[iwar] [fc:Cyber.security]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2002-01-02 07:08:40

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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 07:08:40 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:Cyber.security]
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Cyber security 
Scripps Howard News Service, 1/2/2002
<a href="http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/208112p-2007755c.html">http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/208112p-2007755c.html>

(December 31, 2001 10:22 a.m. EST) - In the real world, we worry about
anthrax or smallpox. These bacteria and viruses potentially can kill
millions of people and it's difficult to defend against them.

In the cyberworld of computers and the Internet, there also are
infectious agents that can cause great harm and that are difficult to
defend against. Last year, according to a research firm in California,
Computer Economics, worms and viruses cost us more than $17 billion.

This figure includes the costs associated with cleaning malicious
computer codes from networks, servers and clients. It also includes the
costs of restoring lost or damaged files, plus lost productivity.

No one knows what the future holds, but if malicious individuals can
cause billions of dollars in damage to our information systems, how much
harm could state-sponsored cyber-terrorists cause?

There is some good news in all of this, though. Bill Arbaugh, a West
Point graduate who now teaches at the University of Maryland, believes
that the vast majority of computer viruses and worms can be prevented if
each of us practices good computer security.

But first, what are computer worms and viruses?

A computer virus is a program that copies itself into other programs -
it's similar to the way biological viruses invade a host's cells. The
computer virus becomes active when you click on the program.

Typically, a virus would come into your computer as an e-mail
attachment, probably as an executable file. That is, the attachment
would have the letters ".exe" or ".com" or ".vbs." Alternatively, your
computer could become infected when you visit a maliciously-designed Web
page.

If you have a virus, when you open its file it executes a program that
can do such things as erase your files or lock up your system. One way
it can propagate is by going to your address book and then using your
computer to mail out copies of itself.

If you don't open the file, however, a virus usually doesn't harm you. A
worm, however, is different.

As Arbaugh explains, "A worm is capable of self-propagation. A single
execution or release of a worm can result in millions of infected hosts,
whereas the single execution of a virus will only infect one host."

Worms and viruses are out there and they can do staggering economic
damage. In a terrorist situation, they could do even worse. However,
there are defenses.

Arbaugh's research reveals something startling: The majority of worms
and viruses did their damage as much as a month after we knew how to
prevent them. When the worms and viruses were doing their damage, the
security holes had already been discovered and patches written to cover
them.

Between the time the security vulnerabilities were discovered and the
time people got around to protecting themselves, malicious code writers
created damaging worms or viruses. If we had used better security
practices, much of the harm that we suffered could have been prevented.

What should we do to increase our cyber security?

"The first line of defense," he says, "is run a good, well-known virus
scanner and insure that it gets updated often."

Many of us have been used to updating our virus program every couple of
weeks. Arbaugh updates his virus program whenever he logs onto the
Internet - and that can be as often as four times a day.

The rewards for good computer safety practices are incalculable. They
not only save time and aggravation, they help keep damaging programs
from spreading and wreaking economic havoc.

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