5. internet and its uses

Question 1

what is the internet

Answer 1

a huge, public network of computer systems, and is the physical infrastructure that allows data to travel across the globe

Question 2

what physical attributes make up the internet

Answer 2

Computers
Servers
Switches
Routers
Cables

Question 3

what is the world wide web

Answer 3

The resources located on the internet, such as web pages
The world wide web is accessed using the internet; you need an internet connection in order to access the world wide web.

Question 4

what are the different types of resources on the www

Answer 4

Web pages
Documents
Images
Videos
Music
Emails

Question 5

what is a URL

Answer 5

uniform resource locator
A text-based address for a web page containing the protocol, domain and web page/file name.
Some URLs also contain a file path between the domain name and the file name, separated by forward slash characters.

Question 6

what are the parts of the url in the following example:
https://www.site24x7.com/science/find-ip-address-of-web-site.html

Answer 6

protocal- https
domain name- site24x7.com
file path- science
web page/ file name- find-ip-address-of-web-site.html

Question 7

what are the types of web protocals

Answer 7

http and https

Question 8

http

Answer 8

hypertext transfer protocal
a protocol used to transfer resources, such as web pages, via the world wide web.uses request codes to send and receive data and perform other various tasks such as: GET, PUT, DELETE, POST

Question 9

https

Answer 9

hypertext transfer protocal secure
a secure method of sending data via the world wide web, and was invented to combat the glaring security risk of sending sensitive data via the HTTP protocol

operates by using encryption to obfuscate data, using a method called Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS uses a method called asymmetric public key infrastructure, with a public and private key

Question 10

Explain the purpose and functions of a web browser

Answer 10

The main purpose of a web browser is to render
hypertext markup language (HTML) and display
web pages
- Functions include:
– storing bookmarks and favourites
– recording user history
– allowing use of multiple tabs
– storing cookies
– providing navigation tools
– providing an address bar

Question 11

Describe how web pages are located, retrieved and displayed on a device when a user enters a URL

Answer 11

1-user enters the URL into the web browser’s address bar.
2-URL points to a web page or resource on the world wide web. However, computers connected to the internet communicate with each other using their IP addresses. All computer systems connected to the internet will have their own, unique IP address
3-DNS domain name system, keeps record of all domain names, maps each domain name to a IP address. If DNS doesnt have this domain name it goes to the other until domain found
4- once iP address found to the requested domain name, web browser visits IP address in question and requests web page or resource usually residing in web server
5- web server will either allow or disallow access to the resource, depending on the nature of the request.
6-if request granted, web server returns the resource to the web browser usually RAW html, web browser translates into readable format to user

Question 12

what are cookies

Answer 12

are small pieces of data that are stored on the users’ computer system, and are used by the web browser

Question 13

why are cookies stored?

Answer 13

Saving personal details
Tracking user preferences
Holding items in a shopping cart
Storing login details

Question 14

what are persistent cookies

Answer 14

A cookie that is stored long-term on the computer system.
often used to store login details for websites, meaning the user does not have to enter their credentials upon each visit

Question 15

what are session cookies

Answer 15

A cookie that is deleted after closing the browser, exists in memory, stored in RAM.
typically used while browsing sensitive information on the world wide web, such as online banking, e-commerce or similar.

Question 16

what are digital currencies?

Answer 16

a currency that only exists electronically, and have no physical attributes but has a cryptographically assigned value, using complex algorithms and mathematics.

Question 17

what are some characteristics of digital currencies

Answer 17

-decentralised (Transactions are processed by an open network that no single person owns.)
-irreversible and public (clear understanding of where the funds have travelled to and from, as well as the amount, person who owns the currency only one allowed to move said currency)
-anonymous (sending and receiving currency is anonymous, and simply requires a digital wallet and a wallet address)
-limit supply(a limited supply and circulation of digital currency)

Question 18

how are digital currencies used?

Answer 18

1- user must sign up to a digital currency exchange. This is essentially a place where users can purchase digital currency using traditional currency
2-Once a currency has been purchased, it resides in the user’s digital wallet. The user can send this currency to another digital wallet using a unique wallet address
3-The user will send the Bitcoin to the wallet address – which is recorded on the blockchain – and is received in the recipient’s wallet.

Question 19

what is a blockchain?

Answer 19

is a digital ledger, that is a time-stamped series of records that cannot be altered.
Each connecting block is chronologically linked to one another, providing a reliable record of events
If anyone attempts to change the contents of a data block, a brand new one is added.
it is completely tamper-proof and always independently verified

Question 20

what information does each block in a blockchain contain?

