Articles

The Press-Enterprise Monday, November 27, 2006

Thieves Peer into Digital Homes

Reprinted in the Press_Enterprise from the New York Times News Service

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/23/garden/23hackers.html

Excerpts below:

“Although arrests and prosecutions of people hacking into homes are few, security experts see it as a potentially huge problem.”

“In its annual threat report, released in September, Symantec, an information security services company in Cupertino, Calif., reported that 86 percent of all targeted attacks against computers were now directed at home users, “a fertile resource” for thieves. As devices become wireless, technologies become mobile and everything converges on the Internet, which is becoming a universal remote for controlling electronics inside and outside the house, homes are increasingly being exposed to attack. “

“A popular music-sharing program that was installed incorrectly on the computer by, say, the taxpayer’s son, may inadvertently share the entire contents of the computer’s hard drive, not just his music “

“The stuff of movies? Couldn’t happen here? Someone was arrested in San Francisco this year for doing exactly that. Detective Hall said many such incidents go unpublicized because companies involved are embarrassed “

“At how much risk is your home now?”

“Last month, the British Broadcasting Corporation conducted a convincing investigation into personal computer security. They installed Windows XP, an operating system unprotected by any additional virus detection programs, on a computer, to see what it would attract when it was connected to the Internet.

Within seconds, the machine was attacked, and the attacks continued every 15 minutes. Every hour, it was hit by an attack trying to program it to attack other machines. Attackers scanned its ports, the computer’s “doors” to the Internet, to see whether they were open. Once a day, a hacker tried take complete control.”

Home Network Security

Definitions and Tips for Home Networks

http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html

Consumer Reports May 16, 2005
Wireless Networks Offer Flexibility, Potential Snooping

http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/dynamic/privacy-investigation-wireless-n...

http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/2217421

Front Page in The Press Enterprise Monday March 19th, 2007

U.S leads the world with the most compromised computers.

By JORDAN ROBERTSON AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. Mar 19, 2007 (AP)
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2961929

* "86 percent of all targeted attacks against computers are now directed at SOHO users”

Symantec Corporation November 27th 2006 (Small Office Home Office)

* "91 percent of users have intrusion software, or "spyware," on their computers

uploaded by music or file sharing programs” 1 source www.internetnews.com Source articles on News articles page

* "Only 33 percent of all computer users have a properly configured and secure firewall,

meaning two out of every three broadband homes are not secure.”

* "86 percent of consumers say they keep sensitive health, financial, or personal

information on their home computers."

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