How hackers snoop on private web browsing
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
LONDON: Experts have identified how their web browser’s ‘private mode’ setting is also vulnerable to hackers.
Most web browsers offer a private mode, intended to leave no trace of surfing history on the computer.
But Collin Jackson at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and colleagues, have found ways to detect which sites were visited with the mode enabled.
Even if private browsing is enabled, details relating to the key remain stored on the computer’s hard drive, allowing a hacker to establish that a particular site had been visited.
A hacker could “guess what sites you’ve been to based on traces left behind,” New Scientist quoted Jackson as saying.
These attacks on privacy “do not require a great deal of technical sophistication and could easily be built into forensics tools,” he added.
However, Rik Ferguson — a UK-based security researcher at Trend Micro of Tokyo, Japan — says that any attacker with the knowledge to exploit the weaknesses would probably look to other attacks first, which may yield more detailed information.
“If someone is capable of tracking your browsing habits in this way, then they are probably also tech-savvy enough to know about commercial spyware which could much more effectively track your computer use,” says Ferguson.
When Microsoft releases Office 2010 later this year, will it be an upgrade worth pursuing, or will it, like Office 2007, be one that you can easily let pass? That’s a question that’s no doubt on the minds of many existing Office users – as well as more than a few executives at Microsoft.
The ‘ribbon bar’ was Office 2007’s most controversial feature — and one that dissuaded many from upgrading to Office 2007. The ribbon bar did away with conventional menus in favour of a tabbed, context- specific top row that grouped functions likely to be needed or wanted. The idea was to unearth the many features of Office applications that many never found because those features were buried deep within menus or dialog boxes.
The e-mail application Outlook is probably the suite’s most-used application. Microsoft has managed to introduce fairly dramatic changes to Outlook 2010 without making the programme a drag on productivity.
The round Office button that appeared on ribbon-enabled applications in Office 2007 has been replaced by a tab labeled File at the far left of the ribbon bar.
Paste Preview is another suite-wide enhancement that attempts to address the fact that many people undo a paste operation once they see how the text or object actually looks in the document.
One of Office 2010’s most anticipated new features, Office Web, has yet to be officially unwrapped. Office Web will be Microsoft’s answer to Google Docs and other cloud-based office suites that allow you to work on browser-based word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation programs.
If you’re still using Office 2003, you’ll still face a considerable learning curve when moving to the 2010 version of Office.
For a hacker common methods for finding your IP address is through chatrooms, looking up domain names on a domain name registrar site, or running programmes that can create a log of all valid IP addresses.
With the users IP address, a hacker can send programmes to his PC to test the system for vulnerabilities. He can even find bugs, or holes in the software. The file- and print-sharing options allow the hacker to access the user’s hard drive, load any programme on the drive and delete/change any file on his PC.
Hackers use programmes to crack passwords. Even a password-protected computer can be broken into and other passwords then cracked.
A hacker can steal and delete files, load dangerous programs on a PC and involve people in computer crime. He can get your home, office and even bank passwords.
The user must keep in mind not to visit chat rooms unless they are closed and he knows the administrator. One must almost never open an attachment that ends in .DLL or .EXE, even if the email is from one’s best friend. The only time one can open such attachments is if he knows what’s in them.
A good password is easily remembered, but not easily guessable. It should be kept a secret, never written down and never saved in a file. When a website asks if a password should be saved, always say no. A password ideally should have at least six or more letters, numbers or punctuations.
Checking your email has become a dangerous business. The number and types of email borne threats that can cause harm to your computer or your privacy are growing.
When emails are sent as plain text, it becomes impossible to contract a computer virus just by reading email. That’s because something — a programme, worm, or other active threat — actually has to run on your computer in order to infect it.
Remember, though, that most email viruses are contracted when you perform some action, such as opening an infected attachment or clicking a link that takes you to a site that downloads a virus on to your computer.
An email “bomb” refers to the large number of email messages sent to an account with the primary aim of bringing the account down. When an email server is flooded with email messages, it is unable to receive other email messages and effectively becomes useless.
You think those spam mails only clutter your inbox, there’s more they can do. This includes installing spytools or other malware on your comp.
Another significant email threat is email spyware. Most often transmitted as part of another related software programme, email spyware compromises personal information, distributing it to unauthorised parties. While some spyware programmes are distributed through email by association with Trojan horses, others are sent directly as a worm or virus.
Emails can also threaten your privacy. Remember, they can be forwarded to any number of people and can be used against you. If you do not want to risk the whole world knowing something, it is best to convey it verbally.
