Windows Internet Security: Protecting Your Critical Data

Description

Whether you're running Windows XP, 2000, Me, 98, or 95, if you're connected to the Internet, you're at grave risk from hackers -- especially if you're using an "always-on" broadband connection. With this practical guide, you'll learn exactly what to do about it -- even if you have little or no knowledge about computers or Internet security. The authors start by reviewing the threats to a Windows computer connected to the Internet, simply explaining what hackers know about your computer and the Internet -- and how they use that knowledge to attack systems like yours. You'll plan your defensive strategy, learning how to stop sharing resources you don't want to expose to the world, and choosing among today's leading "personal firewalls." You'll learn how to protect your e-commerce transactions; avoid viruses, worms, Trojans, and hostile Web pages; protect your privacy and anonymity on the Web; even cope with today's new wireless hacking attacks. The book includes a detailed chapter on Windows XP's brand-new computer security features. Finally, if you've already been hacked, the book offers systematic techniques for recovering.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Preface.


Studying the Battleground.


1. Computer Architecture and Operating System Review.

Understanding the Internals of Your Computer. Size Matters. The Hard Drive. RAM. The Processor (CPU). Cache. The Motherboard. Bus Speed/Size. The Modem. The Network Interface Card. Serial and Parallel Ports. Summary of the Computer versus Library Analogy. The Modem in Detail. Operating Systems and Internet Security. Windows 95/98/ME. Windows NT/2000/XP. Linux. Other UNIX-Based Operating Systems and Macs. Windows CE. Summary.

A Little Byte of History. The Internet Service Provider. What Is an ISP? POPs. ISP Logging. Proxy ISPs. Web Addressing Explained. URIs. URNs. URC. URLs. Internet Protocols. http. https. ftp. Other Protocols. Breaking Down the URL. The Internet Protocol Address. Domain Name Servers. URL Abuse. Web Pages: Inside and Out. Web Servers. HTML. Scripting and Codes. Malicious Coding.

A Computer: A House. Your Computer Ports: Your Doors and Windows. Roads and Highways: The Internet. TCP/IP: An Overview. TCP/IP: Driving Rules. CEO Analogy. TCP/IP: The Gory Details. Packets. Layers. TCP/IP Handshaking. Knowing the Enemy.

The Hacker versus the Cracker. The Script Kiddie. The Phreaker. Ethical versus Unethical Hackers. Global Hackers.

WetWare. Social Engineering. Social Spying. Garbage Collecting. Sniffing. What is Sniffing? How Does a Sniffer Work? How Hackers Use Sniffers. How Can I Block Sniffers? How to Detect a Sniffer. Spoofing and Session Hijacking. An Example of Spoofing. Buffer Overflows. Character Manipulation and Unexpected Input Exploits. The Normal Search Engine Process. The Hacked Search Engine Process. Exploiting Web Forms.

SYN Flooding. Smurf Attacks. System Overloads. DNS Spoofing.

The Goal Stage. Walk-Through of a Hack. Information Gathering. Planning. Execution. Clean Up. Planning the Defense.

Fortifying Your Defenses. Virus/Trojan Protection. Virus Scanners. Trojan Scanners. Firewalls. Hardware Firewalls. Software Firewalls. Hardware/Software Combination Firewalls. Which Firewall is Best for You? Restricting Access by IP. Restricting Access by Port (Service). Restricting Access by Protocol. Restricting Access by Keyword. Restricting Access by Application. Encryption. Encryption Details. Symmetric Encryption. Asymmetric Encryption. Putting Different Types of Encryption to the Test. Origin Verification. Secure Sockets Layer. Virtual Private Network. Disadvantages of Encryption. What Encryption Does Not Do. Recovery. Summary.

Do Personal Firewalls Really Work? The Fallacy of “Laying Low”. Why Do I Need a Personal Firewall? McAfee Personal Firewall. Norton Personal Firewall. BlackICE Defender. ZoneAlarm. Intrusion Detection Systems. Honeypots.

Network Shares. Password-Protecting Shares on Windows 95/98/ME. Removing Shares on Windows 95/98/ME. Removing Shares on Windows NT/2000/XP.

Thwarting E-Criminals. Who is the Real Criminal? Stolen Goods Online. Secure Transactions.

MS-DOS. NETSTAT. Ping. TRACERT. NBTSTAT. NETVIEW. NET USE. Password Crackers.

Viruses. A Virus Defined. MBR Virus. Macro Virus. File Infectors. Combination Viruses. Worms. Virus and Worm Prevention. I've Been Infected! Now What? Trojans. How a Trojan Works. The Backdoor Blues. Detecting and Removing Trojans. Hostile Web Pages and Scripting.

Programming Languages. Low-Level Languages. High-Level Languages. Scripting Languages. Programming Concepts. Program Parts. Malicious Client-Side Scripting. Denial of Service Scripts. Intrusive Access Scripts. Malicious Server-Side Scripting. PHP. ASP. Perl. The Virus/Worm. An Example of Viral Code. Moving With Stealth.

Cookies. Cookie #1. Cookie #2. Cookie #3. Unpleasant Cookies. Cookie #1. Cookie #2. Controlling Those Cookies. Your Online Identity. Registration Requests and Unique IDs. Online Identification. Hardware IDs. Spyware in the Workplace. Chat Programs. Proxies and Anonymity. Browser Caching.

