasingly fond of StarOffice, because they can\npurchase customer support in case of a problem or bug. For a nominal fee, you\nreceive customer support, Internet-based file storage, additional document templates,\nand increased macro support.You can learn more about StarOffice at www.starof-\nfice.com.\nKOffice\nA project of the KDE team, KOffice is a fully functional replacement for Microsoft\nOffice. Figure 12.24 shows the KWriter application, the default KDE text editor.\nAlthough more powerful than a simple text editor such as Wordpad or Notepad, it is\nnevertheless not as powerful as Star Writer.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n213\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 241,
            "text": "Figure 12.24 KWriter\nHancom Office\nHancom Office is sold by a Korean company that has the following goals:\n■\nCreate a user-friendly suite that is compatible with Microsoft Office.\n■\nSupport a large number of languages. Extensive Unicode support means\nthat Hancom office is also ideal if you need to support offices that process\ndocuments in Chinese (both simplified and traditional), Korean, and Arabic.\nYou can learn more about Hancom Office by going to www.hancom.com. One\nof the ways in which Hancom Office tries to ensure compatibility with Microsoft\nOffice documents is an automatic update feature.This feature allows you to quickly\nobtain the latest filters and rendering engines.\nOne of the limitations of Hancom Office is that it does not support macros\nwritten in Visual Basic. Hancom Office does not improve upon OpenOffice.org or\nStarOffice in this regard.\nRunning Windows Applications on Linux\nEvery user in a company will not be able to be ported over to Linux at all times.\nRather than concede defeat, you have two alternatives:\n■\nUse an emulator. Install software that allows your Linux system to imi-\ntate, as it were, a Windows system. Once you get the emulator properly\ninstalled, all you have to do is install a Windows application on the Linux\nwww.syngress.com\n214\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 242,
            "text": "system.The emulator will then allow the Windows application to run\ndirectly from inside Linux.\n■\nUse remote desktop administration software. Simply install a server\nthat allows you to directly access the desktop through a Web browser or\nspecialized application.\nWe’ll now discuss each option.\nCompatibility Layer Software\nIn many ways, the software discussed here is not emulation software. In the strictest\nsense, emulator software recreates the software application programming interfaces\n(APIs), and the actual functions of the CPU (for example, a Pentium chip). Wine,\nCrossOver Office, and Win 4 Lin Workstation do not recreate the architecture of the\nCPU.Therefore, they are technically not emulators.\nNevertheless, it is still common practice to lump this software into the emulator\ncategory, because using applications such as Wine, you can make your Linux system\nbehave as if it were a Windows system. In fact, if you properly configure these appli-\ncations, certain native Windows applications will run, thinking that they are in a\nWindows environment.These applications use sets of APIs to help convince native\nWindows applications that they are, in fact, running on Windows.\nSo, to avoid controversy, we will not call these applications “emulators,” even\nthough that’s basically what they are.Taking the lead of the developers of Wine, we\nare calling these applications “compatibility layer software,” because they all create a\nlayer between the Linux operating system and the Windows application.\nThe benefit of this type of emulator, well, software, is that you can use native\nWindows applications directly from your Linux desktop.You do not have to rely on a\nnetwork connection to another system. However, emulators can be somewhat tricky\nto configure, and the slightest change in the application’s configuration can “break”\nyour configuration and force a time-consuming and possibly costly service call.\nAs you prepare to use an emulator, ask the following questions:\n■\nWhat version of the Windows operating system does the application\nrequire?\n■\nDo you require access to raw data from inside Linux? \n■\nHow many people need to access these applications, and the resulting data\nfrom them, at one time? In short, what is the expected load on this system?\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n215\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 243,
            "text": "These questions will help you determine the correct hardware size, and the\nappropriate software. Now, let’s look at some of the common emulators available.\nWine\nWine is an acronym for “Wine is not an emulator.” Wine is meant to provide a\nreplacement for Windows; it does not require Windows to run.Therefore, you do\nnot need a Windows license to run a Windows application.You will, however, need\na license to run the application. Suppose, for example, that you managed to run\nMicrosoft Word on Wine.You would not need a license for the Microsoft Windows\noperating system. However, you would need to license Microsoft Word.\nIt is important to understand that Wine has enjoyed a “work in progress”\nstanding for many years. Many Windows applications do run in Wine.A list of\nWindows applications verified to run in Wine is available at www.winehq.org/site/\nsupported_applications.\nA Web site called “Frank’s Corner” (http://frankscorner.org) provides tips to\nhelp get various applications going.Applications that Frank has worked with include:\n■\nMicrosoft Office 2000\n■\nMacromedia Flash MX\n■\nPhotoShop 7.0\nPeople have had significant success with Wine. However, Wine is not yet a “pro-\nduction quality“ tool; it is more of an extended “hack in motion.”The fact that your\nneeded application runs today on the latest and greatest version of Wine is no guar-\nantee that it will run properly when you upgrade to the next version. However,\nthere is a much more reliable application: Code Weavers’ CrossOver Office.\nCode Weavers’ CrossOver Office\nCrossOver Office is essentially a perfected commercial version of Wine. CrossOver\nOffice allows any Windows application to run smoothly (or, as smoothly as any\napplication can run using compatibility software).As with Wine, if you use\nCrossOver Office you do not need to purchase a Windows license.You will find that\nwith CrossOver Office, upgrades will not cause existing configurations to fail. In\naddition, CrossOver Office makes it possible to run all of the Visual Basic macros on\nwhich many Microsoft Office users rely.\nCrossOver Office makes it relatively easy to install and run Windows applica-\ntions in Linux. Still, there are drawbacks to this solution. First, CrossOver Office\nrequires significant amounts of memory. In addition, not all of the features of your\nwww.syngress.com\n216\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 244,
            "text": "Windows applications will be available.Therefore, although you may be able to run a\ncopy of Macromedia Flash MX, you may still find some features missing.\nIn spite of these drawbacks, you will likely find that between the alternative pro-\ngrams discussed previously and applications such as CrossOver Office, you will be\nable to migrate any user to Linux.To learn more about CrossOver Office, go to\nwww.codeweavers.com/site/products.\nwww.syngress.com\nMicrosoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop • Chapter 12\n217\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 245,
            "text": "Summary\nChoosing the appropriate desktop environment requires several skills. First, you need\nto know about the options. Second, you need to identify what you want and need.\nYou then need to know how to match current technologies to your needs. In this\nchapter, you learned about available technologies and how to weigh them against\nyour needs.\nFrom common desktops such as Gnome and KDE to e-mail and Web applica-\ntions, you learned how to choose solutions that can save you time and money.You\nalso learned how to migrate settings and how to install native applications on Linux\nthat cannot, for some reason, be replaced by their Linux counterparts.\nThis chapter helped you identify problems, possibilities, and solutions. Now that\nyou are more familiar with Linux desktop solutions, continue your learning process\nby installing some of the software profiled in this chapter.The only way you can take\nthe next step in your knowledge and ability to solve problems is to go through the\nprocess of installing the software.\nAdditional Resources\nThe following links provide more information related to alternatives to Microsoft\nproducts:\n■\nEastham, Chuck, and Bryan Hoff. Moving from Windows to Linux, Second\nEdition. Boston: Charles River Media, 2006\n(www.charlesriver.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=122989).\n■\nFedora Core Linux (http://fedora.redhat.com/).\n■\nFirefox Web Browser (www.mozilla.com/firefox/).\n■\nStar Office Productivity Suite\n(www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/index.jsp).\nwww.syngress.com\n218\nChapter 12 • Microsoft Alternatives: Inside the Linux Desktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 246,
            "text": "Part IV: \nSecurity Resources\n219\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 247,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 248,
            "text": "Essential Network\nCommunications\nTopics in this appendix:\n■\nComputer Protocols\n■\nCommunication Ports\n■\nUnderstanding IP Addresses and DNS\n■\nManaging IP Addresses\n■\nTCP and UDP Protocols\n■\nFirewalls\nAppendix A\n221\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 249,
            "text": "Introduction\nIn order to better secure your home computer or home network, it helps if you\nhave some basic knowledge of how it all works so that you can understand what\nexactly you are securing and why.This appendix will help provide an overview of\nthe terms and technology used and some of the tips, tricks, tools, and techniques you\ncan use to make sure your computer is secure.\nThis appendix will provide an understanding of what these terms are so that\nwhen you read about the latest malicious code spreading through the Internet and\nhow it gets into and infects your computer, you will be able to decipher the techie\nterms and determine if this affects you or your computer and what steps you can or\nshould take to prevent it.\nThe information in this appendix is a little more technical than the rest of the\nbook, and is included for those who want to learn a little more and gain a deeper\nunderstanding of how computer networking works and the technologies that make\nit work.\nComputer Protocols\nIn the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, protocol is defined in listing 3b as,“A set of con-\nventions governing the treatment and especially the formatting of data in an elec-\ntronic communications system.” I’m not sure that makes things much clearer to a\nlayperson.\nPut simply, if you called an orange an apple and I called it a plum we would\nnever be able to communicate.At some point we would have to come to some\nagreement as to what to call it. For computers and the Internet there were many\norganizations coming up with their own proprietary way of formatting and trans-\nmitting data.To ensure that all computers would be able to talk to each other and\nnot just to their “own kind,” protocols were created and agreed to.\nTCP/IP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is\nnot a single protocol. It is a set of communication standards.TCP and IP are the two\nmain protocols of the bunch.TCP/IP has been accepted as the standard for Internet\ncommunications and comes packaged by default with all major operating systems.\nTo communicate using TCP/IP, each host must have a unique IP address.As\nwe discussed earlier, your IP address is similar to your street address. It identifies\nyour host on the Internet so that communications intended for you reach their\ndestination.\nwww.syngress.com\n222\nAppendix A • Essential Network Communications\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 250,
            "text": "Communication Ports\nWhen you sit down to watch TV, you have to tune your TV to a specific frequency\nin order to view the Weather Channel. If you want the Disney Channel, you need\nto change to a different frequency.To view CNN, you need to set your TV to yet\nanother frequency.\nSimilarly, when you are surfing the Internet, there is a certain port that is used\nwhen your computer wants to receive HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol, used for\nviewing HTML or Web pages) traffic.To download files you might use FTP (File\nTransfer Protocol), which would be received on a different port. SMTP (Simple Mail\nTransfer Protocol, used for transmitting e-mail messages) communications would be\nreceived on a different port.\nThere are 65,536 ports available for use in TCP or UDP.They are divided into\nthree ranges.The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) manages the first\n1,024 ports (0–1,023).This range is known as the well-known port numbers and\nincludes standard default ports such as HTTP (port 80), FTP (port 21), and SMTP\n(port 25).These port numbers are reserved and should not be used arbitrarily.\nThe second range is the registered port numbers, which contains ports 1024\nthrough 49151.The Registered Port Numbers can be used by ordinary programs\nand user processes that are executed by the user.The use of specific port numbers is\nnot carved in stone.These ports are generally used transiently when needed.\nThe third range is the dynamic or private port numbers, which range from\n49152 through 65535.These can be used by applications and processes initiated by\nthe user, but it is uncommon.There are known Trojan horse and backdoor programs\nthat use this extreme upper range so some security administrators are leery of traffic\nin this range.\nTCP and UDP Protocols\nOne of the protocols that use this block of ports is TCP.TCP enables two hosts on\nthe Internet to establish a connection with each other. One host will initiate the\nconnection by sending a request to the other.That host will respond, agreeing to\nestablish the connection. Finally, the originating host will respond once more to\nacknowledge receipt of the acceptance and the connection is established.\nWhen data is fed to TCP,TCP breaks it into smaller, more manageable pieces\ncalled packets.A header is written for each packet, which specifies the originating IP\naddress, the destination IP address, the sequence number, and some other key identi-\nfying information.\nwww.syngress.com\nEssential Network Communications • Appendix A\n223\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 251,
            "text": "When the packets leave to traverse the Internet and get to their destination, they\nmay not take the same path.There are thousands of routers, and complex algorithms\nhelp to decide from nanosecond to nanosecond which path is going to be the best\npath for the next packet.This means that the packets may not arrive at their destina-\ntion in the same order they were sent out. It is the responsibility of the TCP pro-\ntocol on the receiving end to look at the sequence number in the packet headers\nand put the packets back in order.\nIf there are missing packets, error messages are sent back to let the sending com-\nputer know to resend the data.TCP also does flow control by sending messages\nbetween the two hosts letting them know to speed up or slow down the rate of\nsending packets depending on network congestion and how fast the receiving com-\nputer can handle processing the incoming packets.\nUDP is another protocol that works with IP networks. Unlike TCP, UDP does\nnot establish a connection. UDP does not provide any sort of error protection or\nflow control. It is primarily used for broadcasting messages.The sending host gets no\nacknowledgement that the message was successfully received.\nBecause UDP does not take the time to set up a connection between the two\nhosts, perform flow control to monitor network congestion, or do the sort of error-\nchecking and receipt acknowledgement that TCP does, it has much less overhead in\nterms of time and resources. Some services that benefit from this are DNS, SNMP,\nand streaming multimedia (for example, watching a video clip over the Internet).\nUnderstanding IP Addresses and DNS\nThe term “host” can be confusing because it has multiple meanings in the computer\nworld. It is used to describe a computer or server that provides Web pages. In this\ncontext, it is said that the computer is “hosting” the Web site. Host is also used to\ndescribe the companies that allow people to share their server hardware and Internet\nconnection as a service rather than every company or individual having to buy all\ntheir own equipment.\nA “host” in the context of computers on the Internet is defined as any computer\nthat has a live connection with the Internet.All computers on the Internet are peers\nto one another.They can all act as servers or as clients.You can run a Web site on\nyour computer just as easily as you can use your computer to view Web sites from\nother computers.The Internet is nothing more than a global network of hosts com-\nmunicating back and forth. Looked at in this way, all computers, or hosts, on the\nInternet are equal.\nEach host has a unique address similar to the way street addressing works. It\nwould not work to simply address a letter to Joe Smith.You have to also provide the\n224\nAppendix A • Essential Network Communications\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 252,
            "text": "street address; for example, 1234 Main Street. However, there may be more than one\n1234 Main Street in the world, so you must also provide the city:Anytown. Maybe\nthere is a Joe Smith on 1234 Main Street in Anytown in more than one state, so you\nhave to add that to the address as well. In this way, the postal system can work back-\nward to get the mail to the right destination. First they get it to the right state, then\nto the right city, then to the right delivery person for 1234 Main Street, and finally\nto Joe Smith.\nOn the Internet, this is called your IP (Internet Protocol) address.The IP address\nis made up of four blocks of three numbers between 0 and 255. Different ranges of\nIP addresses are owned by different companies or ISPs (Internet service providers).\nBy deciphering the IP address, it can be funneled to the right host. First it goes to\nthe owner of that range of addresses; then it can be filtered down to the specific\naddress it’s intended for.\nI might name my computer “My Computer,” but there is no way for me to\nknow how many other people named their computer “My Computer,” so it would\nnot work to try to send communications to “My Computer” any more than\naddressing a letter simply to “Joe Smith” would get delivered properly.\nWith millions of hosts on the Internet, it is virtually impossible for users to\nremember the IP addresses of each Web site or host they want to communicate\nwith, so a system was created to enable users access sites using names that are easier\nto recall.\nThe Internet uses Domain Name Service (DNS) to translate the name to its\ntrue IP address to properly route the communications. For instance, you may simply\nenter “yahoo.com” into your Web browser.That information is sent to a DNS\nserver, which checks its database and translates the address to something like\n64.58.79.230, which the computers can understand and use to get the communica-\ntion to its intended destination.\nDNS servers are scattered all over the Internet, rather than having a single, cen-\ntral database.This helps to protect the Internet by not providing a single point of\nfailure that could take down everything. It also helps speed up processing and\nreduces the time it takes for translating the names by dividing the workload among\nmany servers and placing those servers around the globe.\nIn this way, you get your address translated at a DNS server within miles of your\nlocation, which you share with a few thousand hosts rather than having to commu-\nnicate with a central server halfway around the planet that millions of people are\ntrying to use.\nYour ISP will most likely have its own DNS servers. Depending on the size of\nthe ISP, it may have more than one DNS server and they may be scattered around\nthe globe as well for the same reasons cited earlier.An ISP has the equipment and\nwww.syngress.com\nEssential Network Communications • Appendix A\n225\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 253,
