An increasing number of Canadian families have access to Internet. When used with caution, cyberspace is an extraordinary communication and information medium. However, surfing the Net involves certain risks.

The Internet is a network of millions of interconnected computers. Unlike a TV set, the computer provides for two-way communication. In other words, when you connect to another computer, not only do you receive information, but you also transmit data!

Furthermore, the Internet is a worldwide network that is not yet regulated like radio or television. For instance, what is illegal in Canada can be perfectly legal in another country. However, as Canadian citizens, we have to abide by the laws of our country.

In short, jurisdiction on the Internet is a complex issue. For this reason, the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” takes its full meaning when you surf the Net.

Major Internet Risks and Problems

• Make regular updates of your computer system (software, operating system, etc.).
• Get a good anti-virus software and update it regularly.
• Get a good firewall and update it regularly.

• Pick secure passwords.
• Regularly save your data to avoid losing it.
• Consumers beware when buying on line. Take the same precautions as for traditional transactions.
• Supervise your children when they surf the Net. Do not set up a computer in your child’s room but rather in a family room.

Hackers and malicious logic

Hackers
Viruses
Worms
Trojan Horses

Hackers

Hacking is the process of gaining unauthorized access to a computer system. There are many ways this can be accomplished, but the three most common are:

1- Exploiting preexisting bugs in the target system software to gain access.
2- Taking advantage of a system's poorly configured software security protocols to gain access.
3- Installing a Trojan horse program which, when executed by a user of the target system, provides a back door thus permitting the hacker to enter.

Recommendations

• To protect against item # 1, you must download and install your system software security updates on a regular basis. This will prevent hackers from taking advantage of known exploits. To protect yourself from yet unknown exploits, you should install a computer firewall. Your computer has 65,536 ports (like doors, they are the only way to enter your computer), of which you probably only use about five (5). A firewall closes all the doors you don't need thus minimizing the chances of a hacker entering.
  
• To protect yourself against item # 2, you should turn off all unnecessary services. For example, if you don't need Telnet or SSH, turn them off. You should use a firewall and you should turn logging on. Make sure you use good passwords (at least 8 characters, not a word in the dictionary, using capitals and non capitals, numbers and symbols). There exist products called Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) which can notify you of a possible attack. They will even send a message to your pager if you wish.
  
• To protect yourself from item # 3, you should install anti-virus software with up-to-date virus definitions (most anti-virus software will detect Trojan horses too). This will help prevent infection. A properly configured firewall will prevent the use of a Trojan horse by the attacker by closing the “door” it uses to communicate, thus effectively rendering it useless.

Viruses

A computer virus is a small piece of software that attaches itself to other computer programs. Every time the program is run, the virus is run too, which can cause damage to your system (such as erasing your hard drive). Viruses also replicate when the program is executed, thus spreading to your computer hard drive and other storage media.

Recommendations

• Never open attachments to e-mail messages received from unknown or non-secure sources.
• Get good quality anti-virus and firewall software and update them regularly. Since new viruses are generated every day, software of this nature is not fool-proof, but it will reduce the risk of contamination of your computer.
• Take down information on the person(s) who have sent the viruses and notify your Internet service provider.

Worms

A worm is a self-replicating program that resides in memory (RAM) and in most cases does not alter files on the hard drive. It propagates by sending itself to other computers in a network. The network could be internal, such as in a company, or it could be the Internet itself. Unlike viruses, a worm is a separate entity, it does not attach itself to other files or programs. One of the ways a worm can spread is by sending itself to everyone in your e-mail program's address book.

Worms, such as Code Red and Code Red II, cause millions of dollars in damage by consuming system resources and overwhelming the Internet. When parts of the Internet go down, millions in revenue are lost. Even ordinary citizens can feel the effects of a worm as it eats up their system's resources and slows down their computer.

• Install a firewall that will close all but the ports you actually use.
  
• Install anti-virus software that will protect you from the rare worm that will access the hard drive.
  
• Be aware of suspicious e-mails that come in from everyone you know, all with the same content. If this is the case, close your network/Internet connection immediately to prevent the spread of the worm.
  
