Computer Security Threats
The techniques and behaviors the hackers employ to gain personal information are constantly changing to find weaknesses, so they can avoid getting caught. In the textbook Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles (Chapter 14) the author, William Stalling, goes into great detail about computer security threats. Stalling addresses every detail possible, as to ensure that no question is left unanswered. However if a closer look is taken at this chapter, it is easy to see that, in order to truly understand ‘how hackers hack’ only a few important details are needed. In this chapter, Stallings was able to successfully address security threats through identifying the classifications of people who hack and the various programs they use to do so.
In today’s society, people talk of hackers extensively, as they are interwoven into our everyday lives. Though most know the general concept, few can go into detail about the subject. Stallings effectively explains the term in detail; he states that there are two major classes of intruders: Masquerader and Misfeasor. A masquerader is a person who is not authorized to use a certain computer, but “penetrates” the system to exploit the, “legitimate” user’s account (Page 643). Masquerader hackers are generally outsiders who have to gain access to the computer from an outside source. In contrast, a Misfeasor hacker is a legitimate user who accesses data, programs, or other information that they are allowed to access, but misuses their privileges. Misfeasor hackers are usually insiders who already have access, but who misappropriate preexisting access to the computer system.
Once Stallings set a basis for what the different classifications of intruders are, he was then able to easily transition into the various programs that hackers employ to ‘hack’. The major programs that hackers use to gain access to sensitive information are viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Although there are many other programs that can be used to gain access into computer systems, these three are the best known and the most used.
Viruses as Stallings defines them are programs that can infect other programs by modifying them; this includes, “injecting” the original program with instructions to make copies of the program, which then creates a chain reaction of infecting more and more programs (Page 651). Worms are similar to a virus, in that, they replicate, however instead of spreading inside the computer, it replicates and sends copies from computer to computer via network connections, thus affecting more computers. The last major ‘hacker’ program utilized is a Trojan horse. It is defined as a useful program containing a “hidden code” that, when opened, performs an unwanted or harmful function (Page 649). These various programs that hackers use to gain entry to a computer allow them to access and obtain sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other personal/private information.
As time and technology progress more advanced ways of obtaining this personal information will come about. However without the fundamental understanding of how a virus, worm, or Trojan horse work it will become increasingly difficult to keep up with the hackers, who so far always seem to be one step ahead. The objective of the intruder is to gain access to a system. Intruders can gain access to a system by exploiting vulnerabilities that the computer system has. By understanding the ways in which ‘hackers hack’ such as: how worms work, how a virus replicates, or how a Trojan horse virus is used, a better understanding for ways to prevent identity theft, credit card theft, and other such crimes can be obtain,
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