            "text": "owns or leases the telecommunications lines necessary to establish a presence on the\nInternet. In turn, they offer access through their equipment and telecommunication\nlines to users for a fee.\nThe largest ISPs own the major conduits of the Internet referred to as the\n“backbone.” Picture it the way a spinal cord goes through your backbone and acts as\nthe central pipeline for communications on your nervous system.Your nervous\nsystem branches off into smaller paths until it gets to the individual nerve endings\nsimilar to the way Internet communications branch from the backbone to the\nsmaller ISPs and finally down to your individual host on the network.\nIf something happens to one of the companies that provide the telecommunica-\ntions lines that make up the backbone, it can affect huge portions of the Internet\nbecause a great many smaller ISPs that utilize that portion of the backbone will be\naffected as well.\nManaging IP Addresses\nOriginally, IP addresses were manually coded to each computer.As the Internet\nexploded and millions of hosts were added, it became an overwhelming task to track\nwhich IP addresses were already in use or which ones were freed up when a com-\nputer was removed from the network.\nDHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) was created to automate this\nprocess.A DHCP server is given a block of addresses that it controls. Hosts that are\nconfigured to use DHCP will contact the DHCP server when they are turned on to\nrequest an IP address.The DHCP server will check its database of addresses and find\none that is not in use to assign to the host. When the host is turned off or removed\nfrom the network, that IP address is released and the DHCP server can use it for a\nnew host.\nThe exponential growth of the Internet caused a shortage in the available IP\naddresses similar to the way the growth of cell phones, pagers, and the like have\ncaused a shortage of phone numbers. Unlike the phone system though, the Internet\ncould not simply add a new prefix to the mix to create new phone numbers.\nWhile the current version of the IP protocol (IPv6) is designed to allow for an\nexponential increase in the number of available addresses, the IPv4 protocol is still\nthe primary version in use, and it was running dry fast.\nNAT (Network Address Translation) can be used to expand the potential\nnumber of addresses. NAT essentially uses only one IP address to communicate on\nthe Internet and a completely separate block of IP addresses on the local network.\nThe local network addresses need to be unique from each other, but since the out-\nwww.syngress.com\n226\nAppendix A • Essential Network Communications\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 254,
            "text": "side world will not see the local network addresses, they don’t need to be unique to\nthe world.\nWithout NAT, a company with 100 computers that wanted all 100 to connect\nto the Internet would need to have 100 separate public IP addresses.That same\ncompany using NAT would only need one public IP address and would assign the\ncomputers on the local network internal IP addresses.\nThis “hiding” of the internal IP addresses works not only to allow for more hosts\nto share the Internet, but also to provide a layer of security. By not allowing the out-\nside world to know the precise IP addresses of your internal hosts, you take away a\nkey piece of information that hackers could use to break into your network.\nFirewalls\nNow that we have covered TCP, UDP, and ports we can move on to discussing fire-\nwalls.A basic firewall is designed to block or control what traffic is allowed into or\nout of your computer or network. One way to do this is to simply block all\nincoming TCP and UDP traffic on all ports. For many home users this will work\njust fine.The firewall will still allow a response using the TCP or UDP ports through\nas long as the connection was initiated by your computer, but blocking in this\nmanner will make sure no external computers can initiate a session with your com-\nputer.\nIf you do want to host a Web site or enable files to be downloaded from your\ncomputer using FTP, or enable other computers to connect to yours for online\ngaming, you will need to open the respective port. For example, to host a Web\nserver, you would configure your firewall to block all incoming UDP and TCP\ntraffic on all ports except port 80. On most basic home cable/DSL routers, the port-\nblocking firewall can be configured to allow traffic through a port to a specific host\nso that your other computers are still protected from this sort of traffic, but external\nhosts are able to access your Web server or game connection or whatever else you\nwant.\nThis sort of basic firewall has some issues that can be exploited by hackers and\nmalicious programmers to sneak through, which is why there are more advanced\nfirewall systems. I mentioned that with this sort of port blocking, communications in\nresponse to connections initiated by your computer would be allowed through even\non ports you were blocking. Using this knowledge, a hacker can forge the packet to\nmake it look like it is a reply rather than an initiation of a connection and the fire-\nwall will allow it through.\nEven on connections that are initiated by your computer, a malicious pro-\ngrammer can still exploit weaknesses in the system to sneak packets through.To\nwww.syngress.com\nEssential Network Communications • Appendix A\n227\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 255,
            "text": "guard against some of these weaknesses there are other types of firewalls: stateful\ninspection packet filters, circuit-level gateways, and application-level gateways to\nname a few.\nAnother consideration for firewalls is that it is not always enough to monitor or\nblock inbound traffic.You may get a virus or Trojan horse program through a con-\nnection you initiated, thereby bypassing the firewall, or through e-mail.These mali-\ncious programs can open ports and initiate connections from your computer once\nthey are planted there. Most software-based firewalls like Zone Alarm or Sygate, as\nwell as more advanced hardware-based firewalls, will monitor outbound connections.\nwww.syngress.com\n228\nAppendix A • Essential Network Communications\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 256,
            "text": "Case Study: \nSOHO (Five\nComputers, Printer,\nServers, etc.)\nTopics in this chapter:\n■\nIntroducing the SOHO Firewall Case Study\n■\nDesigning the SOHO Firewall \n■\nImplementing the SOHO Firewall\nAppendix B\n229\n\u0001 Summary\n\u0001 Solutions Fast Track\n\u0001 Frequently Asked Questions\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 257,
            "text": "Introduction\nThe Internet continues to grow as small businesses and home users realize the\nopportunities available to them with a wider audience for goods. Using personalized\nWeb sites and e-mail addresses, as well as having a permanent Internet connection,\ncreates a closer customer experience with remote users.This closeness comes at a\nprice as systems are made accessible 24x7. With accessibility, unwelcome guests and\ncustomers have invitations to use the network.The exploitation of vulnerabilities on\na system include misusing protocols, or applications, by connecting to an IP address\non an open TCP or UDP port of a system on the network. Security for the home\nisn’t as well developed as in a corporate environment. Users often do not have the\ntime to become experts while maintaining their businesses or working remotely.\nUsing netstat to \nDetermine Open Ports on a System\nThe netstat command does many useful things other than determining open ports on\na system, including displaying memory and network buffer usage, system route table\ninformation, and interface statistics.To understand more about those options, read\nthe documentation online about netstat.The following focuses on using netstat to\ndetermine the open ports and whether they should be open.\nWhen a remote system or user wishes to access a service on your computer\n(e.g., Web server), the underlying OS on the remote system creates a connection to a\nport on your computer system on behalf of the remote user.\nA process listening on a port will accept incoming connections to that port.A\nlarge part of securing your system from network attack is an audit of these services.\nOnce you know what is running, you can turn off services that have opened ports\nthat you don’t need, and make sure to secure the services you do need. It will also\nestablish a baseline as to what should be running. When the system starts acting slug-\ngishly, or responding in an abnormal fashion, you can quickly check to make sure\nthere are no rogue processes running on unrecognized ports.\nThe –a flag tells netstat “show the state of all sockets.” One understanding of a\nsocket is as a listening port.The -n flags tells netstat to not attempt to resolve names\nvia DNS.This is generally a good practice because you remove a dependency on\nworking DNS, and netstat will return information more quickly. If you need to look\nup an IP-to-name mapping, you can always do that later with the host, nslookup, or\ndig commands.\nHere is an example of netstat output using the –a and –n flags.\nwww.syngress.com\n230\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 258,
            "text": "Sample netstat—Output on a UNIX Server\nActive Internet connections (including servers)\nProto Recv-Q Send-Q\nLocal Address\nForeign Address\nState\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.60072\n221.132.43.179.113\nSYN_SENT\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.25\n221.132.43.179.48301\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n120\n6.7.8.9.22\n24.7.34.163.1811\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.60124\n67.46.65.70.113\nFIN_WAIT_2\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.4000\n127.0.0.1.60977\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.60977\n127.0.0.1.4000\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.4000\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n24.7.34.163.50206\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.62220\n216.120.255.44.22\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n24.7.34.163.65408\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n67.131.247.194.4026\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.64015\n217.206.161.163.22\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n82.36.206.162.48247\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.80\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.993\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.25\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.22\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.21\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\nudp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n*.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n*.65510\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.53\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.53\n*.*\nActive Internet6 connections (including servers)\nProto Recv-Q Send-Q\nLocal Address\nForeign Address\n(state)\ntcp6\n0\n0\n*.25\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp6\n0\n0\n*.22\n*.*\nLISTEN\nudp6\n0\n0\nfe80::1%lo0.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\n:: 1.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\nfe80::2e0:81ff:f.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\n*.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\n*.65509\n*.*\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n231\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 259,
            "text": "Active UNIX domain sockets\nAddress\nType\nRecv-Q Send-Q\nInode\nConn\nRefs\nNextref Addr\nc204c440 dgram\n0\n0\n0 c1fd80c0\n0 c2026540 ->\n/var/run/lo\ng\nc20fd040 stream\n0\n0\n0 c1fcd3c0\n0\n0\nc1fcd3c0 stream\n0\n0\n0 c20fd040\n0\n0\nc1fd3300 stream\n0\n0\n0 c1fd8680\n0\n0\nc1fd8680 stream\n0\n0\n0 c1fd3300\n0\n0\nc2129e40 stream\n0\n0\n0 c20db500\n0\n0\nc20db500 stream\n0\n0\n0 c2129e40\n0\n0\nc204cb40 stream\n0\n0\n0 c20fdb00\n0\n0\nc20fdb00 stream\n0\n0\n0 c204cb40\n0\n0\nc20fdc00 stream\n0\n0\n0 c2129800\n0\n0\nc2129800 stream\n0\n0\n0 c20fdc00\n0\n0\nc2026540 dgram\n0\n0\n0 c1fd80c0\n0 c1f9c740 ->\n/var/run/lo\ng\nc1f9c740 dgram\n0\n0\n0 c1fd80c0\n0\n0 ->\n/var/run/lo\ng\nc1fd80c0 dgram\n0\n0 cc32615c\n0 c204c440\n0\n/var/run/log\nc1fd8300 dgram\n0\n0 cc3260b4\n0\n0\n0\n/var/chroot/na\nmed/var/run/log\nExamine the parts that have TCP and UDP ports in the first section of the\noutput. Unless you’re actively running IPv6, you can safely ignore the tcp6, and\nudp6 output.Additionally, UNIX domain sockets are local within the machine and\nnot network related.\nSample netstat—TCP Output on a UNIX Server\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.60072\n221.132.43.179.113\nSYN_SENT\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.25\n221.132.43.179.48301\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n120\n6.7.8.9.22\n24.7.34.163.1811\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.60124\n67.46.65.70.113\nFIN_WAIT_2\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.4000\n127.0.0.1.60977\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.60977\n127.0.0.1.4000\nESTABLISHED\nwww.syngress.com\n232\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 260,
            "text": "tcp\n0\n0\n*.4000\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n24.7.34.163.50206\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.62220\n216.120.255.44.22\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n24.7.34.163.65408\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n67.131.247.194.4026\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.64015\n217.206.161.163.22\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.22\n82.36.206.162.48247\nESTABLISHED\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.80\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.993\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.25\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.22\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.21\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\nNotice the last field contains different words like ESTABLISHED and LISTEN.\nThis denotes the state of the socket.The sockets that show active services waiting for\nconnections are lines that contain LISTEN.The * fields describes a port open to any\nIP address, so *.80 in the local address field tells us that this machine has port lis-\ntening on every IP interface in this machine. Generally, a system will only have one\nIP address, but occasionally can have multiple interfaces.\nSo, a short way of getting the listening TCP ports on a UNIX system would be\nnetstat -an | grep LISTEN, extracting only the LISTEN lines.\nslick: {8} netstat -an | grep LISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.4000\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.80\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.993\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.25\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.22\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.21\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp6\n0\n0\n*.25\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp6\n0\n0\n*.22\n*.*\nLISTEN\nOkay, we have a list of TCP, so let’s move on to the UDP section. UDP doesn’t\nhave any state field, because unlike TCP, UDP is a stateless protocol model. Each\npacket is discrete and disconnected in any way to the previous packet arriving on\nthat port.There is no provision in the protocol for retransmission of dropped\npackets.Applications like NTP and DNA rely on UDP.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n233\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 261,
            "text": "slick: {9} netstat -an | grep udp\nudp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n10.1.2.3.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n*.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n*.65510\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.53\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n10.1.2.3.53\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\nfe80::1%lo0.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\n::1.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\nfe80::2e0:81ff:f.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\n*.123\n*.*\nudp6\n0\n0\n*.65509\n*.*\nIgnore the udp6 (IPV6) lines.The third field is the same as the TCP output from\nbefore.This is the listening address and port.The IP address of this machine is\n6.7.8.9, and there is a localhost interface, 127.0.0.1, for local TCP and UDP com-\nmunication. 127.0.0.1 is the localhost and not visible to the Internet.\nAnything that is not recognizable and requires further information should be\naudited.\nSample Ports Requiring Auditing\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.4000\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.80\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.993\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.25\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.22\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n*.21\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n127.0.0.1.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\ntcp\n0\n0\n6.7.8.9.53\n*.*\nLISTEN\nudp\n0\n0\n10.1.2.3.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n*.123\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n*.65510\n*.*\nudp\n0\n0\n10.1.2.3.53\n*.*\nNow we need to figure out what processes on the local system correspond to\nthose services. Looking in the/etc/services file, we can determine what UNIX ser-\nvices usually reside on these ports.This does not mean that a service hasn’t hijacked\na well-known port specifically to hide its footprint, but it gives us a better idea of\nwhat could be running.\nwww.syngress.com\n234\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 262,
