|Security and Confidentiality On the Internet |
|You have to create a report on Security and Confidentiality on the Internet. Find 10 appropriate websites on the Internet on this topic and |
|list them below. These websites will be used throughout your assignment: |
|[1 X 10 = 10 Marks] |
| |
|1. www.livinginternet.com/tindex_s.htm |
|2. www.jmir.org/2002/2/e12/ |
|3. www.aib.ie/personal/home/Security-Policy |
|4. www.fetac.ie/doc/WelcomeServlet?DocId=0901df9e80001f99 |
|5. www.globalmednet.net/privacy.html |
|6. technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc780167(v=ws.10).aspx |
|7. www.best-internet-security.com/articles/02-antivirus-reviews.html |
|8. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12554559 |
|9. www.qualisult.com/Footer/PrivacySecurity |
|10. jcizzo.com/security-and-privacy-of-internet-transactions.html |
|List 5 ways that a computer system can be protected from viruses transmitted via the Internet and explain each. |
|[2 X 5 = 10 Marks |
| |
|https |
| |
|Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a secure version of the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (http). HTTPS allows secure ecommerce |
|transactions, such as online banking. |
| |
|When a user connects to a website via HTTPS, the website encrypts the session with a digital certificate. A user can tell if they are |
|connected to a secure website if the website URL begins with https:// instead of http:// |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|Email |
|There are many ways to protect your computer from nasty viruses invading. Protecting your computer is a number one concern for every computer |
|user on earth. Having a great Anti-virus program installed on your computer to protect your computer from viruses is great, however if you do |
|not regularly update the virus definitions, then the program is useless. Protecting your computer you can change your email settings and |
|receive text emails only. You can also disable the ability to open email attachments. Virus travel in HTML enabled emails and files |
|attachments. They cannot travel in text email messages. |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
| |
|Password |
|The importance of picking a good, secure password can't be emphasized enough. Your password is the way the computer verifies that someone |
|logging in is really you, so pick something that cannot be guessed by others. |
|There’s 3 basics things that everyone should know before creating a password: |
|Make your password as long as possible. The longer it is, the more difficult it will be to attack the password with a brute-force search. |
|Always use at least 6 characters in your password, at least two of which are numeric. |
|Use as many different characters as possible when forming your password. Use numbers, punctuation characters and, when possible, mixed upper |
|and lower-case letters. Choosing characters from the largest possible alphabet will make your password more secure. |
|Do not use personal information in your password that someone else is likely to be able to figure out. Obviously, things like your name, phone|
|number, and address are to be avoided. Even names of acquaintances and the like should not be used. |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
|Anti virus |
|"Antivirus" is protective software designed to defend your computer against malicious software. Malicious software or "malware" includes: |
|viruses, Trojans, key loggers, hijackers, dialers, and other code that vandalizes or steals your computer contents. In order to be an |
|effective defense, your antivirus software needs to run in the background at all times, and should be kept updated so it recognizes new |
|versions of malicious software. |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|Firewall |
|Basically, a firewall, working closely with a router program, examines each network packet to determine whether to forward it toward its |
|destination. A firewall also includes or works with a proxy server that makes network requests on behalf of workstation users. |
|A firewall is often installed in a specially designated computer separate from the rest of the network so that no incoming request can get |
|directly at private network resources. Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private data resources and for|
|controlling what outside resources its own users have access to |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|What is a firewall? |
| |
|A firewall is a security device that can be a software program or a dedicated network appliance. The main purpose of a firewall is to separate|
|a secure area from a less secure area and to control communications between the two. Firewalls can perform a variety of other functions, but |
|are chiefly responsible for controlling inbound and outbound communications on anything from a single machine to an entire network. |
|[5 Marks] |
| |
| |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|Explain how firewalls work? |
| |
|A firewall is a term used to describe a device or application that will control and restrict data transfers between a computer system and |
