Internet Security Threats

The most common threats that are faced on Internet are:

Malicious code 

Malicious code is one that causes damage to a computer or system. Malicious code can either activate itself or be like a virus requiring a user to perform an action, such as clicking on something or opening an email attachment. It can also affect a network, send messaged through email and steal information or cause even more damage by deleting files. 

Sniffing 

A sniffer is a program that uses Internet to record information that passes through a computer or router in transit from sender to receiver. Using a sniffer program is like tapping the telephone wire and recording the conversation. Sniffer programs can read e-mail messages, user login, password and credit card numbers.

Denial of service attack 

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is an attack used to shut down a machine or network, making it inaccessible to tie intended users. By targeting the user’s computer and its network connection, or the sites which the user tries to access, an attacker may be able to prevent the user from accessing email, websites, and online accounts like banking or other services that relay on the affected computer. The users are flooded with hundreds and thousands of messages that create traffic problem on the network. 

Cyber Vandalism 

Cyber vandalism is the electronic defacing of an existing website page. An attacker replaces the website’s original content with his / her own content. It is an example of integrity violation. It is the electronic equivalent of destroying property or placing graffiti on someone’s photograph. Today, there are so many cases of cyber vandalism where the business content is replaced by offensive material. 

Spoofing 

Spoofing or masquerading is pretending to be someone you are not, or representing a website as authentic when it is actually a fake. It is technique where the attacker tries to assume the identity of another person or system for transacting the victim site. For example, an attacker can create a fake website as www.gswan.co.in and substitute his IP address for the real website IP address. All the user’s visiting to the real site will then be redirected to the fake website.

Security Issues in E-commerce & M-commerce

Internet is a public network system that consists of thousands of private computer networks connected 

together. These private computer networks are exposed to potential threats from anywhere on the 

public network. Internet provides a good opportunity to the businesses but along with the convenience 

also come new risks. The valuable data or information that travels on the Internet may be misused, 

stolen, corrupted or lost. For example, while making online purchase on the E-commerce website, 

customer needs to provide the credit card number and personal details. This information is transmitted 

to the merchant server. The merchant server sends it to the issuing bank for authorization through 

payment gateway. All these transmissions occur on the public network i.e. Internet.  An unauthorized 

user may read the credit card number during the transmission and misuse it later on. Also, there are 

possibilities that order information might be changes in between. If the customer has ordered 10 items, 

and somehow the merchant receives order of 100 items, he would ask us to pay for 100 items. An 

intruder can steal or tamper information anywhere in the world while sitting on his computer. He can 

create new programs and run them on remote computers causing it to malfunction or break down in 

worst cases while hiding his identity. 

E-commerce / M-commerce sites have to keep their online data such as customer’s personal details, 

their bank details and many more safe. They have to be aeware of all the frauds that are taking place 

now days. As E-commerce deals with payments such as online banking, electronic transactions, using 

debit cards, credit cards and many others; the E-commerce / M-commerce websites have more security 

issues. They are at more risk of being targeted than other normal websites. Thus, it becomes very 

important to secure the data on Internet. 

The E-commerce / M-commerce security must meet four important aspects as mentioned below:

Confidentiality

It refers to the secrecy of the information so that unauthorized user cannot read it.

It is achieved by using cryptography in which all the messages transmitted are encrypted and only the 

receiver can read it after decrypting the message using appropriate key. 

This protects the data from private attacks and ensures that the message is not revealed or leaked to 

anyone as it travels to the destination.

It helps in protecting the protecting the confidential data like credit card number.

Integrity

It ensures that the information must not be accidentally or maliciously altered or tampered in transit. 

The receiver should receive the same message as was sent by the sender. 

If the message is altered in between the transition, it should be detected. 

This removes the problem of modifying the order quantity in between and later creating the payment 

problems. 

Authorization

It ensures that only authentic users are allowed to use the system. 

The login and password is one of the ways to achieve authentication.

Non-repudiation

It ensures that the sender of the message cannot deny that he / she has sent the message. 

It prevents sender or receiver from denying a transmitted message when in fact they did send it.

For example,. If the customer denies of sending a purchase order for any reason, then it can be proved 

that the customer has send the message. It is usually accomplished via digital signatures or a Trusted 

Third Party (TTP).