            "text": "Sample /etc/services Output\nftp\n21/tcp\n# File Transfer Protocol\nssh\n22/tcp\n# Secure Shell\nssh\n22/udp\ntelnet\n23/tcp\n# 24 - private\nsmtp\n25/tcp\nmail\n# 26 - unassigned\ntime\n37/tcp\ntimserver\ntime\n37/udp\ntimserver\nLooking at the audited ports, we can determine what service is potentially being\nserved and whether this service should be open to the outside world to function\ncorrectly. Recording the information for later use will help us determine problems\nin the future (see Table B.1).\nTable B.1 Partially Audited Ports\nConnection Type\nIP + PORT\nPossible Service\ntcp\n*.4000\ntcp\n*.80\nWeb server\ntcp\n*.993\nIMAPS server\ntcp\n*.25\nSMTP server\ntcp\n*.22\nSecure shell\ntcp\n*.21\nFTP server\ntcp\n6.7.8.9.53\nDNS server\nThere is no way to know that this service is actually what is being used on the\nport without querying the system. We use another useful tool, lsof, to inspect each\nopen port.\nDetermining More Information with lsof\nQuery the kernel data structures to return what process is associated with each par-\nticular port.The command that allows us to do this deep digging is lsof.This is a tool\nfor listing open files on a UNIX system. In the UNIX world, pretty much every-\nthing is a file, and so lsof will also list open ports, and tell you which process is\nholding that port open.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n235\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 263,
            "text": "lsof also has many flags, but we will keep it to a few simple examples. We\nexamine a UDP connection on port 53. From the following output, we can see that\nit is named, which serves DNS as expected.\nslick: {38} lsof -n -i UDP:53\nCOMMAND\nPID\nUSER\nFD\nTYPE\nDEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME\nnamed\n1177 named\n20u\nIPv4 0xc1f5f000\n0t0\nUDP 6.7.8.9:domain\nnamed\n1177 named\n22u\nIPv4 0xc1f5f0d8\n0t0\nUDP 127.0.0.1:domain\nChecking UDP port 65510, we see that it is also named. This is most likely the\nrndc control channel.\nslick: {39} lsof -n -i UDP:65510\nCOMMAND\nPID\nUSER\nFD\nTYPE\nDEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME\nnamed\n1177 named\n24u\nIPv4 0xc1f5f1b0\n0t0\nUDP *:65510\nExamining TCP port 4000 with lsof, we see that this is a user process. We\nshould talk to user Paul and discover what the service running on port 4000 is.\nslick: {40} lsof -n -i TCP:4000\nCOMMAND\nPID USER\nFD\nTYPE\nDEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME\ntelnet\n16192 paul\n3u\nIPv4 0xc2065b44\n0t0\nTCP 127.0.0.1:60977-\n>127.0.0.1:4000 (ESTABLISHED)\nrazors\n22997 paul\n4u\nIPv4 0xc1ff2ca8\n0t0\nTCP *:4000 (LISTEN)\nrazors\n22997 paul\n16u\nIPv4 0xc206516c\n0t0\nTCP 127.0.0.1:4000-\n>127.0.0.1:60977 (ESTABLISHED)\nUsing netstat –an, create a list of listening ports. With lsof, check each of these\nports to figure out what processes are actually listening, and confirm that the services\nmatch the processes as expected. Figure out if those processes are needed, and either\nturn them off, or set up an ACL on your firewall to allow that service through.\nUsing netstat on Windows XP\nWith Windows XP, there are additional flags –b, -v, and –o that will show additional\ninformation. –b displays the executable involved in creating the connection. In the fol-\nlowing example, you can see that Apache is running on the local system and it has port\n80 open. –v when used with –b will display the sequence of components that created\nthe connection. –o will display the process that has the port open (see Table B.2).\nC:\\Documents and Settings\\jdavis>netstat -anvb\nActive Connections\nwww.syngress.com\n236\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 264,
            "text": "Proto\nLocal Address\nForeign Address\nState\nPID\nTCP\n0.0.0.0:80\n0.0.0.0:0\nLISTENING\n1268\nC:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\imon.dll\nC:\\Program Files\\Apache Software Foundation\\Apache2.2\\bin\\libapr-1.dll\nC:\\Program Files\\Apache Software Foundation\\Apache2.2\\bin\\libhttpd.dll\nC:\\Program Files\\Apache Software Foundation\\Apache2.2\\bin\\httpd.exe\nC:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\kernel32.dll\n[httpd.exe]\nTCP\n0.0.0.0:135\n0.0.0.0:0\nLISTENING\n252\nC:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\imon.dll\nC:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\RPCRT4.dll\nc:\\windows\\system32\\rpcss.dll\nC:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\svchost.exe\nC:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\ADVAPI32.dll\n[svchost.exe]\nTable B.2 Common Ports Associated with Popular Services\n20 FTP data\n68 DHCP\n123 NTP\n161 SNMP\n993 SIMAP\n21 FTP\n79 Finger\n137 NetBIOS\n194 IRC\n995 SPOD\n22 SSH\n80 http\n138 NetBIOS\n220 IMAP3\n1433 MS SQL Svr\n23 SMTP\n110 POP3\n139 NetBIOS\n389 LDAP\n2049 NFS\n43 whois\n115 SFTP\n143 IMAP\n443 SSL\n5010 Yahoo!\nMessenger\n53 DNS\n119 NNTP\n445 SMB\n5190 AOL\nMessenger\nClosing all ports on a system makes the system useless on a network.Anytime a\nbrowser is used, or e-mail, is read, traffic is tunneling across open ports. Protect ports\nby using a firewall.\nNOTE\nAs an individual worrying about the needs of a SOHO’s firewall infras-\ntructure, also make sure you “AUDiT” your systems by following these\nbasic security steps to better ensure the company’s security:\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n237\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 265,
            "text": "Apply the latest patches to any systems. This could be as simple as\nturning on Windows Auto Updater, or downloading the latest security\npatches for your favorite Linux distribution.\nUpdate any firmware on appliances you are running. This includes\nthe firewall, the printer, the wireless router, and any other networked\nappliance if applicable. \nDetermine which data is critical data. Set up an automated process\nfor backing up that data. Make sure to have copies of those backups in\nmultiple locations. \nTurn off unneeded services on your servers, and appliances.\nDue to the small size of a SOHO, there is often a misconception that there is no\nneed for a firewall, that the company is insignificant to any would-be crackers or\nscript kiddies. Everyone connected to the Internet should be aware of the potential\ndangers inherent in the medium. Just as you don’t leave your front door open for\nany would-be thieves, the “front door” and any other open access points into the\nSOHO should be protected. Every open port on an Internet-visible host is an open\naccess point into your system.\nBy visiting random Web sites or opening dangerous e-mail, a user exposes him-\nself to potential virus infections. Every time a user interacts with other systems on\nthe Internet, his IP address is logged. Using this IP address, malicious users can hack\nin to the network using known vulnerabilities with standard applications.The mali-\ncious user will be looking for credit card numbers, bank accounts, or passwords to\nsubscription Web sites, among other activities. For future abuse of the network, the\nmalicious user could install a Trojan horse that would allow him to revisit the system\nlater.\nNOTE\nA firewall doesn’t solve all the potential security risks. It is a perimeter\nsecurity measure that will stop a percentage of attacks. It will help pre-\nvent systems from being zombiefied and then attack other systems and\nnetworks.  \nAdditionally, if a malicious user manages to crack a valid user’s pass-\nword, he can access the internal network with that user’s credentials.\nThen it is just a matter of taking advantage of the vulnerabilities on the\nsystems to get elevated privileges.  \nwww.syngress.com\n238\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 266,
            "text": "There are a number of Internet-ready devices on the market to address the\nneeds of a SOHO firewall. Depending on the number of servers, and environment\nof the SOHO, it is also possible to install and manage a firewall built on top of\nNetBSD, Linux, or other familiar OSes. Some appliances come with VPN features\nfor remote access to network and resources. By using one of the Internet-ready\ndevices, you lower the bar to entry in getting your firewall set up and blocking the\ntraffic needed.\nThis chapter and the case study explore the SOHO firewall.They examine the\nadvantages, problems, and possible solutions, and then extend to design and imple-\nmentation of a simple firewall solution that includes a VPN.\nEmploying a Firewall \nin a SOHO Environment\nAny system is vulnerable to infiltration, infection, and compromise in a network.\nSystems can be turned into zombie systems and then remotely controlled by the\nattacker, and used to attack other systems and networks. E-mail, future project plans,\nand competitive information could expose the company to an unknown degree of\nliability.This would brand a company to its customers, and potential customers as\nless than reliable. Do not be the low-hanging fruit that is easily snatched by an\nattacker. Safeguard yourself, company, brand name, and customers by seriously ana-\nlyzing your security needs.As one aspect of a comprehensive security solution, the\nfirewall protects the home and small office from external attack by only allowing\nauthorized users and applications to gain access, while allowing network pass\nthrough for authentic data.\nHost-Based Firewall Solutions\nUse a host-based firewall as one element in your defense in-depth strategy, but do\nnot rely on that application alone to protect your data and systems. Zone Fire Alarm,\nWindows XP Internet Connection Firewall, and other host-based firewalls protect\nindividual systems. Having a firewall that sits outside the system that runs the appli-\ncations you are using means the firewall is protecting all your assets in a unified\nfashion, minimizing problems of application interference. If a host-based firewall\nsolution crashes, it can take the system down with it. If an appliance crashes, only the\nappliance is affected. Finally, a host-based firewall uses the resources of your system\nto protect you.An appliance does not take away CPU, and memory resources, to\nprotect access to resources.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n239\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 267,
            "text": "Make sure to update all systems on a regular basis for patches, or updates to\napplications. Install antivirus software, antispyware software, and a software firewall to\nthe host.This will harden the host considerably. Protect the system behind a firewall\nappliance.This creates two layers of protection for each system.\nIntroducing the \nSOHO Firewall Case Study\nThe following case study illustrates the design of a simple SOHO firewall intended\nfor the average user without much hands-on systems or security experience.The\nuser is interested in securing his networked business assets, while allowing his family\ngeneral use of the broadband network access. He wants to protect all systems from\nattack on the outside, and prevent dangerous outgoing traffic. He also wants to\nencourage external traffic to a personalized company Web site, and to interact with\nhis customers with a personalized e-mail address.This section describes the user’s\ncurrent situation, the problem, the proposed solution, and the implementation of the\nsolution.\nAssessing Needs\nTom Little is a sole trader in the home office space. He has set aside a room in his\nhome as an office for tax deductions. He has two desktops in his office that are the\ncore of his business infrastructure. One contains billing invoices, customer account\ninformation, and account management software that his wife uses in her role as sec-\nretary for the business.The other system includes all of his e-mail correspondence\nwith vendors and customers, and his project plans for the various accounts he is cur-\nrently working.Tom has a printer connected to his main work system that is shared.\nTom has a networked 160GB Ethernet hard drive on which he stores backups of his\nfiles. He also uses his laptop connected to the network.\nTom’s two children have their own PCs.Tom grants them Internet time while\nwatching over them, allowing them to explore and broaden their knowledge in a\nsupervised environment.\nTom currently has broadband access to his home.All his systems are connected\nvia cat 5 cable from the DSL router provided by his ISP.\nTom wants to create a more segregated network. He also wants to move the\nkids’ systems out of his office. He plans to implement a wireless solution to allow\nhim to access his business resources remotely with his laptop. He also wants a per-\nsonalized Web site and e-mail address so he can e-mail his clients from a @com-\npany.com address rather than the @yahoo.com address he has been using.Tom does\nwww.syngress.com\n240\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 268,
            "text": "a little investigation of the products available and realizes many of the solutions are\nwell within his budget (see Figure B.1).\nFigure B.1 Tom’s Current Network Topology\nDefining the Scope of the Case Study\nTom’s challenge is that he needs to protect his company’s assets without interfering\nwith the running of his business, or his family’s access to the Internet.All equipment\nhe uses must be readily available, and inexpensive.\nDesigning the SOHO Firewall\nThis section explains how Tom determines his needs, and plans, designs, and imple-\nments a firewall with VPN.Tom learns more about the available features, differences\nin firewall technology, and costs of different vendor solutions.Tom proceeds by:\n■\nDetermining the requirements.\n■\nAnalyzing the existing environment.\n■\nCreating a preliminary design.\n■\nDeveloping a detailed design.\n■\nImplementing the firewall with VPN and modifying the network.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n241\nInternet\nDesktop\n`\n`\n`\n`\nDesktop\nChildren’s PCs\nFileserver\nDSL Router\nPrinter\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 269,
            "text": "Tom begins his investigation by:\n■\nDetermining the functional requirements of his family and business.\n■\nTalking to local user groups for recommendations.\n■\nDrawing a physical map of his home.\nDetermining the Functional Requirements\nThe users of the network are Tom, his wife, and their children.Tom and his wife\nboth use the Internet for recreational purposes, and for the home business. His chil-\ndren use the Internet for school projects, and gaming.Tom works with his family to\ndefine expectations of the home network.\nDetermining the Needs of the Family\nAlthough Tom’s wife sees the benefits of separating the children’s PCs from the\nhome office, she is worried that she won’t be able to get the access she needs to the\nInternet. She also doesn’t see how she will be able to supervise the kids’ browsing\nhabits.\nThe kids aren’t sure how they will be able to print their school papers, and are\nconcerned that a firewall will adversely affect the bandwidth that is available for their\ngaming.They are excited about having the computers in their own space.\nTom plans to buy his wife a laptop to facilitate her working remotely and\nwatching over the kids, and a printer for the kids to print their schoolwork.Tom is\nconsidering either running a Web server, and e-mail server locally, or paying for\nhosted services.This limits his budget for modifying his network to include a firewall\nto $200.\nTalking to Local User Groups\nTom has heard of the local user group BayLISA, a group of system and network\nadministrators ranging in skill levels.The group meets once per month to discuss\nissues related to their professions. It can also be a social atmosphere.Tom decides to\ne-mail the group with a detailed list of his problem. He registers with the BayLISA\ngroup by sending an e-mail to the mailing list manager majordomo@baylisa.org\nwith the body “subscribe baylisa.” He follows the verification mechanism.After\nwatching traffic for a few days, he submits his request.\nTom receives a number of responses from his query and notes all of the informa-\ntion. He categorizes product recommendations and experience separate from the gen-\neral comments about his problems. Many users recommend he use a hosted site, as he\nwww.syngress.com\n242\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 270,
            "text": "does not have the expertise to manage a Web or e-mail server. He could accidentally\nexpose all his private files with the Web server, and expose his business network to\nmore vulnerabilities by having incorrectly configured servers, or nonpatched servers.\nHe is reassured that the process of setting up a wireless network is painless, so he\ncan move his children’s computers out of the office.Additionally, although he could\nset up a firewall on a Linux- or Unix-based system, he doesn’t have the finances to\nspend on the hardware, or the expertise to support the OS, applications, and firewall\ntuning that would be required. He is better off purchasing a firewall appliance he just\nhas to remember to update regularly.\nCreating a Site Survey of the Home\nBased on his preliminary investigations and guidance from the user group,Tom\ncomes up with the following design considerations:\n■\nHe needs to purchase a firewall with VPN capabilities.\n■\nHe needs to purchase a wireless access point to connect the laptops and\nchildren’s systems.\n■\nHe needs to purchase two wireless cards for the children’s desktop com-\nputers.\n■\nHe needs to invest in a hosted service plan that will allow him to have a\npersonalized Web site, and e-mail address.\nThe next step is to analyze the existing environment.This includes:\n■\nIdentifying current technology options and constraints.\n■\nInvestigating the costs.\n■\nWeighing the costs and benefits of each solution.\nTom determines that there is an equal amount of business, school, and entertain-\nment content being used for the broadband access. He determines the second\nprinter for the kids is a good choice, as it will limit the access the children need to\nthe office network. He also determines that he does not want the Web server, and e-\nmail server, affecting the family’s bandwidth, so he has decided to remotely host\nthese services.\nTom’s existing network is very simple.The broadband service is delivered to the\nhouse from a DSL modem. From the modem, the service is wired to the PCs via a cat\n5 Ethernet cable.The printer is a peripheral of his main business PC via the PC’s serial\nport. It is shared out to the local network.The networked disk is connected via a cat 5\nEthernet cable that sits \nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n243\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 271,
            "text": "Identifying Current \nTechnology Options and Constraints\nAfter talking to the local user groups, exploring the options available on the store\nshelves, and doing searches on the Internet using the words SOHO firewall best prac-\ntices,Tom realizes he has several options in configuring his firewall.\nTom creates a list of the options available so he can better examine the choices\nhe has to make. He fills out a list of important features, technical specs, and the\npricing associated for each model. His list looks similar to Table B.3 with a column\nfor each solution.\nTable B.3 Vendor Feature List\nVendor\nNetgear\nProduct\nWebsite\nProsafe FVS 114 \nFeatures\nFirewall Type\nStateful Packet Inspection\nVPN Type\nIPSec (ESP, AH), MD5, SHA-1,\nDES, 3DES, IKE, PKI, AES\nIntrusion Prevention\nY\nIntrusion Detection\nY\nAntivirus Protection\nN\nContent Filtering\nSome\nUpdate Mechanism\nVia Web Browser\nLicensing\nNA\nManagement\nVia Web Browser\nTechnical\nProcessor\n200 MHz 32-bit RISC\nOS\nMemory\n2MB Flash, 16MB SDRAM\nPorts\n4\nWireless\nN\nConsole/Modem\nN\nCertifications\nVPNC Compliant\nPrice\n$79.99\nwww.syngress.com\n244\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 272,
