Security Attacks in Stand-Alone Computer and Cloud Computing: an Analysis
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International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) National Conference on Computational Intelligence for Engineering Quality Software (CiQS- 2014) Security Attacks in Stand-Alone Computer and Cloud Computing: An Analysis K.Kavitha B. Arunkumar, Ph. D. Research Scholar, Bharathiar University, Professor Assistant Professor, Coimbatore Institute of Technology Dr.G.R.Damodaran College of Science Coimbatore Coimbatore ABSTRACT Internet, through removable media such as CDs or memory The data that is stored on the computer may be confidential or sticks. sensitive according to its applications or usage. The data must Unlike a virus, an Internet Worm does not need to attach itself be protected from unauthorized users. This paper analyses the to an existing program. It can spread copies of itself from one security attacks in a) stand-alone computers and b) in cloud computer to another without being activated by users like computing. A study of existing protective mechanisms is also file sharing presented. By exploiting network configuration errors (for example, to copy themselves onto a fully accessible disk) Keywords Exploit loopholes in operating system and stand-alone security, cloud computing, virtualization, multi- application security. tenancy, virus. Other worms carry a so-called "payload", a piece of code 1. INTRODUCTION designed to do damage the data stored in the computer. It Computing is data centric. The data can be generated might delete files on the PC( e.g., the ExploreZip worm) or internally, taken from an user of the computer, accessed from cause damage or to retrieve sensitive information such as a file or shared from another data storage which could be local passwords and credit card numbers [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. or over the internet. There is a need to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to the data and are allowed 2.1.1.2Trojan Horse: to modify the data. An unauthorized user may snoop on the A Trojan horse is is another type of malware that looks as a data or malign the data or add wrong data or delete the data or genuine application. Unlike viruses, Trojan horses do not obstruct access to the data. Ensuring authorized data access is replicate themselves. Keylogger is a software program that is termed as Data security. installed on a user’s computer, often by a Trojan horse to capture and record user keystrokes. The data captured is then This paper is organized as: 1) security issues with a transmitted to a hacker’s computer. [4,6,10]. standalone computer 2) the approaches to handling these security issues. 3) the security issues that arise when the 2.1.1.3 Spyware and Adware: computer is in a network 4) security issues when the data is The spyware will get into a computer in any one of the many moved to a cloud storage. 5) The state of art of solutions for methods like handling cloud based security issues. Installing a software package which automatically 2. SECURITY ISSUES IN STAND tries to download ALONE COMPUTER Browser add-ons, a piece of software that add 2.1 Malwares: enhancement to the web browser like toolbar, animated Malware is the short form of “Malicious Software”, designed cursors, screen saver [4,9,10]. to cause damage to a standalone computer or a networked computer. Once malware get into the system, they begin to 2.2 Unauthorized Access: damage a system’s boot sector, data files, software installed in This attack aims in gain access of other’s computer to gain it, including the system BIOS. some information or to modify or to delete the data. The goal of these attacks is to access some resource that the machine 2.1.1 Types of Malware: should not provide the attacker. Password hacking is the 2.1.1.1 Computer Virus and Worms: commonly used method in this kind of threat [11,17]. The virus can get into the user’s computers from network or 14 International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) National Conference on Computational Intelligence for Engineering Quality Software (CiQS- 2014) Table 1: Security Attacks in Stand-Alone Computer and 3.1 Defense Mechanisms for Masquerader: Current Solutions 3.1.1User Validation: Password is the most widely used authentication technique to Intrusion Intrusion Consequence Defense validate the user. In this method, the users can access their Mechanis Type s Mechanism computer system with user name (also known user id) along ms of Attack s with password. The problem is that passwords can be hacked [11, 17]. Password Masquerader Misusing User Cracking computer validation. 3.1.2 User Account Control: and Un- system and User control User Account Control (UAC) is a feature that helps to control authorized doing data access. the user in multi - user environment. This can be done using Access processing Data administrator-level permission. Using UAC, changes cannot like file encryption. be made to the computer without administrator’s permission creation, Statistical or knowledge. It can help prevent malicious software modification anomaly (malware) and spyware from being installed on or making and deletion detection. changes to the computer [11, 17]. Rule-based techniques. 