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What are the differences between some of the tools used for
real-time communication?
- Instant messaging (IM) - Commonly used for recreation, instant
messaging is also becoming more widely used within corporations for
communication between employees. IM, regardless of the specific
software you choose, provides an interface for individuals to
communicate one-on-one.
- Chat rooms - Whether public or private, chat rooms are forums
for particular groups of people to interact. Many chat rooms are based
upon a shared characteristic; for example, there are chat rooms for
people of particular age groups or interests. Although most IM clients
support "chats" among multiple users, IM is traditionally one-to-one
while chats are traditionally many-to-many.
- Bots - A "chat robot," or "bot," is software that can interact
with users through chat mechanisms, whether in IM or chat rooms. In
some cases, users may be able to obtain current weather reports, stock
status, or movie listings. In these instances, users are often aware
that they are not interacting with an actual human. However, some
users may be fooled by more sophisticated bots into thinking the
responses they are receiving are from another person.
There are many software packages that incorporate one or more of these
capabilities. A number of different technologies might be supported,
including IM, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), or Jabber.
What are the dangers?
- Identities can be elusive or ambiguous - Not only is it sometimes
difficult to identify whether the "person" you are talking to is
human, but human nature and behavior isn't predictable. People may lie
about their identity, accounts may be compromised, users may forget to
log out, or an account may be shared by multiple people. All of these
things make it difficult to know who you're really talking to during a
conversation.
- Users are especially susceptible to certain types of attack -
Trying to convince someone to run a program or click on a link is a
common attack method, but it can be especially effective through IM
and chat rooms. In a setting where a user feels comfortable with the
"person" he or she is talking to, a malicious piece of software or an
attacker has a better chance of convincing someone to fall into the
trap.
- You don't know who else might be seeing the conversation -
Online interactions are easily saved, and if you're using a free
commercial service the exchanges may be archived on a server. You have
no control over what happens to those logs. You also don't know if
there's someone looking over the shoulder of the person you're talking
to, or if an attacker might be "sniffing" your conversation.
- The software you're using may contain vulnerabilities - Like
any other software, chat software may have vulnerabilities that
attackers can exploit.
- Default security settings may be inappropriate - The default
security settings in chat software tend to be relatively permissive
to make it more open and "usable," and this can make you more
susceptible to attacks.
How can you use these tools safely?
- Evaluate your security settings - Check the default
settings in your software and adjust them if they are too
permissive. Make sure to disable automatic downloads. Some chat
software offers the ability to limit interactions to only certain
users, and you may want to take advantage of these restrictions.
- Be conscious of what information you reveal - Be wary of
revealing personal information unless you know who you are really
talking to. You should also be careful about discussing anything you
or your employer might consider sensitive business information over
public IM or chat services (even if you are talking to someone you
know in a one-to-one conversation).
- Try to verify the identity of the person you are talking to,
if it matters - In some forums and situations, the identity of the
"person" you are talking to may not matter. However, if you need to
have a degree of trust in that person, either because you are sharing
certain types of information or being asked to take some action like
following a link or running a program, make sure the "person" you are
talking to is actually that person.
- Don't believe everything you read - The information or
advice you receive in a chat room or by IM may be false or, worse,
malicious. Try to verify the information or instructions from outside
sources before taking any action.
- Keep software up to date - This includes the chat
software, your browser, your operating system, your mail client, and,
especially, your anti-virus software.
Related Internet Security Information:
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