|internet connection. The purpose of having a firewall in place is to not only prevent unauthorised or malicious data entering your system via |
|your internet connection, but to also prevent sensitive information from leaving you system |
|There are basically two types of firewalls, these are hardware firewalls and software firewalls. A hardware firewall is a physical device that|
|is installed between the modem and computer or, in the case of network of computers, it may be linked/incorporated into a broadband router |
|being used to share the internet connection can also act as a firewall device. A software firewall however is a software application that is |
|installed onto the computer system that you wish to protect and this is usually the computer with the modem attached to it. |
| |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|Suggest a firewall that would be useful to a small, medium and large organization – give reasons for your answer. |
|[1 X 9 = 9 Marks] |
| |
| |
|Small Company Firewall Type |
| |
|ZoneAlarm |
| |
|(1 to 5 users) |
| |
| |
| |
|Reasons For Choosing It |
| |
|You can get free on the internet and also is very easy to use. |
|Web Address where you can purchase one of these. |
| |
|http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/trialpay-za-signup.htm |
| |
|Medium Company Firewall Type |
| |
|Comodo Firewall |
| |
|(500 to 1000 users) |
| |
|Reasons For Choosing I |
| |
|Because is cheap and also is very good for this type of company |
|Web Address where you can purchase one of these. |
| |
|http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/ |
| |
|Large Company Firewall Type |
| |
|Barracuda Networks |
| |
|(over 5000 users) |
| |
| |
| |
|Reasons For Choosing It |
| |
|Is a huge company of software and hardware and have a high technology of products |
|Web Address where you can purchase one of these. |
| |
|http://www.barracudanetworks.co.uk/ns/purchase/ |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|List 8 ways to preserve your personal privacy when using the Internet. Make sure you state why it’s important to do so. |
|[1 X 8 = 8 Marks] |
|1. Learn how to read online privacy policies - Web sites can collect information without your knowledge, such as what kind of hardware and |
|software you are using or the address your ISP has assigned to you. |
|2. Opt out and use any other privacy options offered - Pay attention to the privacy options Web sites offer, including the ability to opt out|
|of the lists that share your information. |
|3. Get a separate account for your personal e-mail - Keep your work and personal e-mail separate. Why? Your boss has the legal right to read |
|your work e-mail correspondence, as well as any personal information you may have stored on your personal work computer |
|4. Teach your children not to give out personal information online without your permission - While federal law prohibits companies from |
|collecting personal information from children under 13, there are some Web sites that violate or skirt the law. |
|5. Be careful when using social networking sites and picture/video sharing sites - If you use a picture or video-sharing site to share photos |
|with friends and relatives, pay attention to the privacy settings to be sure you are not sharing photos with strangers, especially photos of |
|your children. |
|6. Reject or delete unnecessary cookies - Cookies are small bits of computer code planted on your computer by most of the Web sites you visit.|
|They allow Web sites to collect and store information about your online activity and to recognize your computer when you return again or visit|
|an affiliated site. |
| |
|7. Safeguard important files and communications - Secure your laptop, your phone and other portable devices with a strong password that cannot|
|be guessed easily by someone who knows your name. Never use family names or birthdates as passwords. Keep your important files out of any |
|shared or public folders. In situations where there is a particular need for security, you should use encryption. |
|8. Make sure that online transactions are secure - Most e-commerce sites have a secure way to receive your credit card information. In most |
|cases, the address for a secure Web site will start with "https." The "s" indicates it is secure. |
| |
| |
|What is encryption? |
|[4 Marks] |
|Encryption is the conversion of data into a secret code which is called cipher text that cannot be easily understood by any unauthorized |
|person. It is one of the most effective ways to achieve data security. A file after passing through encryption process is called an encrypted |
|file and to read this encrypted file, the user must have access to a secret key or password that enables the user to decrypt it. (Decryption |
|is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form, so it can be understood). The unencrypted data is called plain text. |
|Simple ciphers include the rotation of letters in the alphabets; substitution of letters for numbers in a secret manner, scrambling of voice |
|signals etc…Complex ciphers follows complex algorithms to encrypt the data using the data bits |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|Give 5 reasons why encryption is important when using a computer? |
