BROADBAND — INFORMATION SECURITY

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Broadband and information security

The explosion of spamming, hoaxes and cyberattacks has highlighted just how vulnerable users are to security breaches and the steps they need to take to protect themselves. While both dial-up and broadband connections can be affected by such security breaches, an always-on broadband connection is undoubtedly an easier target. This is because the always-on nature of a broadband connection means that attacks and hacking can happen around the clock, raising the stakes by comparison with a computer that is only on for short periods (see box). Luckily, there are many tools available to make broadband connections secure and attractive to users and potential users.

Raising awareness of security risks

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Most broadband users are residential consumers, and few have awareness of security risks. As broadband gets a reputation for enabling easier and freer access to information, it may also gain a reputation for being vulnerable to security loopholes where precautions do not exist or are not sufficiently advertised. Indeed, potential broadband users may hesitate to adopt the technology if it means an increased risk to personal or commercial data.

Governments and Internet service providers (ISP) can take steps to increase awareness and include measures for increased security, while producers of technology standards are partly responsible for ensuring an acceptable degree of network security.

Firewalls: the gatekeepers

Firewalls are one effective way to prevent unauthorized access to personal resources on a computer with broadband access. This is a piece of software or hardware that acts as a gatekeeper for any communications leaving or entering the computer (or network). Firewalls can be configured to allow only certain applications to access the broadband connection and to reject certain types of requests from the outside (such as scans).

Many firewall providers offer free versions of their software for download on the Web, such as “Tinysoftware.com” and “Zonelabs.com”. However, the configuration of these products is often difficult for users. Some broadband providers, for example Earthlink in the United States, have taken the initiative to help consumers with security by including firewalls for free as part of their home networking packages, and partnering with firewall producers to make installation procedures more standardized.

Other kinds of software have also been developed to combat one of the most common problems broadband users face. Known as spyware, this problem is usually introduced to a computer via another downloaded program from the Internet. File-sharing programs such as “Kazaa” are infamous for installing several other spyware applications on the computer during installation. However, free programs such as “Adaware” from Lavasoft and SpyBot can search for these files and eliminate them from the computer.

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Longer Internet connection times spell greater vulnerability for broadband users

The importance of firewalls highlighted by the Internet worm “MSBlast”

In August 2003, the vulnerability of broadband Internet users was highlighted by the propagation of the Internet worm, “MSBlast”. This worm finds its way into users’ computers by exploiting a flaw in the operating system, scanning for certain open ports on computers connected to the Internet. Once a susceptible computer is located, MSBlast establishes a connection and downloads itself onto the vulnerable computer. Once on the new host computer, it again scans the Internet for open ports on other computers around the Internet in an attempt to infect them via the compromised host. The striking factor about this particular worm is that it acts without any interaction from users. In other words, an always-on broadband Internet connection that is left on for long periods is by nature more vulnerable to such infiltration, even though computers with all types of connections can be hit.
Within just a few days, the worm had infected 180 000 computers around the world. Computers with properly installed firewalls remained unaffected. This example highlights how much more important security measures such as firewalls are when making use of broadband connections. While broadband users may learn their lesson “the hard way”, when they actually suffer an attack, governments and ISPs can do a lot to increase awareness, and can take certain concrete measures, for example by making pre-installed security programs standard.

Source: ITU research and article at: http://www.msnbc.com/news/951168.asp?cp1=1.

Encryption

While firewalls help deny unwanted communications, encryption offers an even better way to protect sensitive data as they sit on the computer or pass over the Internet. Broadband connections can make use of various encryption technologies to help ensure the data stays private and unaltered as it travels over the Internet, and can easily support encrypted communications — which usually require 10 to 20 per cent more bandwidth than the transmission of non-encrypted information.

Laws and regulation

The implementation of enhanced security systems, and the existence of appropriate laws and regulation dealing with this problem, will be of fundamental importance for the development of commercial and public applications, such as e-government, e-health or e-commerce. To carry out these services online, users should be guaranteed that their data will be accessed and handled only by those authorized to do so, that their electronic mailbox will not be the object of undesired bulk e-mails (“spam”), or that information given by certain services can be trusted.

Security for home users

Security is also important for home users, who usually do not benefit from the controls and technical assistance usually provided in companies or government offices. Having a computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day can be likened to having a window open: anybody can enter. Security is therefore necessary to build confidence, so that technologies like broadband can be exploited to their fullest potential and to help build an environment of trust in the global information society.

This article has been adapted from the new ITU Internet Report: Birth of Broadband, released in September 2003. For further information visit the website: http://www.itu.int/