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Computer intrusion means that someone or something has intruded INTO the computer in question, and this means that that someone or something doing the computer intrusion now has some level of control of that computer.

Yours? Very possibly.

Brian Krebs summed up some of the data on a "report assembled by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the federal entity that oversees and insures more than 9,000 U.S. financial institutions."

Brian offers a graph of the number of computer intrusions from 2004 to 2007 in his article, Banks: Losses From Computer Intrusions Up in 2007.

The main point being that if your computer is not protected well, it is more and more likely to fall victim to computer intrusion.

Brian wrote that Wall Street also has reported an increase in financial losses increasing in 2007 due to computer intrusions: Wall Street Reports Increase In PC Intrusions In '07.

The cause? (My opinion here folks, and based on my experience in the last 17 years in the business...)

The Internet and the software used on computers has progressively gotten "prettier" and more and more capable for the average user. Not in itself a bad thing. However ...

In order to make software "prettier" and more capable, most programmers are using pre-made application packages (as in the case if Internet Explorer sub-programs) or they are using Javascript which allows a remote computer to send a program to your computer which your computer will then run. (Javascript is used extensively on many websites to make menus and such work.)

So, what kind of Javascript could affect you?
Hackers unleash 'insidious' crimeware attack

In the end, you have "pretty" or "easy to use" software that is complicated to extremes, and because of that, it is also easy to break and manipulate by those with intentions to do harm to others. This goes along the idea that the bigger something is, the harder it falls.

To give an example of how programs have become more and more complicated:

These numbers do NOT include any other software than Windows itself. No office programs. No graphics programs. No games. Nothing other than Windows.

The same has happened with every piece of software you can mention, with VERY few exceptions. Some idiot even decided that what should be a simple PDF viewer should have Javascript added into it. How is that bad?

http://www.google.com/search?q=Adobe+Reader+javascript+exploit

You CAN be protected, but it may come at the cost of more mouse clicks to do a specific action — tough decision isn't it? But it is always YOUR choice.

If you are a home user, you may feel you "don't care if other people see my data." But then, WHO is getting the above mentioned computer intrusions? WHOSE computer is sending out spam? WHO is getting their data stolen? And WHO is getting their bank account broken into?

And businesses that don't protect themselves will be in the same boat.

"Welcome to the USS Computer Intrusion. Thank you for paying for our vacation."

For instance, routers DO NOT protect your network. Bad guys can climb over a router and become part of your local network from anywhere on the Internet. We know this for an absolute fact, and I first watched it happen way back in 1999. It is standard fare nowadays. You are also sustaining from 500 to 20,000 computer intrusion attempts EVERY SINGLE DAY. The number of times we've heard "My computer is only 6 months old and it's slow!" is not small.

What about wireless?

And don't even mention wireless. Wireless by definition means "radio transmission" — you are BROADCASTING your data. What could go wrong?

WEP wireless security was cracked in 2001, and replaced with WPA wireless security. Is it any better?

That Wi-Fi network you thought was secure? It ain't.

Now, you are not in business to protect yourself — you are in the business to make the things that you make and/or sell things to your public.

If you are depending on your computer, it had darn well better BE dependable.

This is what we do. And we do it well..

Which brings me to another problem you face...

Online programs are handy aren't they?

You have email, calendar, contacts, instant messenger, even office programs available online via your web browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) most of which, again, use Javascript to accomplish.

So — how do you back up that data? It's not on your computer to backup.

Again, it's your choice.  Where do you want your data?  Who do you want to have access to it?  (Don't think for one minute that if it's available on the Internet that you are the only one who has access to it.)

You choose with your decision to use an online program over a program on your computer.

You have full control of your computer.

The vast majority of you have no control over someone else's computer.

Choose, knowing what you want.

Cheers!
Dan Renner, Editor
Los Angeles Computerhelp Computer Networking News

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