Your cybersecurity is my cybersecurity - Toastmaster speech

What you are about to read is the text of my first speech in Toastmasters held in March 2018. I didn't keep a icebreaker yet

I didn't get any evaluation for it so I don't know how good it was. All I know is that I've received 2nd place for it. Even if i had won I couldn't go to the area contest since I didn't meet the minimum requirements. However it got me some training experience.

Your cybersecurity is my cybersecurity

How often do you download software from the internet? Do you ever think about the security implications?

I’m sure since we live in Romania that everyone here has downloaded something from the internet at least once.

Software costs money, right? So why not download that free cracked version of your favourite game or software. It’s for free.

But do you really think you can get away without paying money?

No, the masked police is not going to come at your door at 4 Am in the morning. It’s far worse than that.

While you have your sweet sleep something else will happen.

Every time you download something that doesn’t come from the legal creator you expose yourself and everyone else to a huge security breach.

Why? Well, the friendly person that graciously uploaded the software for free has other intentions than giving you something for free. You get what you pay for. Well in this case, he or she gets what he needs because of of someones greed greed.

You see, they usually inject other software into it the executable. Amateurs inject known viruses and trojan horses.

Experts add untraceable botnet malware.

Now let’s talk a bit about what a botnet is to give you an idea how dangerous running unknown software can be

Simply put a botnet is a network of computers which connect to a central command and center server.

Your PC becomes a part of that botnet and is called a bot or zombie. A server is just another computer, which issues commands.

[So by downloading unahtorized software you become part of a botnet]

Big deal, you might say. You might talk daily to bots on the internet on facebook, slack and whatever.

It’s not that kind of a bot.

What this kind of malware does is not science fiction, it’s reality so get ready.

The first part of actions is as follows:

First it makes sure to analyze what kind of antivirus you have and it disables it. This process can be even so complex making itself invisible by pretending that your antivirus is still running while it’s dead.

Then it installs itself as a service that starts automatically each time you reboot your system. And no, you can’t remove it from control panel.

After it secured itself starts analyzing the data on your PC.

Searching for data that resembles accounts, passwords and anything related to pesonal information.

This will later be used for identity theft and to compromise other people.

IT’s so friendly that it even searches for any financial information like credit card numbers that you might have forgotten are there.

This data is passed to the central server, for safekeeping you know. Storing a backup in the cloud is always a good idea. The botnet helps you achieve this instantly.

Are you scared yet?

Don’;t be please. Let me talk about part 2 replication.

It starts scanning other systems either on your local network or on the internet. It searches for known vulnerabilities that it can exploit to get in/

Some botnet malware even injects a copy of itself in other executables on your computer. So whenever you give an executable to a friend he gets the joy of joining your botnet too! A big unhappy family.

If only the horror would stop here:

No, if you use Usb sticks and other removable media it even replicates itself there.

This is how the known Stuxnet malware got into the highly secured Iranian uranium enrichment plants.

Now back to our botnet.

Part 3 is the most interesting part. If you don’t have any money or valuable data no problem. If you don’t have any real friends don’t worry. It can still make a profit out of you for we live in a capitalistic world and everything is a opportunity to make money.

Your PC which is part of the network is always available to do certain tasks for it’s owner.

It unwillingly attacks other servers, websites. But your PC can also be used as midpoint for accessing unauthorized systems.

Luckily for you when this happens the other side is so overwhelmed with the attack that the police will probably not come knocking at your door. But if they do you’ll have a hard time.

So far the botnet took your information, replicated itself and probably infected all of your friends whom did not do anything wrong. Then it started attacking other systems.

If you’re part of a botnet you will usually not even notice it because: your help is needed in mother russia! (whisper) Or by the CIA and FBI.

Oh did you just remember that you downloaded your antivvirus from a torrent site? It was free right..

Yeah, about that.

NEVER download or run software if it doesn’t come directly from the creator’s website.

Don;t be greedy, Either pay for the software or use open source alternatives FROM the official creator’s website.

This also goes for smartphones, smart tv’s and even internet of the things hardware. All you have to do is download free software from the store. Yeah that compass app needs to make calls.

Be safe!

Hey, If you want, I can give you a cracked version of anything you like, for free!