Privacy and Computer Security Links
This list refers you to pages that (mostly) relate to security issues the average user can run into.
If you like it, hate it, or otherwise have any question, see the bottom of this page for contact information.
It could happen to you
- Digicrime
- This funny and educational site demonstrates various more or less confusing, dangerous or simply surprising things your web browser can do to you.
- CNIL
- The French Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés shows what information can be gathered about you when you "surf" on a site (in English).
- Computer Virus Myths treatise
- This site shows risks that you are not exposed to.
- The AVP virus encyclopedia
- A pretty current list of viruses.
Food for thought
No program is totally secure: here are some
instances where web browsers have been caught with
serious security flaws. Note that most flaws listed here
have been corrected by now. This list is by far not
complete, it is just meant as an eye-opener.
- Java / MSIE / Netscape Cache Exploit - Jan '97
- It is possible to exploit weaknesses in Netscape Navigator 3, Netscape Communicator 4, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 & 3.01
Java implementations to gain access to information from the client machine which would normally be considered 'secure'.
This site explains how and provides a demonstration.
- Windows 95 and MSIE Security Hole
- It is possible from anywhere on the Internet to obtain the Windows 95 login password in clear from a Windows 95
computer on a network connected directly to the Internet given only the IP address and the workgroup and leave no
trace of your actions. This site explains how and demonstrates it as well.
- Shockwave Security Alert
- Even plug-ins can lead to security problems. This one allows
Information in your email, on your hard drive or on your corporate
intranet to be discovered from a distant server.
- The Risks Digest Index to Volume 20
- This comprehensive archive lists an impressive number of real-life cases, illustrating clearly how hard it is to build something even remotely near perfection.
Organizations
- The Electronic Frontier Fundation
- EFF, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a non-profit, non-partisan organization working in the public interest to
protect fundamental civil liberties, including privacy and freedom of expression, in the arena of computers and the
Internet.
- The Electronic Privacy Information Center
- EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil
liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values.
Related Links
- Introduction to cryptography (on this site)
- An in-depth introduction to cryptography, an essential component of computer security.
- Security and Encryption Links
- An unsorted but huge collections of security links collected by Peter Gutmann.
Note: Netscape users can directly cut&paste these bookmarks from the source of this page into their bookmark file
(don't try this if you don't know what you're doing).
Your feedback is welcome: you can contact me at jpmartin@earthling.net or use the feeback form.
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