• Install all program and system security updates as they become available. This will prevent worms from coming in through a vulnerability in your software.

Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse is a malicious computer program that disguises itself by pretending or appearing to be something that is benign. Trojan horses can pretend to be a game, screen saver or just about any program found as an e-mail attachment. A Trojan horse is an executable file, meaning that when you double click on it, for example, it will run the program. Some possible file extensions for executable files are: exe, bat, pif, com, vbs. Beware of double extensions such as photo.jpg.exe which may appear to be an image file, but instead is an executable program. By default, Windows hides extensions, so this file would appear as “photo.jpg”, a popular type of image file.

A Trojan horse, once executed, can destroy files or open up a "backdoor" to your computer, allowing someone to enter and control your system. They can copy and delete files or use your computer as a stepping stone to hack other computers. They can even watch you via your Web cam!

• Install a personal firewall that closes all ports of entry into and out of your computer, except for the few that you really need.
  
• Install anti-virus software and keep your virus definitions up to date. Anti-virus software may not detect all Trojan horses, but it will catch some of them.
  
• Never run suspicious executable programs.
  
• Set up your computer to show complete file names and extensions in your folder options to avoid those evil double extensions.
  
• Consider the use of specific anti-Trojan software.
  
• Never use features in programs that preview or run attachments automatically.
  
• Apply all available system software security.

• Do not allow your children to use the Internet unsupervised as there are any number of sites that contain offensive or dangerous materials on the Web.
  
• Do not post any such material on your Web site as you may become criminally or civilly liable if someone uses this information to commit a criminal act.
  
• If you become aware of someone attempting to use this information, please report them to your local police.

• Someone sending you one email or instant message even if it contains obscene comments, pornographic photo attachments, or a virus though there may be separate criminal offence of corrupting morals section 163 of the Criminal Code of Canada or related sections which refer to child pornography.
  
• Comments made about you on a public forum (or on someone else's web site) unless the statements are libellous in which case the person or company that published them may be guilty of defamatory libel section 298 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
  
• A threat made against you or another family to cause death or bodily harm, to damage or destroy your personal property, or to poison kill or injure an animal that is the property of a person. This would be an offence under section 264.1 (1) of the Criminal Code of Canada - Uttering threats.
  
• Spam. If you're online, you have to learn to live with junk email from companies offering everything from herbal supplements and cheap web hosting, to discount dog food and get-rich-quick schemes. There is nothing criminal about sending advertising via email which is what Spam is, however, some of the products you may be offered are not available or may be illegal in Canada. There are things you can do to reduce the amount of spam you receive, but it will never go away completely. Please refer to the section on unsolicited email.

Unsolicited E-mails and the Protection of Privacy

Spamming
Phishing
Spyware
Pop-up Ads
Cookies

Spamming

The massive distribution of unsolicited messages by people or companies is a technique known as “spam” or “spamming”. Most of the time, these messages have an advertisement or pornographic content. To obtain lists of electronic addresses these people or companies consult newsgroups, purchase e-mail lists, and surf the Net.

Even though this technique is deplorable, it is not illegal as such and it is extremely difficult to control. However, you can take some basic precautions.

• Use an alias e-mail address (other than your personal address) if you post to newsgroups or bulletin boards.
  
• Avoid opening unsolicited e-mail. Spam usually means scam and the message may contain a virus that can damage your computer.  
  
• Avoid opening unsolicited e-mail.
  
• Do not buy products from or reply to a company that spams - it only encourages them to continue spamming.
  
• Do not reply to or forward "chain-letter" e-mail.
  
• Most e-mail software offer the option to block originators or to automatically filter messages based on the correspondent’s e-mail address, key words used in the message and/or the title of the e-mail message. Do not hesitate to use this function.
  
• Beware of the contents of e-mail messages circulating on Internet, especially those that invite you to invest money in a venture without any solicitation on your part and promise huge profits. When in doubt concerning the legal aspect of an investment proposal, always remember, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is!”

