Teresa Mendyk-Krajewska

Security of Internet Transactions

State-of-the-art IT facilities are ever more frequently applied in all areas of life. Nowadays, Internet connection, online resources and services are taken for granted. It is much quicker (almost immediate) and more convenient to access electronic information and use online services than to employ traditional methods. Therefore, more and more people take advantage of these options. Aware of the benefits, they often forget about network threats (that arise from inappropriate software protection and failure to follow necessary security rules) or simply underestimate them. This chapter deals with threats to Internet transactions with particular emphasis on new ways of obtaining information and data under false pretences and threats to services rendered in wireless networks.

Problem of network security threats

The development of computer networks is followed by a rapid evolution of threats to the security of their use. The phenomenon, though observed for years, has increased in the last period of time causing a growing problem to sustain an adequate level of security. New Internet threats utilize the latest techniques and Internet technologies. Computer crimes constitute a true challenge for software engineers and hardware producers as well as for users and all institutions responsible for the security of networks, including state institutions. Numerous world organizations supervise the issue of security. In the last period of time, the governments of many countries, including the European Parliament, have been working intensively on the laws concerning the network security.

Software Flaws as the Problem of Network Security

The software flaws give the possibility of attacking the IT systems, which may result in gaining remote control of them. The known vulnerabilities may be detected with the use of scanners and the threat is then removed through installing some patch or a new software version; however, when the tool does not have the updated threat database, the effect of its functioning may give illusory security. Furthermore, in practice, new vulnerabilities in the security systems are identified all the time, which indicates that obtaining high level of security is a significant problem.

Threats to Wireless Technologies and Mobile Devices and Company Network Safety

The wireless technologies have become so attractive that more and more networks, including company ones, are created according to these standards. Mobile access to network resources is also becoming more and more common. Unfortunately, security mechanisms which are used nowadays show a number of faults and are prone to attacks, which, in the age of growing threats, including threats to mobile devices, raises concern about the future of wireless realizations. It is particularly significant in the case of industrial networks due to their frequent strategic importance. Management personnel should be aware of real threats whereas employees should strictly obey company safety policy principles assumed. The aim of this article is to show the importance of the problem and a scale of this phenomenon.

The problem of mobile devices security

This paper presents the issue of security of mobile devices used to connect with internet with the emphasis on the devices designed for cellular network. The types of the devices and their system software have also been discussed and the types of threats, the scale of problem have been described. The paper provides examples of threats and presents tools to protect such systems.