Answer 20

Sender wallet address
Receiver wallet address
Amount sent
Network fee (the cost of sending the digital currency using the blockchain)
Timestamp
Number of confirmations – mutual ‘agreements’ between multiple blockchain nodes adding details of the same transaction

Question 21

most common cyber security threats

Answer 21

-brute-force attack
– data interception
– distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack
– hacking
– malware (virus, worm, Trojan horse, spyware,
adware, ransomware)
– pharming
– phishing
– social engineering

Question 22

social engineering

Answer 22

art of manipulating or ‘conning’ individuals into giving away private information or login IDs and passwords eg phishing

Question 23

phishing

Answer 23

act of sending a malicious email to a target user, with the intent of stealing information from them

Question 24

brute force attacks

Answer 24

a hacker may go through a list of the most common passwords until access to an account is gained. This is usually automated using common hacking tools. Alternatively, the attacker may try every combination of characters until the correct password is found

Question 25

malware

Answer 25

software that can cause harm to a computer system. Malware is a broad term which can include viruses, trojan horses and spyware. As well as harming computer systems, they also cause significant financial damage, denial of service (DOS) and lack of functionality to key infrastructure.

Question 26

Ddos attack

Answer 26

when a number of computer systems – often thousands – suddenly send an incredible amount of internet traffic towards a single server or system. When this occurs, the bandwidth available for the target system, as well as system resources like CPU and RAM, become strained

Question 27

hacking

Answer 27

a general term for gaining access to a computer system without authorisation. A hacker is a person who will attempt to gain access to such systems, using various methods

Question 28

pharming

Answer 28

a form of fraud, and takes place online through malicious websites posing as legitimate businesses, such as banks. The goal of pharming is to trick the user into sharing personal information such as bank details, passwords and email addresses

Question 29

data interception

Answer 29

when a malicious attacker intercepts data in transit – when it leaves one system to be transmitted to another system – and uses that data for their own criminal activities, or to perform further attacks.

Question 30

virus

Answer 30

spreads between computers and causes damage to data and software. They aim to disrupt systems, cause major operational issues and result in data loss or leakage.​

Question 31

worm

Answer 31

type of malware with the function to replicate itself and infect other computers, it normally uses a computer network to spread itself relying on security failures.​

Question 32

trojan

Answer 32

a specific malware, which disguises itself and subsquently tricks users to downloading harmful malware, which has many consequences to device.​

Question 33

spyware

Answer 33

a type of malware that keeps track and records a users keystrokes as you type, to later gain access to passwords and other confidential information.

Question 34

adware

Answer 34

Various pop up advertisments that show up in your computer, with the potential to become harmful or malicous​

Question 35

ransomware

Answer 35

malicous softawre, which blocks access to a computer system by encrypting files on a device, until a sum of money is paid​

Question 36

what are the most common ways to protect digital data from security threats

Answer 36

access levels – anti-malware including anti-virus and anti-spyware – authentication (username and password, biometrics, two-step verification) – automating software updates – checking the spelling and tone of communications – checking the URL attached to a link – firewalls – privacy settings – proxy-servers – secure socket layer (SSL) security protocol

Question 37

access levels

Answer 37

A user can only access their personal documents, and not others A user can only access the shared documents that are relevant to them Other users cannot view, edit, copy or delete data and information that doesn’t concern them

Question 38

anti virus and anti spyware software

Answer 38

actively scan the computer system and, upon finding malicious files or software, either place it in ‘quarantine’ (a safe place on the system) or simply delete it from the system

Question 39

automatic software updates

Answer 39

Once a new strain of malware has been identified, software updates are usually very quick to roll out, so having ‘automatic updates’ enabled ensures these protections are automatically downloaded and installed on your system.

Question 40

authentication methods

Answer 40

-multi factor authentication -strong passwords with some requirements -biometrics

Question 41

firewalls

Answer 41

prevent unwanted network traffic to and from your computer by closing and opening ports on a computer system, which are used by different protocols.

Question 42

privacy settings

Answer 42

This is an effective way to control your visibility and protect you from malicious users looking for your personal information.

Question 43

proxy servers

Answer 43

A proxy server acts as a service to hide your IP address,Because your IP address is hidden, attackers cannot target your machine directly. if an organisation uses a proxy server to connect their employees to the internet, they can control what content is allowed to be accessed.

Question 44

ssl

Answer 44

(Secure Socket Layer) is used to secure credit card transactions and data transfer The padlock icon in your web browser’s address bar means SSL is in use. When you browse with SSL enabled, all traffic between your computer and the website is encrypted, so anyone who intercepts your data cannot make sense of i