            "text": "He then populates the list with the various vendor offerings he finds at the local\nFry’s Electronics, Best Buy, and online listings. He would prefer to purchase the\nhardware locally, because if it doesn’t work, he wants the ease of returning it quickly.\nHe quickly determines that the Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router, at $59.99,\nand the Netgear Prosafe VPN Firewall model FVS 114, at $79.99, fit perfectly into\nhis budget and have all the functionality he needs.\nImplementing the SOHO Firewall\nThis section describes at a high level how Tom builds his firewall protected VPN\naccessible network. He approaches the implementation by:\n■\nAssembling the network components.\n■\nInstalling the components.\n■\nTesting the configuration from the various access points.\nAssembling the Components\nTom visits his local hardware store, Fry’s Electronics, and picks up a Linksys Wireless\nG Broadband Router, a Netgear Prosafe VPN Firewall model FVS 114, and two\nASUS 802.11b/g Wireless LAN cards. He already has the cat 5 cables that will con-\nnect his business systems to the firewall.\nInstalling the Components\nTom is reasonably experienced with hardware installation, having previous upgraded\nthe children’s desktops. He feels comfortable having assembled the components, and\ntools, so he shouldn’t have any problems putting the network together.\nRemote Virtual DMZ\nAfter looking at the various options available for hosting his Web and e-mail servers,\nTom chooses to go with the Yahoo! Small Businesses Services site. He has been using\nhis @yahoo.com address for years and has not had any problems with it. He knows\nthat Yahoo! has a reliable and redundant network due to the nature of its business.\nHe is also impressed with their use of regular snapshots, and backups of Web sites.\nHe feels secure in the knowledge that his Web site will not just disappear at a\nmoment’s notice.Tom searches for a descriptive domain name widgets.com at\nhttp://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting. He tries tomswidgets.com, and it is\navailable. He clicks on compare all plans. Looking at the disk space and other fea-\ntures, he realizes that for now, he just needs the starter plan. He pays a $25 setup fee\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n245\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 273,
            "text": "and $11.95 for 5GB of space, 200 possible business e-mail addresses, and other fea-\ntures. He knows that it will take approximately 24 hours before his domain is live,\nbut he is immediately able to begin editing the site. His wife logs in to the site, and\nreplicates a brochure she made for the company using the site builder tools.\nHe is investing in a solution that means he doesn’t have to rely on understanding\nall the technical decisions on how to build a reliable, fault-tolerant mail and Web\nserver solution, and manage the spam and anti-virus protection for his inbound and\noutbound e-mail. For now, the space will just hold his Widget catalog, and contact\ninformation but his wife has many creative ideas on how to improve the site.\nThis solution has created a remote virtual DMZ that separates his Web server\nand mail server from his home systems. It maximizes his time in not having to\nmanage servers that would also consume the bandwidth into his home.\nInstalling the Wireless Cards\nTom puts on an antistatic wristband before he opens the children’s PCs. He unplugs\nthe power, and all of the cables, and sets the systems on a flat working surface. He\nopens each PC in turn, attaching the wristband to the metal frame of the computer.\nHe unscrews the screw holding the metal guard in place in front of the open PCI\nslot. He inserts one of the cards carefully, pushing until he feels the card firmly click\ninto place. He repeats the procedure on the second computer.Tom closes each\nsystem, noting the MAC address for each card. He powers the systems back on after\nplugging them in.The Add New Hardware wizard appears, and Tom follows the\ninstructions for installing the software for the cards. He confirms that the MAC\naddresses are what he expects by opening a command window with Start | Run |\ncommand. He types ipconfig /all and sees\nEthernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:\nMedia State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected\nDescription . . . . . . . . . . . : ASUS 802.11b/g Wireless LAN Card\nPhysical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-11-E6-AB-24-9C\nHe repeats this process on the second computer. While he is noting down MAC\naddresses, he checks the two laptops to confirm their addresses.\nConfiguring the Wireless Router\nTom plugs in the wireless router into the DSL modem. He follows the instructions\nfor connecting to the wireless router that came with the packaging. He first sets the\nwireless network name to WiHoInc and disables the SSID broadcast.According to\nwww.syngress.com\n246\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 274,
            "text": "the user group postings, this makes it less likely that individuals trolling for wireless\naccess will discover his wireless network.\nNOTE\nThe default username and password for the wireless router is blank user-\nname, and admin for the password. Change this as soon after the basic\nconfiguration.      \nHe enables WPA Pre-Shared key, chooses AES for encryption, and creates a rea-\nsonable length shared key “Widgets for the Win.”This is a pass phrase that will be\neasy for him to remember, but not easy for others to take advantage of. He records it\nin his PDA device in an encrypted format where he keeps the rest of his passwords\nthat access his important data.\nHe enables MAC filtering, which will allow him to permit only PCs listed to\naccess the wireless network. He edits the MAC filter address and adds his children’s\nPCs, and the two laptops.\nHe clicks the Security tab, and enables the firewall protection.Although this is\nnot Tom’s main firewall, this will protect his laptop, and kids’ systems from some\nattacks. He makes sure Block Anonymous Internet requests is enabled. He also filters\nmulticast and IDENT requests. He does not filter Internet NAT redirection.\nHe logs in to each of the children’s PCs, as well as the laptops, and configures\nthem to connect to the WiHoInc network.After confirming that the connections\nwork, he disassembles and reassembles the children’s PCs in their rooms. He could\nconfigure the wireless firewall to only allow network traffic at certain times of day to\nprevent his children from browsing the network while he or his wife is not around,\nbut he feels they will follow the rules for using the Internet.Additionally, he has log-\nging turned on so he knows exactly where the systems are browsing. He also has the\ncapability of enabling blocking of specific sites, or keywords.The firewall on the\nwireless appliance is limited, so in the future he may pick up another firewall appli-\nance to put between the network router and the wireless appliance.\nConfiguring the Firewall with VPN Router\nTom connects a cat 5 Ethernet cable from the wireless router to his firewall. He\nturns on the firewall. He then connects his computer and printer network ports to\nthe firewall Ethernet ports. He checks that the lights for each of the ports are\nshowing up as connected.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n247\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 275,
            "text": "NOTE\nThe firewall separates the internal network from the other networks,\nkeeping the interior of the network the most secure. If the wireless net-\nwork is compromised, the servers on the internal network are not acces-\nsible.  \nHe browses to 192.168.0.1 (the default IP address for this particular appliance).\nHe accepts all the defaults allowing the wireless router to give the firewall a DHCP\naddress, and let the firewall give his internal systems their own IP addresses.\nNOTE\nThe default username and password for the firewall is admin, and pass-\nword. Change this soon after the basic configuration.      \nTom checks the Basic Settings. He can safely accept this basic configuration from\nthe initial setup.\nHe then checks logging, and checks the All Websites and news groups visited,All\nincoming TCP/UDP/ICMP traffic,All Outgoing TCP/UDP/ICMP traffic, Other\nIP traffic, and Connections to the Web based interface of this Router, as he wants to\nget as much information as possible about what is happening in his internal net-\nwork. Later, after he feels comfortable with what is normal behavior on his systems,\nhe might turn off some of the logging so it is not as comprehensive.Tom doesn’t\nworry about the syslog server configuration, as he does not have a logging infras-\ntructure. For now,Tom isn’t going to e-mail the logs to himself; instead, he chooses\nto look at them and clear them manually.\nThe logging is now comprehensive.The highlighted portion of the log in Figure\nB.2 shows Tom’s access to the Administrator Interface.\nOn the Rules tab,Tom sees that he can configure specific rules to allow and dis-\nallow services, and actions from happening.Tom plans to watch his log for a few days\nand determine what if anything he needs to tune.\nTom invested in a solution that would give him VPN functionality.This allows\nhim to connect his laptop remotely to the internal system so he can print, or access\nrecords from his porch or anywhere in his house. Now that he has the basic firewall\nconfigured, he can configure the VPN access. He clicks on the VPN wizard, and gives\nthe connection a name. He reuses his pre-shared key, and chooses remote VPN client.\nwww.syngress.com\n248\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 276,
            "text": "Figure B.2 Administrator Access Logged\nHe downloads the Netgear VPN client software so that he can use IPSec to\nconnect to the VPN. Optionally, he could connect direct to another VPN firewall\nvia his firewall if he were to bring on board a remote partner using this same VPN\nwizard setting on the VPN firewall.\nTesting the Configuration from Various Access Points\nTom first checks that his children can access the Internet.The speeds appear to be\nfine connecting to www.yahoo.com. He next tries to access his office printer, or his\noffice server. Both appear to be inaccessible to his children.\nNext,Tom checks that he has access to the Internet on his laptop. He knows he\ncan browse the Web from his children’s PCs, so he is not expecting any problems.\nHe is not disappointed—the wireless works as expected. He turns on the VPN\ntunnel by clicking on the application software icon. He now has access to the\nprinter, and servers, that are sitting in his office. He confirms this by accessing the\nprinter and file shares available from his server.\nFinally,Tom checks that his office servers have the access required to function\nwithin the scope of his business needs. He accesses the widget production site to\ndownload costs of materials.The connection works. He can also print from both sys-\ntems, and access his backup file server. He is satisfied that his network is working the\nway he expects it to.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n249\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 277,
            "text": "Summary\nA firewall acts as a border guard, filtering packets by application proxy, packet fil-\ntering, or state inspection.Tom’s final network topology is comprehensive. He has an\ninternal DMZ that creates an untrusted network that is still protected within his net-\nwork, an external virtual DMZ via the hosted service, and an internal protected net-\nwork behind the firewall (Figure B.3).\nFigure B.3 Tom’s Network with Firewall\nChoose the right firewall for your needs. If you don’t have a GB connection,\n1000Mbps is not useful. 10/100 is sufficient. DHCP, a decent management GUI for\nmanaging the firewall, wireless access points, virtual private networks, along with the\ntype of filters, and the mechanism of firewalling are all aspects you need to analyze\nto determine what will be the most cost-effective with feature trade-offs. Don’t\nimplement services you won’t use.\nwww.syngress.com\n250\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\nInternet\n`\n`\n`\n`\nDSL Router\nwww.tomswidgets.com\nDMZ Net\nInternal Net\nWireless Router\nLaptops with VPN\nChildren’s PCs\nPrinter\nDesktop\nFileserver\nDesktop\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 278,
            "text": "Solutions Fast Track\nIntroducing the SOHO Firewall Case Study\n\u0001 Security is an important function that SOHO users must address as they\nconnect to the intranet.\n\u0001 Protection of networked assets can be seen as securing your house on a\nvirtual level.\n\u0001 End services you do not need so you do not have open ports on your\nsystem that could be used to infiltrate your network. Use netstat to\ndetermine what services are running on which ports.\nDesigning the SOHO Firewall\n\u0001 Gaming, education, and business interactions are all components of the\nfunctional requirements.\n\u0001 In the preliminary design, the user opts for a remote service hosting his\nWeb and e-mail, a firewall, and wireless router.\nImplementing the SOHO Firewall\n\u0001 In the detailed design, the user assembles the components, installs the\nhardware, configures the software, and tests access points.\n\u0001 Configuration includes examining the default settings, enabling logging,\nand the VPN. Further modifications to the firewall can be enabled after\nexamining typical usage from the logs.\n\u0001 Depending on the functional requirements, there are a number of solutions\nthat range in price from $50 to $600 for small businesses, and home office\nusers.\n\u0001 Change default passwords for all appliances.\nwww.syngress.com\nCase Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.) • Appendix B\n251\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 279,
            "text": "Q: How do I maintain an out-of-the-box solution firewall?\nA: Check the Web site for the manufacturer of the Web site. Sign up for any mailing\nlists, and make sure to install any firmware patches that are recommended.\nQ: One of my applications isn’t working right. How do I make it work?\nA: First, take the firewall out of the picture. Does it work now? If so, start working\nbasic principles.Turn on the highest level logging on the firewall. Does it show\nin the logging that the connection is being refused? If so, configure a rule in the\nrule set to match that setting.You can figure out what settings are needed using\nnetstat on the system that is running the application to see what ports it is\nlooking for. If you aren’t seeing a connection refused in the logs, check to see if\nyou see any problems reported with this particular application and your chosen\nappliance. Finally, if all else fails, and you can’t find the information on your\nown, contact the manufacturer for support. By going through these steps first,\nyou can show that you have made a diligent effort to solve your own problem,\nand the support staff will be more attentive hearing the steps you have taken.\nQ: If it doesn’t work, whom do I talk to?\nA: Contact support for the manufacturer. Check the documentation that came with\nthe appliance, and the vendor’s Web site. It is recommended to check the\nvendor’s Web site prior to purchasing a solution to gauge the support level avail-\nable. Check your favorite mailing lists, baylisa@baylisa.org, and sage-mem-\nbers@sage.org. Local Linux user group mailing lists like svlug@svlug.org can\ngenerally be helpful, or you can check security mailing lists.\nQ: What is the cost of the out-of-the-box solution? \nA: This case study showed a solution that cost $130 for the wireless and firewall\nappliances, and then a Web services fee of $12 per month to host the Web site.\nDepending on the solutions you choose, you may spend less or more based on\nthe functionality, and vendor.\nwww.syngress.com\n252\nAppendix B • Case Study: SOHO (Five Computers, Printer, Servers, etc.)\nFrequently Asked Questions\nThe following Frequently Asked Questions, answered by the authors of this book,\nare designed to both measure your understanding of the concepts presented in \nthis chapter and to assist you with real-life implementation of these concepts. To\nhave your questions about this chapter answered by the author, browse to\nwww.syngress.com/solutions and click on the “Ask the Author” form. \n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 280,
            "text": "Glossary of\nTechnology and\nTerminology\nThis glossary includes terms and \nacronyms that you may encounter \nduring your efforts to learn more \nabout computer security. \nAppendix C\n253\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 281,
            "text": "ActiveX: ActiveX is a Microsoft creation designed to work in a manner\nsimilar to Sun Microsystems’ Java.The main goal is to create platform-inde-\npendent programs that can be used continually on different operating sys-\ntems.ActiveX is a loose standards definition; not a specific language.An\nActiveX component or control can be run on any ActiveX-compatible\nplatform.\nActiveX defines the methods with which these COM objects and ActiveX\ncontrols interact with the system; however, it is not tied to a specific lan-\nguage.ActiveX controls and components can be created in various pro-\ngramming languages such as Visual C++, Visual Basic, or VBScript.\nActive Scripting: Active scripting is the term used to define the various\nscript programs that can run within and work with Hypertext Markup\nLanguage (HTML) in order to interact with users and create a dynamic\nWeb page. By itself, HTML is static and only presents text and graphics.\nUsing active scripting languages such as JavaScript or VBScript, developers\ncan update the date and time displayed on the page, have information pop\nup in a separate window, or create scrolling text to go across the screen.\nAdware: While not necessarily malware, adware is considered to go\nbeyond the reasonable advertising one might expect from freeware or\nshareware.Typically, a separate program that is installed at the same time as a\nshareware or similar program, adware will usually continue to generate\nadvertising even when the user is not running the originally desired pro-\ngram.*\nAntivirus Software: Antivirus software is an application that protects your\nsystem from viruses, worms, and other malicious code. Most antivirus pro-\ngrams monitor traffic while you surf the Web, scan incoming e-mail and\nfile attachments, and periodically check all local files for the existence of\nany known malicious code.\nApplication Gateway: An application gateway is a type of firewall.All\ninternal computers establish a connection with the proxy server.The proxy\nserver performs all communications with the Internet. External computers\nsee only the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the proxy server and never\ncommunicate directly with the internal clients.The application gateway\nexamines the packets more thoroughly than a circuit-level gateway when\nmaking forwarding decisions. It is considered more secure; however, it uses\nmore memory and processor resources.\nwww.syngress.com\n254\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 282,