Email Spying. Keeping Your Email Private. Web Page Monitoring. Defeating Corporate Web Filters. Chat Program Monitoring. Keep Your Chats Private. Spyware. Spying on the Employee. Spying on the Consumer. Spying on the Family. Government Spyware. Commentary: Ethics and Privacy. Future Trends.

The Microsoft Internet Connection Firewall. Windows XP Wireless Security. 802.1x—Port-Based Network Access Control. New Windows XP Wireless Features. Microsoft's XP Hacker Test. Test Site Description. File Encryption and User Control.

Mobile Computing. Wireless Network Hacking. Automated Hacking. Advanced Topics.

Introduction to Registry Editing. Purpose of the Registry. Parts of the Registry. Using the Registry. Backing Up the Registry. Restoring the Registry. Manipulating Registry Keys.

Creating a Boot Disk. Down but Not Out (Computer is Infected, but Still Functioning). Down and Out (Computer is Inoperable). Using FDISK/Format.

Miscellaneous.

On the Web. Books. Internet Search. Hacking/Security Conferences.

Preface

PREFACE

The Internet can be a painful experience. Hackers invade our personal computers,steal from us, and humiliate us. Computer viruses destroy years of ourhard work within milliseconds. Corporations and governments watch ourevery move, invading our privacy in an Orwellian nightmare from which wecannot wake.

Why are books on Internet Security in such fierce demand? It is becausethey empower us to fight back. The media constantly reminds us of how vulnerablewe are. We are inundated with reports of viruses such as Melissa, ofgovernment spyware such as Carnivore, and of an Internet teeming withthieves. Above all, we fear hackers, the inscrutable criminals who invade themost private parts of our lives.

Our primary goal in writing this book was to make it easy to understand.Material of this gravity should be explained carefully. The Internet itself is confusing,and Internet security is one of its most esoteric aspects. Thus, we havetaken great care to explain difficult topics in the most clear and compellingterms, using familiar examples. For instance, we describe how a hacker exploitsbuffer overflows by comparing it to rearranging a stack of music CDs.

There is a pressing need for the depth and clarity of our book. With theadvent of always-on, broadband Internet connections, home users and small business owners are now in grave danger from both hackers and malicioussoftware. With knowledge and training, these threats can be minimized.Unfortunately, however, few resources exist for beginners; most security booksare written for expert users. For example, it is impossible for a beginner tounderstand a buffer overflow if he does not even know what a buffer is.

Our book assumes no prior knowledge of computers. In the first part, wereview computer architecture and operating systems, explaining the securityimplications of each component. The pace quickens as we delve into the com-puterunderground, analyzing the psychology of hackers and virus writers.Next, we examine how the Internet works, explaining communication networksin great detail. We also thoroughly explain the TCP/IP protocol withclear and simple analogies.

Part II is more technical and describes exactly how hackers execute theirattacks. We tackle social engineering, data sniffing, session hijacking, bufferoverflows, and SYN attacks. Although this material is quite advanced, it is neverthelesscrucial for the novice to master. Therefore, we compel interest byusing an actual walk-through of an attack as seen through the eyes of a hacker.

Part III empowers the reader to fight back. We inculcate the four basic elementsof Internet Security: backup and recovery, encryption, firewalling, andvirus scanning, with instructions on how to implement each. A special chaptertakes a refreshing approach to personal firewalls and gives an objective reviewof the most common programs. In addition, since Network Shares are such animportant vulnerability, we spend an entire chapter with instructions and diagramsexplaining exactly how to secure Network Shares under each Windowsoperating system. We then strike back at hackers by explaining how to usebuilt-in Windows tools to track them down. This section also covers e-commercesecurity and gives an introduction to computer viruses and antivirustechniques.

Part IV helps readers protect their anonymity and privacy on the Internet.It includes a treatment of computer ethics and why they are so important inthe new world order. We explain how to disable the "cookies" that Web sitessecretly place on users' computers in order to track them across the Internet.Similarly, we cover corporate spying: how employers monitor the workplace,and how to block this spying.

Part V is a more advanced section designed for those readers who feel readyto learn computer virus debugging skills for themselves. This section includesa walk-through of the risky steps for disinfecting viruses and Trojan horses. Italso includes a chapter on restoring a computer from scratch after a viral infectionhas rendered it useless.

In summary, this is the easiest-to-understand introduction to Internet security,bar none. We have endeavored to cover this difficult field in a didactic formatthat appeals to both beginning and intermediate users. A glossary of key terms helps newcomers, while an annotated bibliography directs those readerswho are ready for expert level.

In order to maximize the utilitarian benefit of this book, we have targetedit toward the preponderance of Internet users that rely on the MicrosoftWindows operating system. Because of the universal demand for the informationin this book, we have excluded regional differences as much as possible inorder to serve a worldwide audience. Although the material is focused onWindows 95/98/Me/2000/XP, the subject matter will embolden all Internetusers to fight for their privacy, their safety, and their dignity online.

—Seth Fogie
Cyrus Peikari, M.D.

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