Categories
-Context 10.3 Security, Privacy, Freedom, and Ethics 9.3 Internet Issues: Ethical and Political Dilemmas

Shining a Light on the Dark Net

The Dark NetThere are huge chunks of the Internet that can’t be found with your standard web browser. Criminals, anarchists, and trolls use encryption-enabled browsers to conduct their business anonymously in these dark corners of the net. In this fascinating Fresh Air interview, author Jamie Bartlett talks about his experiences in the dark net.
npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/06/03/411476653/infiltrating-the-dark-net-where-criminals-trolls-and-extremists-reign

Categories
-Updates 10.1 Online Outlaws: Computer Crime

Blackmail in the Digital Age

Hacker wearing a hoodieBlackmail isn’t just for low-life con artists anymore. Digital extortion—demanding ransom in return for not doing damage to critical computer systems—has become increasingly common in recent years. This Huffington Post has details.
huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/28/hacker-blackmail_n_5048853.html

Categories
-Context 10.2 Computer Security: Reducing Risks 9.2 Inside the Web 9.3 Internet Issues: Ethical and Political Dilemmas

How Scam-savvy Are You?

Cyber-scammers are always looking for new ways to get you to reveal valuable personal information. Can you tell the difference between legitimate requests and cyber scams? Take this short quiz to find out. The quiz is a promotion for OpenDNS, a security company, but it’s worth your time even if you’re not shopping for protection. If you’re not able to identify all of the fake sites in the quiz, the feedback page will show you the clues that you missed so you can be more scam-savvy in the future.
opendns.com/phishing-quiz

Categories
-Context 10.1 Online Outlaws: Computer Crime 10.2 Computer Security: Reducing Risks 10.4 Security and Reliability

Can a Botnet Bring Down the Internet?

For three years a worm called Conficker has been wiggling its way into computers around the world, creating a massive botnet that has the potential to wreak havoc on the Internet. In this chilling NPR interview, author Mark Bowden explains to Fresh Air’s Terry gross how this little-known worm threatens our networks, our livelihoods, and our lives.
npr.org/2011/09/27/140704494/the-worm-that-could-bring-down-the-internet

Categories
-Multimedia 10.1 Online Outlaws: Computer Crime 10.2 Computer Security: Reducing Risks Chapter 10 Computer Security and Risks

Behind the Front Lines in the Virus Wars

In this TED talk, Mikko Hypponen tells us about–and shows us–a variety of malware species, from the earliest PC viruses to today’s high-tech organized crime menace.
[ted id=1192]