Phishing

Phishing is the process of sending spam messages, the content of which appears to come from a legitimate institution and asks you to provide your personal account information.

Therefore, beware of all e-mail messages pretending to be from your bank, paypal or e-Bay accounts. Cases have been reported where individuals have received e-mail from what appeared to be their bank asking them to click on a link included in the message. The content of the message stated that by clicking on the link you would be directed to the bank’s home page, where you could log onto your on-line banking account, thus allowing the bank to confirm your e-mail address, or to participate in a contest. If you click on the link, you are brought to a web site that appears to be your bank’s web site, but it is not. When you enter your personal information such as your debit card number and password, this information is immediately sent to the perpetrators of this fraud. Canadian banks do not send e-mail to customers requesting them to provide account information.

• If you receive any e-mail that requests personal information, for example from your bank, do not provide it on-line. Contact the institution by telephone using a phone number that you obtained via an independent source (ie. Not from the suspect e-mail!). If the bank did not send the e-mail, they will tell you and they will notify the authorities.
  
• Do not click on the link that is embedded inside any e-mail of this type.

Spyware

Spyware is software that gathers information about people without their knowledge. Generally speaking, it tracks your movements and habits on the Web and sends the information to advertising companies. They use the information to create marketing profiles thus helping them to market their products better. Spyware is sometimes included in free software (also known as shareware) that is downloaded from the Internet. Often there are long licence agreements (which few people read) stating that you agree to the software gathering information about your habits and sending it back to the company's Web site. Spyware can also find its way onto your computer via a virus.

Cookies also gather personal information about a user, but they are not considered spyware because they are not hidden. Users can disallow cookies at any time if they choose to do so.

The use of spyware is common practice in informatics. Even though this practice is not highly appreciated, it is not illegal and software manufacturers do not, as a rule, have criminal intent. We suggest that you contact the manufacturer to express your apprehension and comments. If you are not satisfied with the manufacturer’s reply, you still have the option to not use the software. There still are basic precautions that you can take to avoid that your computer become infected by spyware.

• Before installing free software, read the user agreement. It might make reference to a form of spyware or to the transmission of personal information.
  
• When you install software obtained on the Internet, refuse that additional free programs be installed along with the software. Such programs rarely are absolutely necessary and they may conceal spyware.
  
• Get an anti-spyware program. Some of these are offered for free on the Internet.
  
• Get a recent firewall and update it regularly.

Pop-up Ads

Pop-up ads are those small windows containing advertisements that literally pop up during your Internet sessions. In some cases, closing the window results in the repeated opening of one or more advertisement boxes. These boxes often are generated when you are surfing a commercial site, but they can also be launched by spyware.

As a rule, these windows are perfectly harmless. However, most Web users find them annoying because they hamper their Web sessions. It is possible to reduce and even to eliminate these pop-up ads.

• Get anti pop-up software which automatically closes these windows or boxes. Some of this software is available at no expense and can be downloaded from the Internet.
  
• Get a browser that enables you to block pop-up ads.
  
• Get recent anti-virus software and a firewall and update them regularly.
  
• Get special anti-spyware since spyware can generate pop-up ads. Spyware are sometimes not as harmless as pop-up ads.
  
• Several Web sites post very interesting articles on the major problems encountered while surfing the Net. Advice is also available. Look into it!

Cookies

Cookies are generally harmless pieces of information generated by a Web server and stored in the requesting user's computer. Cookies are stored to speed future access to the site making use of user-specific information transmitted to the Web to personalize a user's Web page. The storage and access of the cookies by servers are automatic and therefore generally unnoticed whenever a user requests a Web page.

The information contained in a cookie is text containing the user's preferences. The cookies are generally stored in a cookie folder by the browser so that they can be called up by the Web server whenever the user returns to the site.

Cookies are not a danger to your computer, they are information your Web browser uses to access Web sites. Cookies may, however, pose a threat to your privacy as they store your preferences and are accessible by all Web servers.

• If you wish to stop your browser using cookies, most browsers give you the option of either warning about accepting a cookie or rejecting all cookies. Several privacy programs also are available on the Web that will keep your information private.