            "text": "Attack: The act of trying to bypass security controls on a system.An attack\nmay be active, resulting in the alteration of data; or passive, resulting in the\nrelease of data. Note:The fact that an attack is made does not necessarily\nmean that it will succeed.The degree of success depends on the vulnera-\nbility of the system and the effectiveness of the existing countermeasures.\nAttack is often used as a synonym for a specific exploit.*\nAuthentication: One of the keys in determining if a message or file you\nare receiving is safe is to first authenticate that the person who sent it is\nwho they say they are.Authentication is the process of determining the\ntrue identity of someone. Basic authentication is using a password to verify\nthat you are who you say you are.There are also more complicated and\nprecise methods such as biometrics (e.g., fingerprints, retina scans).\nBackbone: The backbone of the Internet is the collection of major com-\nmunications pipelines that transfer the data from one end of the world to\nthe other. Large Internet service providers (ISPs) such as AT&T and\nWorldCom make up the backbone.They connect through major switching\ncenters called Metropolitan Area Exchange (MAE) and exchange data from\neach others’ customers through peering agreements.\nBackdoor: A backdoor is a secret or undocumented means of gaining\naccess to a computer system. Many programs have backdoors placed by the\nprogrammer to allow them to gain access in order to troubleshoot or\nchange a program. Other backdoors are placed by hackers once they gain\naccess to a system, to allow for easier access into the system in the future or\nin case their original entrance is discovered.\nBiometrics: Biometrics is a form of authentication that uses unique phys-\nical traits of the user. Unlike a password, a hacker cannot “guess” your fin-\ngerprint or retinal scan pattern. Biometrics is a relatively new term used to\nrefer to fingerprinting, retinal scans, voice wave patterns, and various other\nunique biological traits used to authenticate users.\nBroadband: Technically, broadband is used to define any transmission that\ncan carry more than one channel on a single medium (e.g., the coaxial\ncable for cable TV carries many channels and can simultaneously provide\nInternet access). Broadband is also often used to describe high-speed\nInternet connections such as cable modems and digital subscriber lines\n(DSLs).\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n255\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 283,
            "text": "Bug: In computer technology, a bug is a coding error in a computer pro-\ngram.After a product is released or during public beta testing, bugs are still\napt to be discovered. When this occurs, users have to either find a way to\navoid using the “buggy“ code or get a patch from the originators of the\ncode.\nCircuit-level Gateway: A circuit-level gateway is a type of firewall.All\ninternal computers establish a “circuit” with the proxy server.The proxy\nserver performs all communications with the Internet. External computers\nsee only the IP address of the proxy server and never communicate directly\nwith the internal clients.\nCompromise: When used to discuss Internet security, compromise does\nnot mean that two parties come to a mutually beneficial agreement.\nRather, it means that the security of your computer or network is weak-\nened.A typical security compromise can be a third party learning the\nadministrator password of your computer.\nCross Site Scripting: Cross site scripting (XSS) refers to the ability to use\nsome of the functionality of active scripting against the user by inserting\nmalicious code into the HTML that will run code on the users’ computers,\nredirect them to a site other than what they intended, or steal passwords,\npersonal information, and so on.\nXSS is a programming problem, not a vulnerability of any particular Web\nbrowser software or Web hosting server. It is up to the Web site developer\nto ensure that user input is validated and checked for malicious code before\nexecuting it.\nCyberterrorism: This term is more a buzzword than anything and is used\nto describe officially sanctioned hacking as a political or military tool. Some\nhackers have used stolen information (or the threat of stealing information)\nas a tool to attempt to extort money from companies.\nDHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is used to auto-\nmate the assignment of IP addresses to hosts on a network. Each machine\non a network must have a unique address. DHCP automatically enters the\nIP address, tracks which ones are in use, and remembers to put addresses\nback into the pool when devices are removed. Each device that is config-\nured to use DHCP contacts the DHCP server to request an IP address.The\nDHCP server then assigns an IP address from the range it has been config-\nured to use.The IP address is leased for a certain amount of time. When\nwww.syngress.com\n256\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 284,
            "text": "the device is removed from the network or when the lease expires, the IP\naddress is placed back into the pool to be used by another device.\nDemilitarized Zone: The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a neutral zone or\nbuffer that separates the internal and external networks and usually exists\nbetween two firewalls. External users can access servers in the DMZ, but\nnot the computers on the internal network.The servers in the DMZ act as\nan intermediary for both incoming and outgoing traffic.\nDNS: The Domain Name System (DNS) was created to provide a way to\ntranslate domain names to their corresponding IP addresses. It is easier for\nusers to remember a domain name (e.g., yahoo.com) than to try and\nremember an actual IP address (e.g., 65.37.128.56) of each site they want to\nvisit.The DNS server maintains a list of domain names and IP addresses so\nthat when a request comes in it can be pointed to the correct corre-\nsponding IP address.\nKeeping a single database of all domain names and IP addresses in the\nworld would be exceptionally difficult, if not impossible. For this reason,\nthe burden has been spread around the world. Companies, Web hosts, ISPs,\nand other entities that choose to do so can maintain their own DNS\nservers. Spreading the workload like this speeds up the process and provides\nbetter security instead of relying on a single source.\nDenial of Service: A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack floods a network\nwith an overwhelming amount of traffic, thereby slowing its response time\nfor legitimate traffic or grinding it to a halt completely.The more common\nattacks use the built-in features of the Transmission Control Protocol\n(TCP)/IP to create exponential amounts of network traffic.\nE-mail Spoofing: E-mail spoofing is the act of forging the header infor-\nmation on an e-mail so that it appears to have originated from somewhere\nother than its true source.The protocol used for e-mail, Simple Mail\nTransfer Protocol (SMTP), does not have any authentication to verify the\nsource. By changing the header information, the e-mail can appear to come\nfrom someone else.\nE-mail spoofing is used by virus authors. By propagating a virus with a\nspoofed e-mail source, it is more difficult for users who receive the virus to\ntrack its source. E-mail spoofing is also used by distributors of spam to hide\ntheir identity.\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n257\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 285,
            "text": "Encryption: Encryption is when text, data, or other communications are\nencoded so that unauthorized users cannot see or hear it.An encrypted file\nappears as gibberish unless you have the password or key necessary to\ndecrypt the information.\nFirewall: Basically, a firewall is a protective barrier between your computer\n(or internal network) and the outside world.Traffic into and out of the\nfirewall is blocked or restricted as you choose. By blocking all unnecessary\ntraffic and restricting other traffic to those protocols or individuals that\nneed it, you can greatly improve the security of your internal network.\nForensic: Forensic is a legal term.At its root it means something that is\ndiscussed in a court of law or that is related to the application of knowl-\nedge to a legal problem.\nIn computer terms, forensic is used to describe the art of extracting and\ngathering data from a computer to determine how an intrusion occurred,\nwhen it occurred, and who the intruder was. Organizations that employ\ngood security practices and maintain logs of network and file access are\nable to accomplish this much easier. But, with the right knowledge and the\nright tools, forensic evidence can be extracted even from burned, water-\nlogged, or physically damaged computer systems.\nHacker: Commonly used to refer to any individual who uses their knowl-\nedge of networks and computer systems to gain unauthorized access to\ncomputer systems. While often used interchangeably, the term hacker typi-\ncally applies to those who break in out of curiosity or for the challenge\nitself, rather than those who actually intend to steal or damage data. Hacker\npurists claim that true hacking is benign and that the term is misused.\nHeuristic: Heuristics uses past experience to make educated guesses about\nthe present. Using rules and decisions based on analysis of past network or\ne-mail traffic, heuristic scanning in antivirus software can self-learn and use\nartificial intelligence to attempt to block viruses or worms that are not yet\nknown and for which the antivirus software does not yet have a filter to\ndetect or block.\nHoax: A hoax is an attempt to trick a user into believing something that is\nnot true. It is mainly associated with e-mails that are too good to be true or\nthat ask you to do things like “forward this to everyone you know.”\nwww.syngress.com\n258\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 286,
            "text": "Host: As far as the Internet is concerned, a host is essentially any computer\nconnected to the Internet. Each computer or device has a unique IP\naddress which helps other devices on the Internet find and communicate\nwith that host.\nHTML: HTML is the basic language used to create graphic Web pages.\nHTML defines the syntax and tags used to create documents on the World\nWide Web (WWW). In its basic form, HTML documents are static,\nmeaning they only display text and graphics. In order to have scrolling text,\nanimations, buttons that change when the mouse pointer is over them, and\nso on, a developer needs to use active scripting like JavaScript or VBScript\nor use third-party plug-ins like Macromedia Flash.\nThere are variations and additions to HTML as well. Dynamic Hypertext\nMarkup Language (DHTML) is used to refer to pages that include things\nlike JavaScript or CGI scripts in order to dynamically present information\nunique to each user or each time the user visits the site. Extensible Markup\nLanguage (XML) is gaining in popularity because of its ability to interact\nwith data and provide a means for sharing and interpreting data between\ndifferent platforms and applications.\nICMP: Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is part of the IP por-\ntion of TCP/IP. Common network testing commands such as PING and\nTrace Route (TRACERT) rely on the ICMP.\nIdentity Theft: Use of personal information to impersonate someone,\nusually for the purpose of fraud.*\nIDS: An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is a device or application that is\nused to inspect all network traffic and to alert the user or administrator\nwhen there has been unauthorized access or an attempt to access a net-\nwork.The two primary methods of monitoring are signature based and\nanomaly based. Depending on the device or application used, the IDS can\nalert either the user or the administrator or set up to block specific traffic\nor automatically respond in some way.\nSignature-based detection relies on the comparison of traffic to a database\ncontaining signatures of known attack methods.Anomaly-based detection\ncompares current network traffic to a known good baseline to look for\nanything out of the ordinary.The IDS can be placed strategically on the\nnetwork as a Network-based Intrusion Detection System (NIDS), which\nwill inspect all network traffic, or it can be installed on each individual\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n259\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 287,
            "text": "system as a Host-based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS), which inspects\ntraffic to and from that specific device only.\nInstant Messaging: Instant messaging (IM) offers users the ability to\ncommunicate in real time. Starting with Internet Relay Chat (IRC), users\nbecame hooked on the ability to “chat” in real time rather than sending e-\nmails back and forth or posting to a forum or message board.\nOnline service providers such as America Online (AOL) and CompuServe\ncreated proprietary messaging systems that allow users to see when their\nfriends are online and available to chat (as long as they use the same instant\nmessaging software). ICQ introduced an IM system that was not tied to a\nparticular ISP and that kicked off the mainstream popularity of Instant\nMessaging.\nInternet: The Internet was originally called Arpanet, and was created by\nthe United States government in conjunction with various colleges and\nuniversities for the purpose of sharing research data.As it stands now, there\nare millions of computers connected to the Internet all over the world.\nThere is no central server or owner of the Internet; every computer on the\nInternet is connected with every other computer.\nIntranet: An Intranet is an Internet with restricted access. Corporate\nIntranets generally use the exact same communication lines as the rest of\nthe Internet, but have security in place to restrict access to the employees,\ncustomers, or suppliers that the corporation wants to have access.\nIP: The IP is used to deliver data packets to their proper destination. Each\npacket contains both the originating and the destination IP address. Each\nrouter or gateway that receives the packet will look at the destination\naddress and determine how to forward it.The packet will be passed from\ndevice to device until it reaches its destination.\nIP Address: An IP Address is used to uniquely identify devices on the\nInternet.The current standard (IPv4) is a 32-bit number made up of four\n8-bit blocks. In standard decimal numbers, each block can be any number\nfrom 0 to 255.A standard IP address would look something like\n“192.168.45.28.”\nPart of the address is the network address which narrows the search to a\nspecific block, similar to the way your postal mail is first sent to the proper\nzip code.The other part of the address is the local address that specifies the\nactual device within that network, similar to the way your specific street\nwww.syngress.com\n260\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 288,
            "text": "address identifies you within your zip code.A subnet mask is used to deter-\nmine how many bits make up the network portion and how many bits\nmake up the local portion.\nThe next generation of IP (IPv6 or [IP Next Generation] IPng) has been\ncreated and is currently being implemented in some areas.\nIP Spoofing: IP spoofing is the act of replacing the IP address informa-\ntion in a packet with fake information. Each packet contains the origi-\nnating and destination IP address. By replacing the true originating IP\naddress with a fake address, a hacker can mask the true source of an attack\nor force the destination IP address to reply to a different machine and pos-\nsibly cause a DoS.\nIPv4: The current version of IP used on the Internet is version 4 (IPv4).\nIPv4 is used to direct packets of information to their correct address. Due\nto a shortage of available addresses and to address the needs of the future, an\nupdated IP is being developed (IPv6).\nIPv6: To address issues with the current IP in use (IPv4) and to add fea-\ntures to improve the protocol for the future, the Internet Engineering Task\nForce (IETF) has introduced IP version 6 (IPv6) also known as IPng.\nIPv6 uses 128-bit addresses rather than the current 32-bit addresses,\nallowing for an exponential increase in the number of available IP\naddresses. IPv6 also adds new security and performance features to the pro-\ntocol. IPv6 is backwards compatible with IPv4 so that different networks or\nhardware manufacturers can choose to upgrade at different times without\ndisrupting the current flow of data on the Internet.\nISP: An ISP is a company that has the servers, routers, communication\nlines, and other equipment necessary to establish a presence on the\nInternet.They in turn sell access to their equipment in the form of Internet\nservices such as dial-up, cable modem, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or\nother types of connections.The larger ISPs form the backbone of the\nInternet.\nJavaScript: JavaScript is an active scripting language that was created by\nNetscape and based on Sun Microsystems’ platform-independent program-\nming language, Java. Originally named LiveScript, Netscape changed the\nname to JavaScript to ride on the coattails of Java’s popularity. JavaScript is\nused within HTML to execute small programs, in order to generate a\ndynamic Web page. Using JavaScript, a developer can make text or graphics\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n261\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 289,