|[2 X 5 = 10 Marks] |
|1. Encryption is extremely important. Much of the data that exists today is sensitive and should be protected. |
|2.Is to Protect information includes social security numbers stored by the government, account numbers stored by banks and credit card |
|companies, and email addresses and passwords stored by websites |
|3. Allows you to securely protect data that you don't want anyone else to have access to. Businesses use it to protect corporate secrets, |
|governments use it to secure classified information, and many individuals use it to protect personal information to guard against things like |
|identity theft |
|4. Espionage uses encryption to securely protect folder contents, which could contain emails, chat histories, tax information, credit card |
|numbers, or any other sensitive information. This way, even if your computer is stolen that data is safe. |
| |
|5. When different people share a computer system, encryption allows them to hide information from each other. (And today, almost all computers|
|are shared in some form.) |
| |
|What is a digital signature? |
|[4 Marks] |
| |
|A digital signature functions for electronic documents like a handwritten signature does for printed documents. The signature is an |
|unforgivable piece of data that asserts that a named person wrote or otherwise agreed to the document to which the signature is attached. |
|A digital signature actually provides a greater degree of security than a handwritten signature. The recipient of a digitally signed message |
|can verify both that the message originated from the person whose signature is attached and that the message has not been altered either |
|intentionally or accidentally since it was signed. Furthermore, secure digital signatures cannot be repudiated; the signer of a document |
|cannot later disown it by claiming the signature was forged. |
| |
| |
|[pic] |
| |
|Explain how digital signatures work. |
|[4 Marks] |
|A digital signature works by creating a message digest which ranges from between a 128-bit and a 256-bit number which is generated by running |
|the entire message through a hash algorithm. This generated number is then encrypted with the sender’s private key and added to the end of the|
|message. |
|When the recipient receives the message they run the message through the same hash algorithm and generate the message digest number. They then|
|decrypt the signature using the sender’s public key and providing the two numbers match they know the message is from who it says it’s from |
|AND that is has not been modified. |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|List 2 well known companies who issue digital certificates |
|[2 Marks] |
|Adobe (www.adobe.com/security/digsig.html) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|2. E-Lock (http://www.elock.com/) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|What are cookies |
| |
|A cookie is a piece of information in the form of a very small text file that is placed on an internet user's hard drive. It is generated by a|
|web page server, which is basically the computer that operates a web site. The information the cookie contains is set by the server and it can|
|be used by that server whenever the user visits the site. |
| |
| |
|[pic] |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|Outline 3 risks of using cookies |
|[2 X 3 = 6 Marks] |
|Web sites can use cookies to gather and sell your personal information to third parties. |
| |
|Web sites can track your surfing behavior and tie it to your user profile. |
| |
|Cookies can therefore be termed as “necessary devils”; text files posing serious security threats yet you cannot avoid them, as you will |
|require regular access to crucial cookie-enabled websites such as online bank accounts and email |
| |
|Part 2: Skills Demo |
|[60 Marks] |
|Open Microsoft Word. |
| |
|Type the following into the document; |
| |
|"Netiquette" stands for "Internet Etiquette", and refers to the set of practices created over the years to make the Internet experience |
|pleasant for everyone. Like other forms of etiquette, netiquette is primarily concerned with matters of courtesy in communications. |
| |
|Save the document to your computer as ‘Netiquette.doc’ |
| |
|Log into your personal email. |
| |
|Add your ID Number and ‘Email Netiquette’ in the title. |
| |
|In the body of the message type the following; |
| |
|Internet Module Skills Demonstration |
| |
|Regards |
| |
|Attach the file ‘Netiquette.doc’ that you just saved to the email. |
| |
|Send the email to internetmodule1234@gmail.com |
| |
| |
| |
|Create a webpage on the ‘History & Structure of the Internet’. Students can use any software package they wish and/or HTML tags. |
|[60 Marks] |
| |
|The page must be saved as a .html file. |
| |
|Your web page should have text and graphics and answer the following questions: |
| |
|Outline the historical development of the internet from the ARPENET to the WWW. |
|Describe the Internet as a global network of computers. |
|The Internet as a new communication medium. |
|Nature and ownership of the Internet. |
|Please Submit : This document + html file |
||End| |