3.1.3 Data Encryption: Data encryption is the process of converting the data into Malware: Misfeasor Some Anti-virus cipher text using an algorithm (mathematical formula) by use Virus Clandestine malware software. of a code. Decryption is the reverse process of it. A secret key Worms users programs Firewalls. is used to encrypt and decrypt the data. Symmetric key and Trojan delete files, Anti- Asymmetric key are current techniques used in data Horse reformat the spyware. encryption [2]. Spyware hard disk or Anti- Adware cause other keylogging 3.1.4 Statistical Anomaly Detection: damage. technique. This method involves the collection of data relating to the Others only behavior of authorized users in a period of time. Then replicate statistical tests are applied to observed behavior to determine themselves & that the observed behavior is not legitimate user behavior[1]. affect Statistical anomaly detection techniques fall into two broad computer’s categories: Threshold detection and Profile-based systems performance. [18]. Trojan horse install “pay- 3.1.4.1 Threshold Detection: loads” which It involves counting the number of occurrences of a specific capture user’s event type over an interval of time. If the count exceeds than keystroke the reasonable number that one might expect to occur, then process intrusion is assumed [18]. 3.1.4.2 Profile-based Anomaly Detection: 2.3 Password Cracking: It focuses on characterizing the past behavior of individual Password cracking is the process of using other’s password to users or related groups of user and then detecting significant gain data access. This is a technique attacker use to deviations. A profile may consist of a set of parameters, so surreptitiously gain system access through another user's that deviation on just a single parameter may not be sufficient account [11,17]. in itself to signal an alert. Examples of metrics that are useful for profile-based intrusion detection are interval timer, 3. SECURITY MECHANISMS FOR resource utilization etc. Using these metrics, various tests can STAND ALONE COMPUTER SECURITY be performed to determine whether current activity fits within The data which is stored in the computer can be accessed, by acceptable limits such as Mean, standard deviation and a malicious user or third party is known as Intrusion. Intrusion Multivariate. These detection systems work on audit records Detection System is the process of monitoring the events [18]. occurring in a computer system and intrusion prevention is the process of detecting the signs of intrusion and attempting to 3.1.4 Rule-based Techniques: stop the intrusive efforts. It detects intrusion by observing events in the system and The intruder can be broadly divided into 3 types: applying a set of rules that lead to a decision regarding whether a given pattern of activity is or is not suspicious. i) Masquerader: They are outsiders and unauthorized to use With the rule-based approach, historical audit records are the computer system. analyzed to identify usage patterns and to generate ii) Misfeasor: They are insiders and legitimate users but automatically rules that describe those patterns. Rules may misuse their privileges. represent past behavior patterns of users, programs, privileges, time slots, terminals, and so on. Current behavior is then iii) Clandestine users: They can be both insiders and observed, and each transaction is matched against the set of outsiders. rules to determine if it conforms to any historically observed pattern of behavior. These rules can be supplemented with rules generated by knowledgeable security personnel [18]. 15 International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) National Conference on Computational Intelligence for Engineering Quality Software (CiQS- 2014) 3.2 Defense Mechanisms for Misfeasor and 4. CLOUD COMPUTING AND ITS Clandestine Users: DEPLOYMENT MODELS 3.2.1 Anti Virus-Software: Cloud computing changed the trend of data storage and access An anti-virus is a software or computer program that can be from the traditional method to on-demand access. It offers the used to scan files to identify and eliminate computer viruses. service to the users through Internet. The users make use of Anti-virus software uses two different techniques to cloud computing for its significant benefits such as reduced accomplish this [4,7,11,12,13]. infrastructure cost, reliable data access, on demand service and also security. Cloud computing provide services to the 3.2.1.1 Virus Dictionary Signature: user community through three different deployment models In this approach, when the anti-virus software examines a file, such as Iaas, PaaS and SaaS. it refers to signatures that have been identified and listed by the anti-virus software service provider.