            "text": "change when the mouse points at them, update the current date and time\non the Web page, or add personal information such as how long it has been\nsince that user last visited the site. Microsoft Internet Explorer supports a\nsubset of JavaScript dubbed JScript.\nMalware: Malicious Code (Malware) is a catch-all term used to refer to\nvarious types of software that can cause problems or damage your com-\nputer.The common types of malware are viruses, worms,Trojan horses,\nmacro viruses, and backdoors.\nNAT: Network Address Translation (NAT) is used to mask the true iden-\ntity of internal computers.Typically, the NAT server or device has a public\nIP address that can be seen by external hosts. Computers on the local net-\nwork use a completely different set of IP addresses. When traffic goes out,\nthe internal IP address is removed and replaced with the public IP address\nof the NAT device. When replies come back to the NAT device, it deter-\nmines which internal computer the response belongs to and routes it to its\nproper destination.\nAn added benefit is the ability to have more than one computer communi-\ncate on the Internet with only one publicly available IP address. Many\nhome routers use NAT to allow multiple computers to share one IP\naddress.\nNetwork: Technically, it only takes two computers (or hosts) to form a\nnetwork.A network is any two or more computers connected together to\nshare data or resources. Common network resources include printers that\nare shared by many users rather than each user having their own printer.\nThe Internet is one large network of shared data and resources.\nNetwork Security: This term is used to describe all aspects of securing\nyour computer or computers from unauthorized access.This includes\nblocking outsiders from getting into the network, as well as password pro-\ntecting your computers and ensuring that only authorized users can view\nsensitive data.\nP2P: Peer-to-peer Networking (P2P) applies to individual PCs acting as\nservers to other individual PCs. Made popular by the music file swapping\nservice, Napster, P2P allows users to share files with each other through a\nnetwork of computers using that same P2P client software. Each computer\non the network has the ability to act as a server by hosting files for others\nto download, and as a client by searching other computers on the network\nfor files they want.\nwww.syngress.com\n262\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 290,
            "text": "Packet: A packet, otherwise known as a datagram, is a fragment of data.\nData transmissions are broken up into packets. Each packet contains a por-\ntion of the data being sent as well as header information, which includes\nthe destination address.\nPacket Filter: A packet filter is a type of firewall. Packet filters can restrict\nnetwork traffic and protect your network by rejecting packets from unau-\nthorized hosts, using unauthorized ports, or trying to connect to unautho-\nrized IP addresses.\nPacket Sniffing: Packet sniffing is the act of capturing packets of data\nflowing across a computer network.The software or device used to do this\nis called a packet sniffer. Packet sniffing is to computer networks what wire\ntapping is to a telephone network.\nPacket sniffing is used to monitor network performance or to troubleshoot\nproblems with network communications. However, it is also widely used by\nhackers and crackers to illegally gather information about networks they\nintend to break into. Using a packet sniffer, you can capture data such as\npasswords, IP addresses, protocols being used on the network, and other\ninformation that will help an attacker infiltrate the network.\nPatch: A patch is like a Band-Aid. When a company finds bugs and defects\nin their software, they fix them in the next version of the application.\nHowever, some bugs make the current product inoperable or less func-\ntional, or may even open security vulnerabilities. For these bugs, users\ncannot wait until the next release to get a fix; therefore, the company must\ncreate a small interim patch that users can apply to fix the problem.\nPhishing: Posting of a fraudulent message to a large number of people via\nspam or other general posting asking them to submit personal or security\ninformation, which is then used for further fraud or identity theft.The\nterm is possibly an extension of trolling, which is the posting of an outra-\ngeous message or point of view in a newsgroup or mailing list in the hope\nthat someone will “bite” and respond to it.*\nPort: A port has a dual definition in computers.There are various ports on\nthe computer itself (e.g., ports to plug in your mouse, keyboards, Universal\nSerial Bus [USB] devices, printers, monitors, and so forth). However, the\nports that are most relevant to information security are virtual ports found\nin TCP/IP. Ports are like channels on your computer. Normal Web or\nHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) traffic flows on port 80. Post Office\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n263\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 291,
            "text": "Protocol version 3 (POP3) e-mail flows on port 110. By blocking or\nopening these ports into and out of your network, you can control the\nkinds of data that flows through your network.\nPort Scan: A port scan is a method used by hackers to determine what\nports are open or in use on a system or network. By using various tools, a\nhacker can send data to TCP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports one\nat a time. Based on the response received, the port scan utility can deter-\nmine if that port is in use. Using this information, the hacker can then\nfocus his or her attack on the ports that are open and try to exploit any\nweaknesses to gain access.\nProtocol: A protocol is a set of rules or agreed-upon guidelines for com-\nmunication. When communicating, it is important to agree on how to do\nso. If one party speaks French and one German, the communications will\nmost likely fail. If both parties agree on a single language, communications\nwill work.\nOn the Internet, the set of communications protocols used is called\nTCP/IP.TCP/IP is actually a collection of various protocols that have their\nown special functions.These protocols have been established by interna-\ntional standards bodies and are used in almost all platforms and around the\nglobe to ensure that all devices on the Internet can communicate \nsuccessfully.\nProxy Server: A proxy server acts as a middleman between your internal\nand external networks. It serves the dual roles of speeding up access to the\nInternet and providing a layer of protection for the internal network.\nClients send Internet requests to the proxy server, which in turn initiates\ncommunications with actual destination server.\nBy caching pages that have been previously requested, the proxy server\nspeeds up performance by responding to future requests for the same page,\nusing the cached information rather than going to the Web site again.\nWhen using a proxy server, external systems only see the IP address of the\nproxy server so the true identity of the internal computers is hidden.The\nproxy server can also be configured with basic rules of what ports or IP\naddresses are or are not allowed to pass through, which makes it a type of\nbasic firewall.\nwww.syngress.com\n264\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 292,
            "text": "Rootkit: A rootkit is a set of tools and utilities that a hacker can use to\nmaintain access once they have hacked a system.The rootkit tools allow\nthem to seek out usernames and passwords, launch attacks against remote\nsystems, and conceal their actions by hiding their files and processes and\nerasing their activity from system logs and a plethora of other malicious\nstealth tools.\nScript Kiddie: Script kiddie is a derogatory term used by hackers or\ncrackers to describe novice hackers.The term is derived from the fact that\nthese novice hackers tend to rely on existing scripts, tools, and exploits to\ncreate their attacks.They may not have any specific knowledge of computer\nsystems or why or how their hack attempts work, and they may unleash\nharmful or destructive attacks without even realizing it. Script kiddies tend\nto scan and attack large blocks of the Internet rather than targeting a spe-\ncific computer, and generally don’t have any goal in mind aside from\nexperimenting with tools to see how much chaos they can create.\nSMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is used to send e-mail.The\nSMTP protocol provides a common language for different servers to send\nand receive e-mail messages.The default TCP/IP port for the SMTP pro-\ntocol is port 25.\nSNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol\nused for monitoring network devices. Devices like printers and routers use\nSNMP to communicate their status.Administrators use SNMP to manage\nthe function of various network devices.\nStateful Inspection: Stateful inspection is a more in-depth form of packet\nfilter firewall. While a packet filter firewall only checks the packet header to\ndetermine the source and destination address and the source and destina-\ntion ports to verify against its rules, stateful inspection checks the packet all\nthe way to the Application layer. Stateful inspection monitors incoming and\noutgoing packets to determine source, destination, and context. By ensuring\nthat only requested information is allowed back in, stateful inspection helps\nprotect against hacker techniques such as IP spoofing and port scanning\nTCP: The TCP is a primary part of the TCP/IP set of protocols, which\nforms the basis of communications on the Internet.TCP is responsible for\nbreaking large data into smaller chunks of data called packets.TCP assigns\neach packet a sequence number and then passes them on to be transmitted\nto their destination. Because of how the Internet is set up, every packet\nmay not take the same path to get to its destination.TCP has the responsi-\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n265\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 293,
            "text": "bility at the destination end of reassembling the packets in the correct\nsequence and performing error-checking to ensure that the complete data\nmessage arrived intact.\nTCP/IP: TCP/IP is a suite of protocols that make up the basic framework\nfor communication on the Internet.\nTCP helps control how the larger data is broken down into smaller pieces\nor packets for transmission.TCP handles reassembling the packets at the\ndestination end and performing error-checking to ensure all of the packets\narrived properly and were reassembled in the correct sequence.\nIP is used to route the packets to the appropriate destination.The IP man-\nages the addressing of the packets and tells each router or gateway on the\npath how and where to forward the packet to direct it to its proper \ndestination.\nOther protocols associated with the TCP/IP suite are UDP and ICMP.\nTrojan: A Trojan horse is a malicious program disguised as a normal appli-\ncation.Trojan horse programs do not replicate themselves like a virus, but\nthey can be propagated as attachments to a virus.\nUDP: UDP is a part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols used for communi-\ncations on the Internet. It is similar to TCP except that it offers very little\nerror checking and does not establish a connection with a specific destina-\ntion. It is most widely used to broadcast a message over a network port to\nall machines that are listening.\nVBScript: VBScript is an active scripting language created by Microsoft to\ncompete with Netscape’s JavaScript. VBScript is based on Microsoft’s pop-\nular programming language, Visual Basic. VBScript is an active scripting\nlanguage used within HTML to execute small programs to generate a\ndynamic Web page. Using VBScript, a developer can cause text or graphics\nto change when the mouse points at them, update the current date and\ntime on the Web page, or add personal information like how long it has\nbeen since that user last visited the site.\nVirus: A virus is malicious code that replicates itself. New viruses are dis-\ncovered daily. Some exist simply to replicate themselves. Others can do\nserious damage such as erasing files or rendering a computer inoperable.\nwww.syngress.com\n266\nAppendix C • Glossary of Technology and Terminology\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 294,
            "text": "Vulnerability: In network security, a vulnerability refers to any flaw or\nweakness in the network defense that could be exploited to gain unautho-\nrized access to, damage, or otherwise affect the network\nWorm: A worm is similar to a virus. Worms replicate themselves like\nviruses, but do not alter files.The main difference is that worms reside in\nmemory and usually remain unnoticed until the rate of replication reduces\nsystem resources to the point that it becomes noticeable.\n* These definitions were derived from Robert Slade’s Dictionary of\nInformation Security (Syngress. ISBN: 1-59749-115-2). With over 1,000\ninformation security terms and definitions, Slade’s book is a great resource\nto turn to when you come across technical words and acronyms you are\nnot familiar with.\nwww.syngress.com\nGlossary of Technology and Terminology • Appendix C\n267\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 295,
            "text": ""
        },
        {
            "page_number": 296,
            "text": "269\nIndex\n802.11x wireless protocols, 126–127\nA\naccess\nrestricting to home wireless\nnetwork, 130–131\nWindows, levels and permissions,\n18–21\naccounts\nGuest, disabling in Windows XP,\n11–12\nuser. See user accounts\nAcrobat Reader, 208–209\nactive scripting and Web surfing,\n112–115\nActiveX controls, 106\nAd-aware, 145, 146, 147–148\naddresses\nIP. See IP addresses\nMAC, 130–131\nspoofed e-mail, 92–93\nAdministrator account\nsecuring home system, 128–129\nWindows XP, 9–13\nAdobe Acrobat Reader, 208–209\nadvertising\nSee also spam, spyware\nadware, 140–144, 150\nAethera e-mail (Linux), 193–194\nAfterSTEP window manager, 187\nAirSnarf, 134\nAmazon.com, 107\nantivirus software\nusing, 44–47\nfor wireless networks, 133\napplication gateways, 74\napplications\nin desktop environments (Linux),\n181–184\nOffice application suites (Linux),\n209–214\nrunning Windows on Linux,\n214–217\nupdating, 162\nARPNET, 86\nattachments, e-mail, 87–91\nattacks. See specific attack\nauthentication, CHAP protocol, 203\nAutomatic Update (Windows XP),\n57–60, 161\nautomating maintenance tasks,\n159–161\nB\nbacking up data, 175\nBackup For One, 175\nBIOS (Basic Input/Output System),\nsetting password in, 37–38\nBlackbox window manager, 187,\n188–189\nblocking\ncookies, 108–109\ne-mail file attachments, 89–90\nports via firewall, 227\nspam, 94\nBloomberg cyber-extortion, 105\nbooting into Safe Mode (Windows),\n174\nbots described, 43\nBrain virus, 43\nbrowsers (Linux), 202–209\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 297,
            "text": "270\nIndex\nBrute Force Attacks, 36\nBugtraq vulnerability information, 57\nC\ncable/DSL routers\nfirewalls, 74–80\nand NAT, 70, 112\nCAN-SPAM Act, 95, 97\nCDE (Common Desktop\nEnvironment), 185\ncertificates, digital, 116–117\nCHAP (Challenge Handshake\nAuthentication Protocol), 203\nchildproofing the Web, 119–120\nCode Red worm, 48\nCohen, Fred, 43\nComcast’s spam blocking, 96\nCommon Desktop Environment\n(CDE), 185\ncommunication ports, 223\nComputer Management Console\n(Windows XP), 9–11\ncomputer networks. See networks\ncomputers. See PCs\nconfiguring\nhome wireless networks, 130–131\nInternet Explorer security zones,\n113–115\nlog file size, 168\nscreen savers, 26–27\nWindows Firewall, 76–80, 170–171\nWindows services, 22–24\nWindows user accounts, Security\nGroups, 8–16\nZoneAlarm firewall, 79\nconnections\nconfiguring for home wireless\nnetworks, 130–131\nverifying hotspot, 135\ncontent filtering, Web, 119–120\ncookies, and security, 106–109\ncracking passwords, 35–36\ncrime on the Web, 105–106\nCrossOver Office suite, 216–217\ncryptography. See encryption\ncumulative patches, 55\ncyber-extortion, 105\nD\ndata, restoring, 175\ndefragmenting\nhard disks, 158–159\nand performance, 155\ndenial-of-service (DoS) attacks, 76\ndesktop environments (Linux),\n180–185, 189\ndevices\nPlug and Play, 23\nrunning NAT, 70\nDHCP (Dynamic Host\nConfiguration Protocol), 226\nDictionary Attacks, 35–36\ndigital certificates, 116–117\ndir command, 25\ndisabling\nfile sharing, 17–18, 134\nfirewall logging, 78\nGuest accounts (Windows XP),\n11–12\nSimple File Sharing (Windows XP),\n17–18\nWindows services, 22–24\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 298,
            "text": "Index\n271\ndisaster response, event log-checking,\n166–167\nDisk Cleanup, 155–157\ndisk cleanup for PCs, 155–157\nDisk Defragmenter, 158–159\ndisplaying\nSee also viewing\nWindows Display properties, 26–27\nDNS servers, and IP address\nhandling, 225\nDoS (denial-of-service) attacks, 76\nDSL cable\nand firewalls, 74–80\nand NAT, 70, 112\nand wireless networks, 126\nE\ne-mail\nattachments, 87–91\nevolution of, 86\nhoaxes, phishing, 97–101\nmigrating from Windows to Linux\ndesktops, 196–201\nand PIM clients (Linux), 190–196\nand PIM software (Linux), 96–201\nresources on safe, 102\nspam, 93–97\nspoofed addresses, 92–93\nWeb-based and POP3, 91, 136\neducation and the Web, 104–105\nEmployee-Monitoring.com, 145\nemulator software, 214–216\nenabling\nfirewall logging, 78\nSecurity event logging, 167–169\nencryption\npassword, 135–136\nusing with home wireless networks,\n131–132\nEnlightenment window manager, 187\nerasing pagefiles, 157–158\nevent logs, 80, 166–169\nEvent Viewer, using, 166–167\nEvolution e-mail (Linux), 190–192\nexporting e-mail from Outlook,\n199–201\nF\nFAT32 vs. NTFS, 16\nfile and folder security, disabling\nsharing, 134\nfile attachments, opening e-mail,\n86–91\nfiles\nSee also specific file type\nand disk cleanup for PCs, 155–157\nhidden extensions, 24–25\nWindows, security, 16–21\nfiltering\npacket, and firewalls, 72–73\nZIP files, 90\nfinancial transactions over the Web,\n118–119\nFirefox browser, 203–204\nfirewalls\napplication gateways, proxy\nfirewalls, 74\ngenerally, 69–71\npacket routing and filtering, 72–73\npersonal, 74–80, 133–134\nresources about, 84\nrouters and ports, 71–72\nsecurity considerations, 227–228\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 299,
            "text": "272\nIndex\nstateful inspection, 73\nin wireless networks, 124\nfolders, Windows Security, 16–21\nFVWM window manager, 187\nG\nGaleon browser, 204\ngateways, application, 74\nGnome desktop environment\n(Linux), 181–185\nGNU Project, 181\nGroups, Windows Security, 13–15\nGuest accounts, disabling in Windows\nXP, 11–12\nH\nHancom Office suite, 214\nhard disks\ndefragmenting, 158–159\ndisk cleanup, 155–157\nheuristic scanning, 47\nhidden file extensions, 24–25\nHIDS (host-based intrusion detection\nsystem), 80–81\nHijackThis tool, 148, 149\nhoaxes, 97–101\nhome wireless networks, securing,\n128–133\nhost-based intrusion detection system\n(HIDS), 80–81\nhosts, and IP addressing, DNS,\n224–226\nHotmail Web-based e-mail, 91\nhotspot security (wireless), 133–134\nHTML (Hypertext Markup\nLanguage) and Web pages, 106\nHTTP port 80, 223\nHybrid Attacks, 36\nI\niCalendar, 201\nICS (Windows Internet Connection\nSharing), 70\nidentity theft. See phishing\nIDSs (intrusion detection systems), 69\nIIS (Internet Information Services),\ndisabling, 23\nimporting\nbookmarks into Linux, 206\nimporting Outlook mail into\nMozilla, 198–199\nInternet Calendaring and Scheduling\nCore Object Specification\n(iCalendar) standard, 201\nInternet Explorer\nsetting security levels in, 113–115\nvulnerabilities of, 57\nInternet Information Services (IIS),\n23\nintrusion detection systems (IDSs),\n69, 80–83\nIP (Internet Protocol), 222\nIP addresses\ndescribed, 225\nmanaging, 226–227\nand network traffic flow, 70–72\nspoofed e-mail, 92\nIPSs (intrusion prevention systems),\n69, 80–83\nJ\nJavaScript, 106\nJDBGMGR hoax, 99\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 300,
