THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY April 22, 2004 social engineering
_____________ SPONSORED BY: PC Lifecycle Info Center Visit the new PC Lifecycle Info Center on SearchCIO.com. You'll find news, tips, webcasts, white papers and targeted Web resources focused on all aspects of managing the PC lifecycle - from purchase to retirement. Get valuable advice and insight on how your IT organization can make smart PC investment decisions. Topics covered include PC replacement cycles, patch management, ROI, mobile workforce management, desktop security, data backup, wireless LAN -- and much more! http://searchcio.techtarget.com/infoCenter/0,294261,sid19,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480815&ad=480815 ______________________ TODAY'S WORD: social engineering See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci531120,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 In computer security, social engineering is a term that describes a non-technical kind of intrusion that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking other people to break normal security procedures. A social engineer runs what used to be called a "con game". For example, a person using social engineering to break into a computer network would try to gain the confidence of someone who is authorized to access the network in order to get them to reveal information that compromises the network's security. They might call the authorized employee with some kind of urgent problem; social engineers often rely on the natural helpfulness of people as well as on their weaknesses. Appeal to vanity, appeal to authority, and old-fashioned eavesdropping are typical social engineering techniques. Another aspect of social engineering relies on people's inability to keep up with a culture that relies heavily on information technology. Social engineers rely on the fact that people are not aware of the value of the information they possess and are careless about protecting it. Frequently, social engineers will search dumpsters for valuable information, memorize access codes by looking over someone's shoulder (shoulder surfing), or take advantage of people's natural inclination to choose passwords that are meaningful to them but can be easily guessed. Security experts propose that as our culture becomes more dependent on information, social engineering will remain the greatest threat to any security system. Prevention includes educating people about the value of information, training them to protect it, and increasing people's awareness of how social engineers operate. ______________________ RELATED TERMS intrusion detection http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci295031,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 ______________________ SELECTED LINKS: On SecurityFocus, Sarah Granger provides "Social Engineering Fundamentals, Part I: Hacker Tactics." http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1527 The CERT Coordination Center provides information about "Social Engineering Attacks via IRC and Instant Messaging." http://www.cert.org/incident_notes/IN-2002-03.html On SearchSecurity.com, Kevin Komiega describes how "Hacker tactics prey on gullible, curious." http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci537875,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 _____________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: LATEST NETSKY INFECTS VIA MICROSOFT FLAW Antivirus experts recommend that Microsoft Windows users immediately apply security patches to protect their systems from the latest worm threat. Unlike its many predecessors, Netsky-V spreads without using e-mail attachments to infect users. http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci959943,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 REPORT: OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING HELPS U.S. JOB MARKET A new report finds that offshore outsourcing allows companies to create new jobs within U.S. borders. But many IT professionals and workers rights activists stand firm in their belief that sending work to foreign countries is ultimately bad for business. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid19_gci959840,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 BUSINESSES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NUMBER PORTABILITY Analyst firm In-Stat/MDR says the high churn rates that were expected during the first few months of wireless local number portability (LNP) haven't materialized, but they're coming soon, especially among enterprise customers. http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid40_gci959643,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com?track=NL-34&ad=481190 _____________________ WE HAVE A WINNER! Scott Meidroth is the winner of our Info Quest contest. We'll get that wireless keyboard and mouse right into the mail for you. Congratulations! ______________________ FAST GUIDE | Spring cleaning -- IT Style Winter is over and it's time to clean out your car, your closets and yes -- your computer. We've gathered information to help you organize your files, clear the clutter from your hard drive and physically clean your hardware. http://searchcio.techtarget.com/infoCenter/tip/0,294276,sid19_gci958666_tax296044,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 ______________________ SECRET WORD-OF-THE-DAY | What is IT? This colorful term describes the theft of data from a vulnerable wireless device. Do you think you know the Secret Word? Click to see if you're right! http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci952393,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190 ______________________ HOROSCOPES FOR GEEKS | April Find out what the stars have in store for you this month! http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid19_gci919205,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 ______________________ DO YOU SPEAK GEEK? | Database II Take a quick quiz and see how many database-related terms you know! http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid13_gci768715,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 ______________________ CAREER CENTER | Dice.com Looking for a new job? Visit the WhatIs.com Career Center powered by Dice and find over 37,000 tech positions to choose from. And get the career resources you need to set yourself apart from other job seekers. Find training and certification resources, get help with your resume and more. Visit today! http://whatis.techtarget.com/dice/0,294542,sid9,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967&Offer=dicewhssrp34 ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES (1) broadcast flag http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci959980,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 (2) virtual desktop manager http://searchwin2000.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid1_gci959452,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 (3) false acceptance http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci959444,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 (4) point-of-presence http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212802,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 (5) paid inclusion http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci958057,00.html?track=NL-34&ad=481190&ad=480967 ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: MARGARET ROUSE, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Consulting Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) LOWELL THING, Consulting Editor and Founder ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) GABRIELLE DERUSSY, Advertising ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This e-newsletter is published by WhatIs.com, a targeted Web site from TechTarget, the most targeted IT media and events company. 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