Chapter 18 - Reviewing the basics

RFID badge

A badge worn by an employee and is used to gain entrance into a locked area of a building. A Radio Frequency Identification token transmits authentication to the system when the token gets in range of a query device.

virus encyclopedia

A database about viruses that is kept on the Internet.

degausser

A machine that exposes a storage device to a strong magnetic field to completely erase the data on a magnetic hard drive or tape drive.

grayware

A program that AV software recognizes to be potentially harmful or potentially unwanted.

What tool is best to use when destroying data on an SSD drive? Where can you get this tool?

ATA Secure Erase, you can download a Secure Erase utility from the manufacturer of the device and run it to securely erase all data on the device.

Why is PINE963$&apple not a strong password?

Don't use words in any language

Why is it helpful to run AV software in Safe Mode?

Limited program/driver support. More secure mode if you use without networking.

Which type of biometric data is considered the most secure?

Retinal scanning

adware

Software installed on a computer that produces pop-up ads using your browser; the ads are often based on your browsing habits.

antispyware software

Software used to remove spyware and adware.

ATA Secure Erase

Standards developed by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) that dictate how to securely erase data from solid-state devices such as a USB flash drive or SSD drive in order to protect personal privacy.

What folder is used by Windows to hold restore points?

The folder "System Volume Information" is a hidden system folder located in the root of the drive and is used by windows to hold system restore points. C:\System Volume Information\_ Restore folder

antivirus (AV) software

Utility programs that prevent infection or scan a system to detect and remove viruses. McAfee Associates VirusScan and Norton AntiVirus are two popular AV packages.

tailgating

When someone who is unauthorized follows the employee through a secured entrance to a room or building.

computer infestation

malicious software

What is the best tool to use to find out the purpose of a program that is running on your system?

task manager

phishing

(1) A type of identity theft where a person is baited into giving personal data to a web site that appears to be the web site of a reputable company with which the person has an account. (2) Sending an email message with the intent of getting the user to reveal private information that can be used for identify theft.

Security Center

A center in Vista where you can confirm Windows Firewall, Windows Update, anti-malware settings, including that of Windows Defender, and other security settings.

digital certificate

A code used to authenticate the source of a file or document or to identify and authenticate a person or organization sending data over a network. The code is assigned by a certificate authority such as VeriSign and includes a public key for encryption. Also called digital ID or digital signature.

quarantined computer

A computer that is suspected of infection and is not allowed to use the network, is put on a different network dedicated to quarantined computers, or is allowed to access only certain network resources.

smart card reader

A device that can read a smart card used to authenticate a person onto a network.

privacy filter

A device that fits over a monitor screen to prevent other people from viewing the monitor from a wide angle.

key fob

A device, such as a type of smart card, that can fit conveniently on a key chain.

Windows Firewall

A personal firewall that protects a computer from intrusion and is automatically configured when you set your network location in the Network and Sharing Center.

virus

A program that often has an incubation period, is infectious, and is intended to cause damage. A virus program might destroy data and programs or damage a disk drive's boot sector.

LoJack

A technology by Absolute Software used to track the whereabouts of a laptop computer and, if the computer is stolen, lock down access to the computer or erase data on it. The technology is embedded in the BIOS of many laptops.

rootkit

A type of malicious software that loads itself before the OS boot is complete and can hijack internal Windows components so that it masks information Windows provides to user-mode utilities such as Windows Explorer or Task Manager.

Trojan

A type of malware that tricks you into opening it by substituting itself for a legitimate program.

RSA tokens

A type of smart card that contains authentication information.

keylogger

A type of spyware that tracks your key-strokes, including passwords, chat room sessions, email messages, documents, online purchases, and anything else you type on your PC. Text is logged to a text file and transmitted over the Internet without your knowledge.

BitLocker Encryption

A utility in Windows 7/Vista Ultimate and Enterprise editions that is used to lock down a hard drive by encrypting the entire Windows volume and any other volume on the drive.

Define and explain the differences between a virus, worm, and Trojan.

A virus is a program that replicates by attaching itself to other programs. The infected program must be executed for a virus to run. A worm is a program that copies itself throughout a network or the Internet without a host program. A worm creates problems by overloading the network as it replicates and can even hijack or install a server program such as a web server. A Trojan does not need a host program to work; rather, it substitutes itself for a legitimate program.

Encrypted File System (EFS)

A way to use a key to encode a file or folder on an NTFS volume to protect sensitive data. Because it is an integrated system service, EFS is transparent to users and applications.

email hoax

An email message that is trying to tempt you to give out personal information or trying to scam you.

boot sector virus

An infectious program that can replace the boot program with a modified, infected version, often causing boot and data retrieval problems.

worm

An infestation designed to copy itself repeatedly to memory, on drive space, or on a network, until little memory, disk space, or network band-width remains.

biometric device

An input device that inputs biological data about a person; the data can identify a person's fingerprints, handprints, face, voice, eyes, and handwriting.

Windows Defender

Antispyware utility included in Windows 7/Vista.

smart card

Any small device that contains authentication information that can be keyed into a logon window or read by a reader to authenticate a user on a network.

retinal scanning

As part of the authentication process, some systems use biometric data by scanning the blood vessels on the back of the eye and is considered the most reliable of all biometric data scanning.

Which policy in Group Policy must be enabled before you can monitor failed attempts at logging onto a Windows system?

Audit logon event policy

What Windows utility can you use to change the name of the built-in Administrator account?

Group Policy

What is the best way to determine if an email message warning about a virus is a hoax?

If you recieve an email stating your computer has a virus. It IS a hoax.

What does AV software look for to determine that a program or a process is a virus?

It looks for distinguishing characteristics called virus signatures.

spyware

Malicious software that installs itself on your computer to spy on you. It collects personal information about you that it transmits over the Internet to web-hosting sites that intend to use your personal data for harm.

Which window in Control Panel is used to require a Windows password to wake up a sleeping computer?

Power Options window

social engineering

The practice of tricking people into giving out private information or allowing unsafe programs into the network or computer.

shoulder surfing

Where other people secretly peek at your monitor screen as you work to gain valuable information.

malware

malicious software. Any unwanted program that is transmitted to a computer without the user's knowledge and that is designed to do varying degrees of damage to data and software. Types of infestations include viruses, Trojan horses, worms, adware, spyware, keyloggers, browser hijackers, dialers, and downloaders. Also called malware, infestation, or computer infestation.

malicious software

malware. Any unwanted program that is transmitted to a computer without the user's knowledge and that is designed to do varying degrees of damage to data and software. Types of infestations include viruses, Trojan horses, worms, adware, spyware, keyloggers, browser hijackers, dialers, and downloaders. Also called malware, infestation, or computer infestation.

virus signature

virus definition. A set of distinguishing characteristics of a virus and used by antivirus software to identify new viruses as they get into the wild. Also called virus definition

virus definition

virus signature. A set of distinguishing characteristics of a virus and used by antivirus software to identify new viruses as they get into the wild. Also called virus signatures.