            "text": "Index\n273\nK\nKDE desktop environment (Linux),\n181, 183–185\nKDE suite/KMail, 192–193\nkeylogging, 144\nKOffice suite, 213–214\nKolla, Patrick, 145\nKonqueror browser, 205\nKWin window manager, 187\nL\nL33t-5p34K G3n3r@t0r, 35\nLavasoft, 145\nlegislation, CAN-SPAM Act, 95\nLibPST conversion application\n(Linux), 199\nlicensing, GNU Public License, 181\nlinks, and phishing, 100–101\nLinksys wireless routers, 128\nLinux\ncommon desktop environments,\n180–185\ne-mail and PIM clients, 190–196\ne-mail and PIM software, 196–201\nOffice application suites, 209–214\nsummary, 218\nWeb browsers, 202–209\nX Window system, window\nmanagers, 185–189\nlogging\nenabling and disabling, 78\nenabling Security event, 167–169\nsecurity event logs, 166–167\nlogins, Windows XP, 7\nlogs, event, 80\nM\nMAC Media Access Code) addresses,\n130–131\nMacromedia Flash (Linux), 206–207\nMacromedia Shockwave/Director,\n207\nmaintenance, general PC, 154–161\nMalicious Software Removal Tool, 50\nmalware\nSee also spam, spyware\ndescribed, 5–6\ne-mail security concerns, 86–91\nhistory of, 43–44\nremoving, 49–51\nresources on, 52\nMcFee malware removal tools, 50\nMcFee VirusScan, 45–46\nMelissa virus, 43\nmemory, erasing pagefiles, 157–158\nMessenger, Windows, disabling, 23\nMetacity window manager, 186\nMicrosoft Exchange, and Evolution,\n192\nMicrosoft Internet Explorer,\nvulnerabilities of, 57\nMicrosoft Outlook Express\nmigrating e-mail to Linux desktop,\n197–199\nvulnerabilities, 92, 94\nMicrosoft PowerPoint, 211\nMicrosoft Security Bulletins, 55, 162\nMicrosoft Windows. See Windows\nmigrating\nbookmarks to Linux, 206\ne-mail from Windows to Linux\ndesktops, 197–199\nfrom Windows to Linux desktops,\n189\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 301,
            "text": "274\nIndex\nmoney transactions over the Web,\n116–119\nmonitoring\nInternet traffic, 28\nWeb activity, 145\nMozilla Mail/Thunderbird\nbrowser/e-mail, 194–195,\n198–199, 202–203\nN\nNAT (Network Address Translation),\n70, 75, 112, 226–227\nNet Nanny, 120\nNetVizor, 145\nNetwork Address Translation (NAT),\n70, 75, 112, 226–227\nnetwork-based intrusion detection\nsystem (NIDS), 80–82\nnetwork traffic, firewalls’ handling of,\n69–73\nnetworks\ncomputer protocols and ports,\n222–224\nIP addresses and DNS, 224–226\npeer-to-peer (P2P), 72\nvirtual private (VPNs), 136\nand Windows security, 6\nwireless. See wireless networks\nNIDS (network-based intrusion\ndetection system), 80–82\nNTFS vs. FAT32, 16\nO\nOffice application suites (Linux),\n209–214\nopening e-mail attachments, 87–91\nOpenOffice.org, 209–213\nOpera browser, 205\nOutlook Express\nmigrating to Linux desktops,\n197–199\nspam blocking, 94\nspoofed addresses, vulnerability, 92\nP\npacket filtering, 72–73\npacket routing, firewalls and, 72–73\npagefiles, erasing, 157–158\nPassword Safe, 37\npasswords\nSee also permissions\ncracking, 35–36\nkeeping secure, 32–35\nprotecting in wireless networks,\n135–136\nsetting in BIOS, 37–38\nstoring, 36–37\nstrong, 12\nuse and security of, 30–31\nweak, 6\nand Windows access levels, 18–21\nWindows XP Administrator\naccount, 12–13\npatches\nfor PCs, 161–162\nprecautions, 60–63\npurpose and procedures, 55–60\nresources on, 64\nterminology, 54–55\nPCs (personal computers)\nbooting into Safe Mode, 174\ngeneral maintenance, 154–161\nLinux. See Linux\npatches and updates, 161–162\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 302,
            "text": "Index\n275\nresources on securing, 164\nrestoring system, 173–174, 176–177\nscanning events, log data, 171–172\nscheduling maintenance tasks,\n159–161\nWindows XP Security Center,\n162–163\nPDF files, 208, 212\npeer-to-peer (P2P) networking, 72\nperimeter security\nfirewalls, 69–80\nintroduction to, 68–69\nintrusion detection and prevention,\n80–83\npermissions\nSee also passwords\nand Windows access levels, 18–21\npersonal firewalls, 133–134\nPGP encryption program, 135\nphishing, 100–101, 119\nphysical security, 6\npoints, setting system restore, 62\npop-up spam and Windows\nMessenger Service, 4\nPOP3 (Post Office Protocol) e-mail\nservers, 72\nvs. Web-based e-mail, 91, 136\nports\ncommunication, 223\nfirewalls and, 71–72\nPowerPoint, 211\npreventing\nspyware, 145–150\nvirus and worm infections, 49–51\nprivacy\nadware and, 149\nand anonymous Web surfing,\n109–112\nprofiles, user account, 8\nprotocols\nSee also specific protocol\n802.11x wireless, 126–127\ncomputer,TCP, UDP, 222–224\nproxy firewalls, 74\nPSW.Win.32.WOW.x Trojan horse,\n30–31\npublic wireless networks, using safely,\n133–134\nR\nRAM (random access memory),\nerasing pagefiles, 157\nRealPlayer plug-in, 207–208\nrebooting in Safe Mode, 172\nRegistry, Windows, disabling Remote\nRegistry, 23\nremoving\nmalware, 49–51\nspyware, 145–150\nrenaming\nadmin accounts, home wireless\nsystems, 128–129\nWindows XP Administrator\naccount, 12–13\nresources\ne-mail safety, 102\non firewalls, 84\nhoax databases, 100\nkeeping PCs secure, 164\non malware, 52\non passwords, 39\non patching, 64\nPC recovery, 177\nspyware and adware, 150\nWeb surfing privacy, safety, 121\nWindows security, 28\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 303,
            "text": "276\nIndex\nwireless network security, 136\nrestore points, setting, 62\nrestoring Windows XP, 173–175\nRoboform (password program), 37\nrollups described, 55\nrootkits described, 43\nrouters and firewalls, 71–72\nRSA Security’s survey on password\nsecurity, 31\nrunning Windows applications on\nLinux, 214–217\nS\nSafe Mode, booting into, 172, 174\nSawfish window manager, 186\nscanning, antivirus, 45–47\nscheduling\nantivirus scans, 46–47\nInternet Calendaring and\nScheduling Core Object\nSpecification (iCalendar)\nstandard, 201\nmaintenance tasks, general PC,\n159–161\nscreen savers, Windows, 25–27\nscripting, active, and Web surfing,\n112–115\nSecunia’s vulnerability information,\n57\nSecure Password Generator, 35\nsecuring\nhome wireless networks, 128–133\npasswords, 32–35\nsecurity\nSee also specific product or platform\ne-mail. See e-mail\nfirewalls. See firewalls\nhotspot, 133–134\nof passwords, 30–31\nperimeter, 68–69\nphysical, 6\nSSL connections, 116–117\nWeb surfing safely, 104–112\nWindows XP Security Center,\nusing, 162–164\nSecurity Bulletins (Microsoft), 55\nsecurity event logging, enabling,\n167–169\nSecurity Focus’s Bugtraq, 57\nSecurity Groups, Windows, 13–21\nService Pack 2 (Windows XP), 5\nservice packs described, 55\nService Set Identifier (SSID), 129,\n135\nservices, Windows, 21–24\nsession cookies, 107\nsharing files, folders (Windows),\n16–21\nShockwave/Director, 207\nSimple File Sharing (Windows XP),\n17–18\nSimple Mail Transfer Protocol\n(SMTP), 71\nsmall office/home office (SOHO)\nperimeter security, 68–69\npersonal, cable/DSL router firewalls,\n74–75\nSMTP port, 223\nSMTP (Simple Mail Transfer\nProtocol), 71\nSnort IDS program, 82\nsoftware\nSee also specific product or application\nantivirus, 44–49\ncompatibility layer, 215–216\nmalware, 5–6, 42–43\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 304,
            "text": "Index\n277\nSOHO (small office/home office),\n68–69, 74–75\nspam\ne-mail, 93–97\nand Windows Messenger Service, 4\nSpector Pro monitoring program,\n120, 145, 148\nspoofed e-mail addresses, 92–93\nSpybot Search & Destroy, 145, 148\nSpyCop, 148\nspyware\nadware, 140–144\ngenerally, 144–145\nintroduction to, 140\npreventing and removing, 145–150\nresources on, 150\nSQL Slammer virus, 43–44, 56\nSSDP Discovery Service, 22–23\nSSID (Service Set Identifier)\nchanging, 129\nand wireless encryption, 135\nSSL (Secure Socket Layer) and\nshopping safety, 116–117\nStar Writer, Star Impress, Star Calc,\nStar Web (Linux), 209–212\nStarOffice suite, 213\nstateful inspection, 73\nstoring passwords, 36–37\nstreaming video, 207\nstrong passwords, 12, 33–35\nsurfing the Web, privacy of, 109–112\nSylpheed e-mail application, 195–196\nSymantec, 146\nsystem restore, Windows XP, 173–174\nT\nTab Window Manager (TWB), 187\nTCP/IP (Transmission Control\nProtocol/Internet Protocol),\n223–224\nThunderbird (Mozilla), 195\ntraffic\nfirewalls’ handling of, 69–74\nmonitoring incoming and\noutgoing, 228\ntransactions, financial, over the Web,\n116–119\nTrend Micro’s HouseCall, 51\nTrend Micro’s PC-cillin software, 45,\n46–47, 79, 171\nTrojan horses\ndescribed, 43\nPSW.Win.32.WOW.x, 30–31\nTWB (Tab Window Manager), 187\nTXT files, 88–89\nU\nUDP protocol, 224\nUniversal Plug and Play (UPnP),\n22–23\nupdating\nantivirus software, 47–49\npatches, 55, 58–60\nsecurity on PCs, 161–162\nUPnP (Universal Plug and Play),\n22–23\nURLs (universal resource locators)\nand spoofed addresses, 92–93\nuser accounts\nWindows configuration, 7–13\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 305,
            "text": "278\nIndex\nWindows XP home account types,\n15–16\nV\nVBScript, 106\nVcalendar standard, 201\nVcard (Virtual Card standard), 201\nviewing\nEvent Viewer Security logs, 169\ninstalled services, 21–24\nVirtual Card standard (Vcard), 201\nvirtual memory, erasing pagefiles,\n157–158\nvirtual private networks (VPNs), 136\nviruses, 42–43, 52\nVPNs (virtual private networks), 136\nvulnerabilities\npatches and, 54–56\nWindows file and folder sharing,\n16–21\nW\nwardriving, 125\nweak passwords, vulnerability of, 6\nWeb, the\nand active scripting, 112–115\ncontent filtering, 119–120\ncookies, 106–109\nresources for using safely, 121\nshopping and financial safety,\n116–119\nthreats and vulnerabilities, 104–106\nWeb-based e-mail, 136\nWeb browsers (Linux), 202–209\nWEP (Wired Equivalence Privacy),\n131–132\nWinBackup, 175\nwindow managers (Linux), 185–189\nWindowMaker window manager,\n187\nWindows\naccess levels and permissions, 18–21\nAutomatic Update (Windows XP),\n58–60\nFAT32 vs. NTFS, 16\nfile and folder security, 16–21\nhidden file extensions, 24–25\nmigrating to Linux desktops, 189\nscreen savers, 25–27\nsecurity groups, 13–15\nSecurity Groups, 13–15\nservices, 21–24\nthreats and vulnerabilities, 5–13\nupdate site, 161–162\nvulnerabilities generally, 4–5\nXP. See Windows XP\nWindows Disk Defragmenter,\n158–159\nWindows Event Logs, 80, 166–167\nWindows Firewall, 76–80, 170–171\nWindows Internet Connection\nSharing (ICS) and NAT, 70\nWindows Messenger Service\ndisabling, 23\nspam and, 4\nWindows Services Console, 21–24\nWindows System Restore feature,\n61–62\nWindows XP\nAdministrator Tools, 9–11\nAutomatic Update, 57–60\nBackup Utility, 175–176\ndisabling Guest accounts, 11–12\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 306,
            "text": "Index\n279\nhome account types, 15–16\nlogging in, 7\npassword security, 33–35\nSystem Restore feature, 173–174\nuser account configuration, 7–13\nWindows Firewall, 76–80\nWindows System Restore feature,\n61–62\nWindows XP Home, auditing\nsecurity, 167, 166–167\nWindows XP Security Center, using,\n162–163\nWindows XP Service Pack 2, 5\nWine emulator, 216\nWinZip, 89, 135\nWired Equivalence Privacy (WEP),\n131–132\nwireless networks\nbasics and protocols, 124–127\nhotspot security, 134–137\npublic, using safely, 133–134\nsecuring home system, 128–133\nsecurity resources, 136\nWorld of Warcraft (WoW) Trojan,\n30–31\nWorld Wide Web. See Web, the\nWorldWide WarDrive (WWWD),\n125\nworms, 42–43, 52\nWPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access),\n131–132\nX\nX Window servers, 187–188\nX Window system, window managers\n(Linux), 185–189\nXfce desktop environment (Linux),\n185\nY\nYahoo’s Web-based e-mail, 91\nZ\nZIP files, 89–90\nzombies described, 43\nZoneAlarm firewall, 79–80, 108–109,\n112\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 307,
            "text": "Syngress IT Security \nProject Management Handbook\nSusan Snedaker\nThe definitive work for IT professionals responsible for the management of the\ndesign, configuration, deployment and maintenance of enterprise-wide security\nprojects. Provides specialized coverage of key project areas including\nPenetration Testing, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, and Access\nControl Systems.\nISBN: 1-59749-076-8\nPrice: $59.95 US   $77.95 CAN\nPractical VoIP Security\nThomas Porter\nAfter struggling for years, you finally think you’ve got your network secured\nfrom malicious hackers and obnoxious spammers. Just when you think it’s safe\nto go back into the water, VoIP finally catches on. Now your newly converged\nnetwork is vulnerable to DoS attacks, hacked gateways leading to unauthorized\nfree calls, call eavesdropping, malicious call redirection, and spam over\nInternet Telephony (SPIT). This book details both VoIP attacks and defense tech-\nniques and tools.\nISBN: 1-59749-060-1\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $69.95 CAN\nCombating Spyware in the Enterprise\nPaul Piccard \nCombating Spyware in the Enterprise is the first book published on defending\nenterprise networks from increasingly sophisticated and malicious spyware.\nSystem administrators and security professionals responsible for administering\nand securing networks ranging in size from SOHO networks up to the largest\nenterprise networks will learn to use a combination of free and commercial\nanti-spyware software, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, intrusion preven-\ntion systems, and host integrity monitoring applications to prevent the installa-\ntion of spyware, and to limit the damage caused by spyware that does in fact\ninfiltrate their networks.\nISBN: 1-59749-064-4\nPrice: $49.95 US   $64.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 308,
            "text": "Cyber Spying: Tracking Your Family's\n(Sometimes) Secret Online Lives\nDr. Eric Cole, Michael Nordfelt, \nSandra Ring, and Ted Fair\nHave you ever wondered about that friend your spouse e-mails, or who they\nspend hours chatting online with? Are you curious about what your children are\ndoing online, whom they meet, and what they talk about? Do you worry about\nthem finding drugs and other illegal items online, and wonder what they look at?\nThis book shows you how to monitor and analyze your family's online behavior.\nISBN: 1-93183-641-8\nPrice: $39.95 US   $57.95 CAN\nSoftware Piracy Exposed\nPaul Craig, Ron Honick\nFor every $2 worth of software purchased legally, $1 worth of software is\npirated illegally. For the first time ever, the dark underground of how software is\nstolen and traded over the Internet is revealed. The technical detail provided will\nopen the eyes of software users and manufacturers worldwide! This book is a\ntell-it-like-it-is exposé of how tens of billions of dollars worth of software is stolen\nevery year.\nISBN: 1-93226-698-4\nPrice: $39.95 U.S.   $55.95 CAN\nStealing the Network: \nHow to Own an Identity\nTimothy Mullen, Ryan Russell, Riley (Caezar) Eller, \nJeff Moss, Jay Beale, Johnny Long, Chris Hurley, Tom Parker, Brian Hatch \nThe first two books in this series “Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box”\nand “Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent” have become classics\nin the Hacker and Infosec communities because of their chillingly realistic\ndepictions of criminal hacking techniques. In this third installment, the all-star\ncast of authors tackle one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world: Identity\nTheft. Now, the criminal hackers readers have grown to both love and hate\ntry to cover their tracks and vanish into thin air…\nISBN: 1-59749-006-7\nPrice: $39.95 US   $55.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 309,
            "text": "Phishing Exposed\nLance James, Secure Science Corporation, \nJoe Stewart (Foreword)\nIf you have ever received a phish, become a victim of a phish, or manage the secu-\nrity of a major e-commerce or financial site, then you need to read this book. The\nauthor of this book delivers the unconcealed techniques of phishers including their\nevolving patterns, and how to gain the upper hand against the ever-accelerating\nattacks they deploy. Filled with elaborate and unprecedented forensics, Phishing\nExposed details techniques that system administrators, law enforcement, and fraud\ninvestigators can exercise and learn more about their attacker and their specific\nattack methods, enabling risk mitigation in many cases before the attack occurs. \nISBN: 1-59749-030-X\nPrice: $49.95 US   $69.95 CAN\nGoogle Hacking for Penetration Testers\nJohnny Long, Foreword by Ed Skoudis\nGoogle has been a strong force in Internet culture since its 1998 upstart. Since\nthen, the engine has evolved from a simple search instrument to an innovative\nauthority of information. As the sophistication of Google grows, so do the\nhacking hazards that the engine entertains. Approaches to hacking are forever\nchanging, and this book covers the risks and precautions that administrators\nneed to be aware of during this explosive phase of Google Hacking.\nISBN: 1-93183-636-1\nPrice: $44.95 U.S.   $65.95 CAN\nPenetration Tester's Open Source Toolkit\nJohnny Long, Chris Hurley, SensePost, \nMark Wolfgang, Mike Petruzzi\nThis is the first fully integrated Penetration Testing book and bootable Linux\nCD containing the “Auditor Security Collection,” which includes over 300 of\nthe most effective and commonly used open source attack and penetration\ntesting tools. This powerful tool kit and authoritative reference is written by the\nsecurity industry’s foremost penetration testers including HD Moore, Jay Beale,\nand SensePost. This unique package provides you with a completely portable\nand bootable Linux attack distribution and authoritative reference to the\ntoolset included and the required methodology.\nISBN: 1-59749-021-0\nPrice: $59.95 US   $83.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 310,
            "text": "Cisco PIX Firewalls: \nConfigure, Manage, & Troubleshoot\nCharles Riley, Umer Khan, Michael Sweeney\nCisco PIX Firewall is the world's most used network firewall, protecting internal\nnetworks from unwanted intrusions and attacks. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)\nare the means by which authorized users are allowed through PIX Firewalls.\nNetwork engineers and security specialists must constantly balance the need for\nair-tight security (Firewalls) with the need for on-demand access (VPNs). In this\nbook, Umer Khan, author of the #1 best selling PIX Firewall book, provides a con-\ncise, to-the-point blueprint for fully integrating these two essential pieces of any\nenterprise network. \nISBN: 1-59749-004-0\nPrice: $49.95 US   $69.95 CAN\nConfiguring Check Point \nNGX VPN-1/FireWall-1\nBarry J. Stiefel, Simon Desmeules\nConfiguring Check Point NGX VPN-1/Firewall-1 is the perfect reference for\nanyone migrating from earlier versions of Check Point’s flagship firewall/VPN\nproduct as well as those deploying VPN-1/Firewall-1 for the first time. NGX\nincludes dramatic changes and new, enhanced features to secure the integrity of\nyour network’s data, communications, and applications from the plethora of\nblended threats that can breach your security through your network perimeter,\nWeb access, and increasingly common internal threats.\nISBN: 1--59749-031-8\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $69.95 CAN\nConfiguring Netscreen Firewalls\nRob Cameron\nConfiguring NetScreen Firewalls is the first book to deliver an in-depth look at\nthe NetScreen firewall product line. It covers all of the aspects of the\nNetScreen product line from the SOHO devices to the Enterprise NetScreen\nfirewalls. Advanced troubleshooting techniques and the NetScreen Security\nManager are also covered..\nISBN: 1--93226-639-9\nPrice: $49.95 US   $72.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 311,
