DATA SECURITY I

Learning objectives
In this module, you will:
 Learn about data security
 Learn about anatomy of virus
 Learn about Language work: cause and effect

What stories do you think followed these headlines? Compare answers within your
group.
1 Love bug creates worldwide chaos.
2 Hackers crack Microsoft software codes.
3 Web phone scam

What other types of computer crime are there? Make a list within your group
Study this diagram which explains how one type of virus operates. Try to answer
these questions.

1What is the function of the Jump instruction?

2What are the main parts of the virus code?
3What is the last act of the virus?

THE ANATOMY OF A VIRUS

A biological virus is a very small, simple organism that infects living cells, known
as the host, by attaching itself to them and using them to reproduce itself. This
often causes harm to the host cells.
Similarly, a computer virus is a very small program routine that infects a
computer system and uses its resources to reproduce itself. It often does this
by patching the operating system to enable it to detect program files, such as
COM or EXE files. It then copies itself into those files. This sometimes causes
harm to the host computer system.
When the user runs an infected program, it is loaded into memory carrying
the virus. The virus uses a common programming technique to stay resident in
memory. It can then use a reproduction routine to infect other programs. This
process continues until the computer is switched off.
The virus may also contain a payload that remains dormant until a trigger event
activates it, such as the user pressing a particular key. The payload can have a
variety of forms. It might do something relatively harmless such as displaying a
message on the monitor
screen or it might do something more destructive such as deleting files on the
hard disk.
When it infects a file, the virus replaces the first instruction in the host
program with a command that changes the normal execution sequence. This type
of command is known as a JUMP command and causes the virus instructions to
be executed before the host program. The virus then returns control to the
host program which then continues with its normal sequence of instructions and
is executed in the normal way.
To be a virus, a program only needs to have a reproduction routine that
enables it to infect other programs. Viruses can, however, have four main parts.
A misdirection routine that enables it to hide itself; a reproduction routine
that allows it to copy itself to other programs; a trigger that causes the
payload to be activated at a particular time or when a particular event takes
place; and a payload that may be a fairly harmless joke or may be very
destructive. A program that has a payload but does not have a reproduction
routine is known as a Trojan.
Now read the whole text to find the answers to these questions.
1 How are computer viruses like biological viruses?
2 What is the effect of a virus patching the operating system?
3 Why are some viruses designed to be loaded into memory?
4 What examples of payload does the writer provide?
5 What kind of programs do viruses often attach to?
6 Match each virus routine to its function.

Routine Function
1 misdirection a does the damage
2 reproduction b attaches a copy of itself to
3 trigger another program
4 payload c hides the presence of the code
d decides when and how to activate
the payload

7 How does a Trojan differ from a virus?

 Language work: cause and effect I
What is the relationship between these actions?
1 A date or event occurs.
2 The trigger routine runs.
3 The payload routine activates.
4 The hard disk is wiped.
These events form part of a cause and effect chain. We can describe the links between
each event in a number of ways:
Using cause + to V or make + V.
1 A date or event occurs which causes the trigger routine to run.
2. A date or event occurs which makes the trigger routine run.
Putting the events in sequence and using a causative verb.
3. The trigger routine runs, which activates the payload routine.
Using a when clause.
4 When the trigger routine runs, the payload routine activates

Some verbs beginning or ending with en have a causative meaning. Replace the
words in italics in these sentences with the appropriate form of en verb from this
list.

enable encrypt ensure

encode enhance brighten
encourage enlarge widen

1 A MIDI message makes sound into code as 8-bit bytes of digital information.
2 The teacher is using a new program to give courage to children to write stories.
3. The new version of SimCity has been made better in many ways.
4. A gateway makes it possible for dissimilar networks to communicate.
5. You can convert data to secret code to make it secure
6. Make sure the machine is disconnected before you remove the case
7Designers can offer good ideas for making your website brighter.
8 Electronic readers allow you to make the print size larger.
 9 Programmers write software which makes the computer able to carry out
particular tasks.
10 You can make the picture on your monitor wider.

WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED THE READING SECTION ON THE FOLLOWING

PAGES, COME BACK TO THESE ADDITIONAL EXERCISES
3. Mark each of the following statements with True or False
a. A message encrypted with a public key can be decrypted by anyone.
b. To send a secure message you must know the recipient's public key.
c. Secure messages are normally encrypted using a private key before they are sent.
d. A message can be reconstructed from its MAC.
e. Two messages can often have the same MAC.
f. A digital certificate is sent to a client in an encrypted form.
g. A digital certificate should be signed by a trusted digital-certificate issuer.
h. A MAC is used to check that a message has not been tampered with.
4 Put the following sentences, about sending a secure email, in the
correct order:

a. The message is decrypted with the recipient's private key.

b. The message is received by the recipient.
c. The message is encrypted with the recipient's public key.
d. The message is sent by the sender.

Find the answers to these questions in the following text.

1 What does data encryption provide?

a. privacy
b. integrity
c. authentication
2 A message encrypted with the recipient's public key can only be decrypted with
a the sender's private key
b the sender's public key
 c the recipient's private key
3 What system is commonly used for encryption?
4 What is the opposite of 'encrypt'?
5 A message-digest function is used to:
a authenticate a user
b create a MAC
c encrypt a message
6 What information does a digital certificate give to a client?

Safe Data Transfer

Secure transactions across the Internet have three goals. First, the two
parties engaging in a transaction (say, an email or a business purchase) don't
want a third party to be able to read their transmission. Some form of data
encryption is necessary to prevent this. Second, the receiver of the message
should be able to detect whether someone has tampered with it in transit. This
calls for a message-integrity scheme. Finally, both parties must know that
they're communicating with each other, not an impostor. This is done with user
authentication.
Today's data encryption methods rely on a technique called public-key
cryptography. Everyone using a public-key system has a public key and a private
key. Messages are encrypted and decrypted with these keys. A message
encrypted with your public key can only be decrypted by a system that knows
your private key.
For the system to work, two parties engaging in a secure transaction must
know each other's public keys. Private keys, however, are closely guarded
secrets known only to their owners. When I want to send you an encrypted
message, I use your public key to turn my message into gibberish. I know that
only you can turn the gibberish back into the original message, because only
you know your private key. Public- key cryptography also works in reverse - that
is, only your public key can decipher your private key's encryption.
To make a message tamper-proof (providing message integrity), the sender
runs each message through a message-digest function. This function within an
application produces a number called a message-authentication code (MAC).
The system works because it's almost impossible for an altered message to
have the same MAC as another message. Also, you can't take a MAC and turn
it back into the original message.
The software being used for a given exchange produces a MAC for a message
before it's encrypted. Next, it encrypts the MAC with the sender's private key.
It then encrypts both the message and the encrypted MAC with the recipient's
public key and sends the message.
When the recipient gets the message and decrypts it, they also get an
encrypted MAC. The software takes the message and runs it through the same
message-digest function that the sender used and creates its own MAC. Then
it decrypts the sender's MAC. If the two are the same, then the message
hasn't been tampered with.
The dynamics of the Web dictate that a user- authentication system must
exist. This can be done using digital certificates.
A server authenticates itself to a client by sending an unencrypted ASCII-
based digital certificate. A digital certificate contains information about the
company operating the server, including the server's public key. The digital
certificate is 'signed' by a trusted digital- certificate issuer, which means that
the issuer has investigated the company operating the server and believes it
to be legitimate. If the client trusts the issuer, then it can trust the server.
The issuer 'signs' the certificate by generating a MAC for it, then encrypts the
MAC with the issuer's private key. If the client trusts the issuer, then it
already knows the issuer's public key.
The dynamics and standards of secure transactions will change, but the
three basic tenets of secure transactions will remain the same. If you
understand the basics, then you're already three steps ahead of everyone else

Re-read the text to find the answers to these questions

Match the functions in Table 1 with the keys in Table 2.

Table 1 Table 2
a. to encrypt a message for sending i. sender's private key
b. to decrypt a received message ii. trusted issuer's private key
c. to encrypt the MAC of a message iii. the recipient'sprivate key
d. to encrypt the MAC of a digital iv. the recipient's public key
signature
Match the terms in Table A with the statements in Table B.
Table A Table B
a. Gibberish i. Message-authentication code
b. Impostor ii. Principal features
c. Decipher iii. Meaningless data
d. MAC iv. Person pretending to be someone else
e. Tenets v. Make unauthorised changes
f. Tamper
vi. Convert to meaningful data