Myth Buster: Data Security on Internet

I think somehow we all are stuck in our day to day life in finding out what is fact and what is fiction or myth over internet. Today, in this article I will be busting some of the common myths that are related to Data Security on Internet.

Myth 1:

Myth: Complexity of Passwords is directly proportional to the Security of your online assets.

Myth Description: Many people believe that their online assets are safe on Internet as long as they have complex passwords. By complex passwords I mean something that is containing more than 5 characters, a non-dictionary word and non-alphanumeric characters.

Truth: I am afraid but this was true only in old times, where in Brute Force Attack (The attempt to crack correct password by trying all permutations and combinations of characters) was limited to specific length of characters.

Now the time has changed and the hackers over Internet can crack your complex and lengthy passwords using their fully equipped tools. I would like to highlight that the most common problem with lengthy and complex passwords is that they are hard to remember.

The remedy to overcome this myth is to change your complex passwords frequently.  There is a second approach that will hold good only for those cases where you have control over the login mechanism such that you could lock the account after a pre-set number of login retries. The best example that we could quote here is that of an ATM Machine which locks your Credit or Debit Card after 3 incorrect passwords retires.

Verdict: Busted

Myth 2:

Myth: Antivirus will save your computer from all Viruses.

Myth Description: Nowadays almost all computers are pre-loaded with Anti-Virus Software. Many people think that having an antivirus software on their computer protects them from all sorts of issues.

Truth: I am afraid but this is partially true. You will be surprised to know that there are approximately 70,000 viruses created every single day.

[Reference: http://eugene.kaspersky.com/2011/10/28/number-of-the-month-70k-per-day/]

This means that your Antivirus can not protect you unless its updated daily. Your Antivirus will surely save you from all viruses if its databases are up to date. So, you need to update your Antivirus daily to get protected from the newly created viruses.

Verdict: Busted

Myth 3:

Myth:Typing your password from Keyboard is safe

Myth Description: Mostly all of us use wired keyboards. When we type in our passwords, the passwords gets hidden by asterisk (*) character which gives us a feeling that our passwords are safe and our data is protected.

Truth: You will be shocked to know that there is a mechanism using which hackers can get to know which keys have been pressed on your keyboard.

Wired Keyboards are not at all safe. Hackers can easily know what you are typing using KeyLogging Mechanism. Keyloggers are malicious codes that have the capability to detect which key has been pressed on the basis of the ASCII Code associated with it. The worst thing is that you would not even know that something is decrypting your passwords.

Please note that this not only decrypts your passwords, but it could also decrypt your sensitive information like, Credit Card Number or Bank Account Number.

I would suggest you to use On-Screen Virtual Keyboards for typing your sensitive information. You could also read this article to shop online safely.

Verdict: Busted

Myth 4:

Myth: Data will be protected with the use of Encrypted Data Channel

Myth Description: Eavesdropping was the greatest threat in those good old days of Internet. This threat lead to the advancement of using Encrypted Data Channels like SSL,SSH, HTTP,HTTPS.

Truth: However this is also partially true; using Encrypted Data Channels alone would not protect your data. Moreover statistics have clearly shown that there is a very limited amount of data that is lost to eavesdropping.

Channel Encryption is only a small part of protecting your sensitive data. It would not work alone. In order to make data channel encryption work you need comprehensive security policy and regular audits.

Verdict: Busted

Myth 5:

Myth: Storing Data on Cloud is insecure.

Myth Description: Ever since the launch of Cloud Computing people have got mixed responses to the data storage on Cloud. There are many people who think that storing Data on Cloud is unsafe and insecure. After all, “Cloud” itself means that your precious data is floating around somewhere. Am I Right? Well yes, this is a normal reaction.

Truth: Cloud Computing is the safest place to store your data online. After storing the data on Cloud, its fully encrypted and Cloud Computing gives you the control to access Data Centre and download your uploaded files without any infringement.

Verdict: Busted

This was all about the various myths related to Data Security on Internet. Stay tuned for other myth busters coming up in the next week.

Tagged as: Interesting

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Article by Anieee

Anisha holds a Masters Degree in Telecommunications from BITS. She is working as a Software Tester in a top MNC at India. She loves writing, blogging and cracking softwares.