            "text": "Winternals Defragmentation, \nRecovery, and Administration Field Guide\nDave Kleiman, Laura E. Hunter, Tony Bradley, Brian Barber,\nNancy Altholz, Lawrence Abrams, Mahesh Satyanarayana, Darren Windham,\nCraig Schiller\nAs a system administrator for a Microsoft network, you know doubt spend too much\nof your life backing up data and restoring data, hunting down and removing mal-\nware and spyware, defragmenting disks, and improving the overall performance\nand reliability of your network. The Winternals® Defragmentation, Recovery, and\nAdministration Field Guide and companion Web site provide you with all the infor-\nmation necessary to take full advantage of Winternals comprehensive and reliable\ntools suite for system administrators. \nISBN: 1-59749-079-2\nPrice: $49.95 US   $64.95 CAN\nVideo Conferencing over IP:\nConfigure, Secure, and Troubleshoot\nMichael Gough\nUntil recently, the reality of videoconferencing didn't live up to the marketing\nhype.  That's all changed. The network infrastructure and broadband capacity\nare now in place to deliver clear, real-time video and voice feeds between mul-\ntiple points of contacts, with market leaders such as Cisco and Microsoft contin-\nuing to invest heavily in development. In addition, newcomers Skype and Google\nare poised to launch services and products targeting this market. Video\nConferencing over IP is the perfect guide to getting up and running with video\nteleconferencing for small to medium-sized enterprises.\nISBN: 1-59749-063-6\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $64.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 312,
            "text": "How to Cheat at Designing Security for a\nWindows Server 2003 Network\nNeil Ruston, Chris Peiris\nWhile considering the security needs of your organiztion, you need to balance the\nhuman and the technical in order to create the best security design for your\norganization. Securing a Windows Server 2003 enterprise network is hardly a\nsmall undertaking, but it becomes quite manageable if you approach it in an\norganized and systematic way. This includes configuring software, services, and\nprotocols to meet an organization’s security needs. \nISBN: 1-59749-243-4\nPrice: $39.95 US   $55.95 CAN\nHow to Cheat at \nConfiguring ISA Server 2004 \nDr. Thomas W. Shinder, Debra Littlejohn Shinder\nIf deploying and managing ISA Server 2004 is just one of a hundred responsibil-\nities you have as a System Administrator, \"How to Cheat at Configuring ISA\nServer 2004\" is the perfect book for you. Written by Microsoft MVP Dr. Tom\nShinder, this is a concise, accurate, enterprise tested method for the successful\ndeployment of ISA Server. \nISBN: 1-59749-057-1\nPrice: $34.95 U.S.   $55.95 CAN\nHow to Cheat at Designing \na Windows Server 2003 \nActive Directory Infrastructure\nMelissa Craft, Michael Cross, Hal Kurz, Brian Barber\nThe book will start off by teaching readers to create the conceptual design of\ntheir Active Directory infrastructure by gathering and analyzing business and\ntechnical requirements. Next, readers will create the logical design for an\nActive Directory infrastructure. Here the book starts to drill deeper and focus\non aspects such as group policy design. Finally, readers will learn to create\nthe physical design for an active directory and network Infrastructure\nincluding DNS server placement; DC and GC placements and Flexible Single\nMaster Operations (FSMO) role placement.\nISBN: 1-59749-058-X\nPrice: $39.95 US   $55.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 313,
            "text": "Configuring SonicWALL Firewalls\nChris Lathem, Ben Fortenberry, Lars Hansen\nConfiguring SonicWALL Firewalls is the first book to\ndeliver an in-depth look at the SonicWALL firewall product line. It covers all of the\naspects of the SonicWALL product line from the SOHO devices to the Enterprise\nSonicWALL firewalls. Advanced troubleshooting techniques and the SonicWALL\nSecurity Manager are also covered.\nISBN: 1-59749-250-7\nPrice: $49.95 US   $69.95 CAN\nPerfect Passwords:\nSelection, Protection, Authentication\nMark Burnett\nUser passwords are the keys to the network kingdom, yet most users choose\noverly simplistic passwords (like password) that anyone could guess, while\nsystem administrators demand impossible to remember passwords littered\nwith obscure characters and random numerals. Author Mark Burnett has\naccumulated and analyzed over 1,000,000 user passwords, and this highly\nentertaining and informative book filled with dozens of illustrations reveals his\nfindings and balances the rigid needs of security professionals against the\nease of use desired by users. \nISBN: 1-59749-041-5\nPrice: $24.95 US   $34.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 314,
            "text": "Skype Me! From Single User to \nSmall Enterprise and Beyond\nMichael Gough\nThis first-ever book on Skype takes you from the basics of getting Skype up and\nrunning on all platforms, through advanced features included in SkypeIn,\nSkypeOut, and Skype for Business. The book teaches you everything from\ninstalling a headset to configuring a firewall to setting up Skype as telephone Base\nto developing your own customized applications using the Skype Application\nProgramming Interface.\nISBN: 1-59749-032-6\nPrice: $34.95 US   $48.95 CAN\nSecuring IM and P2P \nApplications for the Enterprise\nBrian Baskin, Marcus H. Sachs, Paul Piccard\nAs an IT Professional, you know that the majority of the workstations on your\nnetwork now contain IM and P2P applications that you did not select, test,\ninstall, or configure. As a result, malicious hackers, as well as virus and worm\nwriters, are targeting these inadequately secured applications for attack. This\nbook will teach you how to take back control of your workstations and reap\nthe benefits provided by these applications while protecting your network\nfrom the inherent dangers.\nISBN: 1-59749-017-2\nPrice: $49.95 US   $69.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 315,
            "text": "How to Cheat at IT Project Management\nSusan Snedaker\nMost IT projects fail to deliver – on average, all IT projects run over schedule by\n82%, run over cost by 43% and deliver only 52% of the desired functionality.\nPretty dismal statistics. Using the proven methods in this book, you’ll find that IT\nproject you work on from here on out will have a much higher likelihood of being\non time, on budget and higher quality. This book provides clear, concise, infor-\nmation and hands-on training to give you immediate results. And, the companion\nWeb site provides dozens of templates for managing IT projects.\nISBN: 1-59749-037-7\nPrice: $44.95 U.S.   $64.95 CAN\nHow to Cheat at Managing \nWindows Server Update Services\nBrian Barber\nIf you manage a Microsoft Windows network, you probably find yourself\noverwhelmed at times by the sheer volume of updates and patches released\nby Microsoft for its products. You know these updates are critical to keep your\nnetwork running efficiently and securely, but staying current amidst all of your\nother responsibilities can be almost impossible. Microsoft’s recently released\nWindows Server Update Services (WSUS)  is designed to streamline this\nprocess. Learn how to take full advantage of WSUS using Syngress’ proven\n“How to Cheat” methodology, which gives you everything you need and\nnothing you don’t.\nISBN: 1-59749-027-X\nPrice: $39.95 US   $55.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 316,
            "text": "How to Cheat at Managing Microsoft\nOperations Manager 2005\nTony Piltzecker, Rogier Dittner, Rory McCaw, \nGordon McKenna, Paul M. Summitt, David E. Williams\nMy e-mail takes forever. My application is stuck. Why can’t I log on? System\nadministrators have to address these types of complaints far too often. With\nMOM, system administrators will know when overloaded processors, depleted\nmemory, or failed network connections are affecting their Windows servers long\nbefore these problems bother users. Readers of this book will learn why when it\ncomes to monitoring Windows Server System infrastructure, MOM’s the word.\nISBN: 1-59749-251-5\nPrice: $39.95 U.S.   $55.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\nManaging Cisco Network Security, Second\nEdition\nOffers updated and revised information covering many of Cisco’s security prod-\nucts that provide protection from threats, detection of network security incidents,\nmeasurement of vulnerability and policy compliance, and management of secu-\nrity policy across an extended organization. These are the tools that you have\nto mount defenses against threats. Chapters also cover the improved function-\nality and ease of the Cisco Secure Policy Manager software used by thousands\nof small-to-midsized businesses, and a special section on Cisco wireless solu-\ntions.\nISBN: 1-931836-56-6\nPrice: $69.95 USA    $108.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 317,
            "text": "How to Cheat at Designing a Windows \nServer 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure\nThis book will start off by teaching readers to create the conceptual design of their\nActive Directory infrastructure by gathering and analyzing business and technical\nrequirements. Next, readers will create the logical design for an Active Directory\ninfrastructure. Here the book starts to drill deeper and focus on aspects such as\ngroup policy design. Finally, readers will learn to create the physical design for an\nactive directory and network Infrastructure including DNS server placement; DC\nand GC placements and Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) role placement.\nISBN: 1-59749-058-X\nPrice: $39.95 US   $55.95 CAN\nCOMING SOON!\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\nExam 70-293: Planning and Maintaining \na Microsoft Windows Server 2003 \nNetwork Infrastructure\nISBN: 1-931836-93-0\nPrice: $59.95 US \nExam 70-294: Planning, Implementing,\nand Maintaining a Microsoft Windows\nServer 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure\nISBN: 1-931836-94-9\nPrice: $59.95 US \nExam 70-291: Implementing, Managing, \nand Maintaining a Microsoft Windows \nServer 2003\nISBN: 1-931836-92-2\nPrice: $59.95 US \n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 318,
            "text": "Syn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\nSnort 2.1 Intrusion Detection, \nSecond Edition\nJay Beale, Brian Caswell, et. al.\n“The authors of this Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection, Second Edition have produced a\nbook with a simple focus, to teach you how to use Snort, from the basics of get-\nting started to advanced rule configuration, they cover all aspects of using Snort,\nincluding basic installation, preprocessor configuration, and optimization of your\nSnort system.”\n—Stephen Northcutt\nDirector of Training & Certification, The SANS Institute\nISBN: 1-931836-04-3\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $69.95 CAN\nNessus Network Auditing\nJay Beale, Haroon Meer, Roelof Temmingh, \nCharl Van Der Walt, Renaud Deraison\nCrackers constantly probe machines looking for both old and new vulnerabilities.\nIn order to avoid becoming a casualty of a casual cracker, savvy sys admins\naudit their own machines before they’re probed by hostile outsiders (or even \nhostile insiders). Nessus is the premier Open Source vulnerability assessment tool,\nand was recently voted the “most popular” open source security tool of any kind.\nNessus Network Auditing is the first book available on Nessus and it is written by\nthe world’s premier Nessus developers led by the creator of Nessus, Renaud\nDeraison.\nISBN: 1-931836-08-6\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $69.95 CAN\nEthereal Packet Sniffing\nEthereal offers more protocol decoding and\nreassembly than any free sniffer out there and ranks\nwell among the commercial tools. You’ve all used tools like tcpdump or win-\ndump to examine individual packets, but Ethereal makes it easier to make\nsense of a stream of ongoing network communications. Ethereal not only\nmakes network troubleshooting work far easier, but also aids greatly in net-\nwork forensics, the art of finding and examining an attack, by giving a\nbetter “big picture” view. Ethereal Packet Sniffing will show you how to\nmake the most out of your use of Ethereal.\nISBN: 1-932266-82-8\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $77.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 319,
            "text": "Buffer OverFlow Attacks:\nDetect, Exploit, Prevent\nJames C. Foster, Foreword by Dave Aitel\nThe SANS Institute maintains a list of the “Top 10 Software Vulnerabilities.” At the\ncurrent time, over half of these vulnerabilities are exploitable by Buffer Overflow\nattacks, making this class of attack one of the most common and most dangerous\nweapons used by malicious attackers. This is the first book specifically aimed at\ndetecting, exploiting, and preventing the most common and dangerous attacks.\nISBN: 1-932266-67-4\nPrice: $34.95 US   $50.95 CAN\nHacking the Code: \nASP.NET Web Application Security \nMark Burnett\nThis unique book walks you through the many threats to your Web application\ncode, from managing and authorizing users and encrypting private data to \nfiltering user input and securing XML. For every defined threat, it provides a\nmenu of solutions and coding considerations. And, it offers coding examples and\na set of security policies for each of the corresponding threats.\nISBN: 1-932266-65-8\nPrice: $49.95 U.S.   $79.95 CAN\nProgrammer’s \nUltimate Security DeskRef\nJames C. Foster\nThe Programmer's Ultimate Security DeskRef is the only complete desk reference\ncovering multiple languages and their inherent security issues. It will serve as the\nprogramming encyclopedia for almost every major language in use.\nWhile there are many books starting to address the broad subject of security\nbest practices within the software development lifecycle, none has yet to address\nthe overarching technical problems of incorrect function usage. Most books fail\nto draw the line from covering best practices security principles to actual code\nimplementation. This book bridges that gap and covers the most popular pro-\ngramming languages such as Java, Perl, C++, C#, and Visual Basic.\nISBN: 1-932266-72-0\nPrice: $49.95 US   $72.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW\norder @\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 320,
            "text": "Richard Thieme’s Islands in the \nClickstream: Reflections on Life in a Virtual World\nRichard Thieme is one of the most visible commentators on technology and\nsociety, appearing regularly on CNN radio, TechTV, and various other national\nmedia outlets. He is also in great demand as a public speaker, delivering his\n“Human Dimension of Technology” talk to over 50,000 live audience members\neach year. Islands in the Clickstream is a single volume “best of Richard Thieme.”\nISBN: 1-931836-22-1\nPrice: $29.95 US     $43.95 CAN\n“Thieme’s Islands in the Clickstream is deeply reflective, enlightening, and\nrefreshing.”—Peter Neumann, Stanford Research Institute\n“Richard Thieme takes us to the edge of cliffs we know are there but rarely visit ... he wonderfully\nweaves life, mystery, and passion through digital and natural worlds with creativity and imagina-\ntion. This is delightful and deeply thought provoking reading full of ”aha!” insights.”—Clinton C.\nBrooks, Senior Advisor for Homeland Security and Asst. Deputy Director, NSA\n“WOW! You eloquently express thoughts and ideas that I feel. You have helped me, not so much\ntear down barriers to communication, as to leverage these barriers into another structure with ele-\nvators and escalators.”\n—Chip Meadows, CISSP, CCSE, USAA e-Security Team\n“Richard Thieme navigates the complex world of people and computers with amazing ease and\ngrace. His clarity of thinking is refreshing, and his insights are profound.”—Bruce Schneier, CEO,\nCounterpane\n“I believe that you are a practioner of wu wei, the effort to choose the elegant appropriate contri-\nbution to each and every issue that you address.”—Hal McConnell (fomer intelligence analyst,\nNSA)\n“Richard Thieme presents us with a rare gift. His words touch our heart while challenging our most\ncherished constructs. He is both a poet and pragmatist navigating a new world with clarity,\ncuriosity and boundless amazement.”—Kelly Hansen, CEO, Neohapsis\n“Richard Thieme combines hi-tech, business savvy and social consciousness to create some of the\nmost penetrating commentaries of our times. A column I am always eager to read.”—Peter Russell,\nauthor ”From Science to God”\n”These reflections provide a veritable feast for the imagination, allowing us more fully to participate\nin Wonder. This book is an experience of loving Creation with our minds.”—Louie Crew, Member\nof Executive Council of The Episcopal Church\n”The particular connections Richard Thieme makes between mind, heart, technology, and truth,\nlend us timely and useful insight on what it means to live in a technological era. Richard fills a\nunique and important niche in hacker society!”—Mick Bauer, Security Editor, Linux Journal\n“Thieme’s ability to be open minded, conspiratorial,\nethical, and subversive all at the same time is very\ninspiring.”—Jeff Moss, CEO, Black Hat, Inc.\n"
        },
        {
            "page_number": 321,
            "text": "Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent\nRyan Russell, FX, Dan \"Effugas\" Kaminsky, Joe Grand, Tim Mullen, Jay Beale, \nRuss Rogers, Ken Pfeil, Paul Craig \nThe first book in the \"Stealing the Network\" series was called a \"blockbuster\" by\nWired magazine, a \"refreshing change from more traditional computer books\" by\nSlashdot.org, and \"an entertaining and informative look at the weapons and tactics\nemployed by those who attack and defend digital systems\" by Amazon.com. This\nfollow-on book once again combines a set of fictional stories with real technology to\nshow readers the danger that lurks in the shadows of the information security\nindustry... Could hackers take over a continent?\nISBN: 1-931836-05-1\nPrice: $49.95 US   $69.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE NOW!\nORDER at\nwww.syngress.com\nStealing the Network: \nHow to \"Own the Box\"\nRyan Russell, FX, Joe Grand, and Ken Pfiel\nStealing the Network: How to Own the Box is NOT intended to be an “install, con-\nfigure, update, troubleshoot, and defend book.” It is also NOT another one of the\ncountless Hacker books out there now by our competition. So, what IS it? Stealing\nthe Network: How to Own the Box is an edgy, provocative, attack-oriented series of\nchapters written in a first-hand, conversational style. World-renowned network secu-\nrity personalities present a series of chapters written from the point of an attacker\ngaining access to a system. This book portrays the street fighting tactics used to\nattack networks.\nISBN: 1-931836-87-6\nPrice: $49.95 USA $69.95 CAN\nSpecial Ops: Host and Network\nSecurity for Microsoft, UNIX, and Oracle\nErik Pace Birkholz\n“Strap on the night vision goggles, apply the camo pain, then lock and load.\nSpecial Ops is an adrenaline-pumping tour of the most critical \nsecurity weaknesses present on most any corporate network today, with some of\nthe world’s best drill sergeants leading the way.”\n—Joel Scambray, Senior Director, Microsoft’s MSN\nISBN: 1-928994-74-1\nPrice: $69.95 USA $108.95 CAN\nAVAILABLE \nAPRIL, 2004\nwww.syngress.com\nAVAILABLE NOW!\nORDER at\nwww.syngress.com\nSyn•gress (sin-gres): noun, sing. Freedom from risk or danger; safety. See security.\nSyngress: The Definition of a Serious Security Library\n"
        }
    ]
}