Computer and internet crime

Internet crime is a growing industry and sensible precautions should be taken to guard against it.  The ease of access offered by the Internet provides a relatively simple point of illegal entry into company computers and their data.

General Tips

• Always use up-to-date 'anti-virus' software and a 'firewall'.   This will help stop anything harmful penetrating your computer system and stop hackers getting in.  Malicious users can send out viruses which will alert them to your presence when you are connected to the Internet, and allow them access into your machine while you're online.
• Never open an e-mail attachment or file from an untrusted/unknown source - it may contain a virus. Also, be wary of attachments that come from what is normally a trusted source, there are viruses around that can send themselves to a users whole address list, so they may not even know they've sent it. If in doubt, delete it.
• Many computer viruses spread by the use of emails so limit staff using work computers for business use only – you can also limit the types of websites that staff can access.
• Never give out confidential information about yourself on e-mail (such as bank details, passwords, telephone number, and address).  If any legitimate company needs this information, they will ask for it as part of a registration process, and will never ask for it on e-mail.
• Always use a reputable isp (Internet service provider) to connect to the Internet.
• Never let a stranger have access to your computer unsupervised. This is an easy way for an unauthorised person to get hold of confidential files, or for someone to load a virus onto your computer (wittingly or unwittingly!).
• Never use pirated software, or copies of a licensed piece of software. Not only is this illegal, but can also increase your susceptibility to viruses and trojan horse attacks, as pirated software is often from dubious sources.
• Never write down your usernames and passwords to electronic resources on bits of paper. A password is there for security to prevent unauthorised users gaining access to a resource, and should therefore be treated as you would treat a pin number to your bank account.
• Always alert the police if you think you have been a victim of Internet crime.  This is imperative as your isp (Internet service provider) may have information to help investigate the hacker as they keep logs of all their activity, but because of the vast amount of data, they only keep it for about three days. After this time, the logs are lost and most hopes of tracing the hacker are lost too.

Passwords

• Effective password control is a vital tool for computer security. Any IT system must have an effective and comprehensive password routine to prevent unauthorised access.
• Alwayslog-off or 'lock' a computer before leaving it unattended, especially if it is within full reach of the general public, such as a sales desk in a shop. Screensaver passwords are often a good way of making sure the computer is protected - you can set them to start up when there is no activity for a specified period of time, and then to get back into the system, a password must be typed. This cuts down the chances of an opportunist gaining unauthorised access.

Data back-up

Always backup your data regularly. Whether it is a complete professional backup or your entire system for a work environment, or a simple copy of a few important files onto a CD, you will be safe in the knowledge that come what may, your important files are safe. The back-up disks or tapes must be stored in a secure area.

Viruses

Computer viruses have wreaked havoc around the world with IT systems, bringing businesses to a complete halt.  It is recommended that you have a contingency plan that includes your IT systems.

Viruses can seriously affect your computers by wiping all the information stored.

Types of viruses include:

• Trojans
  Trojans open your system to access from the Internet or transmit information about you and your company to the originator of the virus
• Worms
  These viruses usually arrive as an attachment to an e-mail. They become operative as soon as the attachment is opened, when they automatically generate contacts with all the contacts in your e-mail address book and spread themselves to more computers

Hoax viruses

An apparently important message reporting a new and deadly virus is received. Naturally the recipient circulates the false information to their colleagues and perhaps their whole mailing list thinking they are being helpful. This then increases e-mail traffic and slows down the network. The hoax may even crash your system completely. Hoax viruses are time-wasting and irritating.

Spamming

The instigator of the spam typically runs software, which trawls the Internet for systems that will allow ‘open relay’. Once an ‘open relay’ has been located, a malicious person can create thousands of e-mails and send them to addresses on your e-mail system. The thousands of messages stream into your e-mail server. Your e-mail server then sends them off to the e-mail addresses requested. This creates very heavy traffic in your e-mail system, which may slow down or stop normal usage of your IT systems, preventing real work from being done on the system and impacting on your business.