

Existing preventive measures that use plain-text authentication, port knocking and Single Packet Authorization (SPA) mechanism fail the requirement for strong authentication since captured tokens can be trivially replayed. Malicious users sniffing private information engage in port scanning using automated tools hooked on proxy systems to intrude into unsuspecting hosts. The situation is further complicated by the ubiquitous nature of the internet and the increasing volumes of private, organizational and institutional information repositories being migrated unto internet platforms. ĪBSTRACT Port sniffing, malicious hacking and the exploitation of web-based information systems’ vulnerabilities remains a clear and potent danger to communication and transactions on the world wide web. They are also vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and a foreknowledge of the knock sequence makes it trivial for adversaries to replay the sequence in order to gain access to service ports.

Port sniffing, malicious hacking and the exploitation of web-based information systems’ vulnerabilities remains a clear and potent danger to communication and transactions on the world wide web. In common with findings from other security contexts, these results suggest that users' security behaviours can be positively influenced purely through the provision of additional information, enabling them to make better choices even if the system does not provide any further means of enforcement. The findings revealed that, while they still exhibited far from perfect behaviour in terms of selecting more secure networks in preference to less protected ones, there was a tangible improvement amongst the users that had been exposed to the selection interfaces offering and promoting more security-related information. The aim of the experiment was to determine the extent to which providing such information could affect user decisions when presented with a range of networks to connect to, and help to move them more effectively in the direction of security.
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Four alternative interfaces were tested (ranging from a version that mimicked the standard Windows Wi-Fi network selection interface, through to versions with security ratings and additional guidance).

This experiment was based around the scenario of connecting to Wi-Fi networks, and determining whether participants could make informed and correct decisions about which networks were safe to connect to. This paper examines the issue of targeted security awareness raising, and presents the results of an experimental study conducted to test the effectiveness of the approach. A potential solution in this context is to ensure that security guidance and feedback is available at the point of need, providing effective information to help users to make the right decision at the right time to avoid security risks.

Part of the reason here is that, even if security awareness, training and/or education have been provided, some of the key points may have been forgotten by the time that users find themselves facing security-related decisions. However, in many cases they are ill-positioned to follow good practice and make the necessary decisions. Users are frequently cited as being the weakest link in the information security chain.
