The internet is just a part of life now, and there’s so much you can do online. But should you trust the internet? The answer is yes. With the right tools and a few precautions, you can protect yourself online. This blog covers the basics of cyber security and cybercrimes for things that can potentially go wrong.
Cyber space
Cyberspace is "the environment in which communication over computer networks occurs“.
Cyber security
Cyber security also referred to Information Technology security, focuses on protecting computers, networks, programs, and data from unauthorized access, change, or destruction.
Cyber crime
Computer crime, or cybercrime, is any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. This blog is about making you aware of some of the risks that exist on the internet, and the precautions you can take to defend yourself against them in keeping you safe from cybercrime.
There are some threats in cyberspace.
For most people, there are three key dangers to be aware of,
- Malware
- Hackers and Identity thieves
- Adware, worms, and Trojan horses and Spyware.
Malware can do a variety of things including spying on your activity. A malware is created with the intention of accessing your computer and gathering information, usually for the purpose of selling to other interested parties. The most commonly known type of malware is a virus.
Adware forces you to watch ads in the internet through which malicious programs enter your computer .You will nearly always get malware by running an infected program. The program itself will probably work exactly as normal, it just secretly installs virus, spyware, or adware when it runs. That’s how the malware writers grab you. They take a program that’s appealing to you and slip a virus, spyware or adware into it. That’s why they are often called Trojan horses. This is why you need to be careful of the programs you download and run on your computer. If you download a program from a disreputable source, it may be infected.so do not download a program from disreputable sources.
Then the most important threat in cyberspace is Hacking. The term hacker is really something of a misnomer, since there will almost never be a person trying break into your computer system. But there are automated programs called bots that might try and test your computer’s defences. Even these are vanishingly rare now, since most computers have excellent defences against virtual intruders. It’s highly unlikely that your computer is vulnerable out of the box unless it is very, very old.
Let's see an example
Do you know about Windows file sharing? This allows one computer to send documents to another computer over a network. But if it’s not password protected, a hacker might detect that and use it to access your files or implant a virus or other type of malware on your PC.This is the way hackers hack your personal data.
A common scam is the phishing attempt, Phishing is an attempt by an individual or a group to thieve personal confidential information such as passwords, credit card information from unsuspecting victims for identity theft, financial gain and other fraudulent activities. where the scammer pretends to be a person or organisation that you have a relationship with, and gets you to give up private information, like your bank account details. The ways to protect us from these threats include,
- Anti-virus
- Internet security suites
- Spam filters
- Web filters
- Firewall
- cryptography
Anti-virus
Software that protects your computer from most types of malware
Antivirus software tracks down and removes any malware including viruses, spyware, and adware that comes onto your computer. Your computer likely does not come with anti-virus software, and you should install one. Those are the key elements of security, but an internet security suite can offer an even broader range of protections.
Internet security suites
A package of software that protects your computer from a whole range of threats, including malware, scammers, junk email, trick websites, hackers, and much more. Internet security suites have an annual fee to break it down a little more, defending your computer from internet threats involves a number of elements.
Firewall
It acts like a security checkpoint for internet traffic and it only allows authorised traffic through it. If somebody outside tries to talk to your computer without authorisation, they cannot enter it. If a program on your computer tries to talk to the internet, it will either be stopped, allowed,or a popup will appear asking you if you would like to let the program communicate with the internet.
Spam filters prevent scam and junk emails from reaching your inbox.
Web filters prevent you from visiting the websites of known scammers.
Cryptography
It is a study of hiding information.it is also reffered as a code.it is the science used for keeping information secret and safe. This is latest technology used and it is more effective This includes some techniques,
They are,
Encoding
The process of translating entire words or phrases to other words or phrases.
Enciphering
Translating letters or symbols individually.
Encryption
The group term that covers both encoding and enciphering, encryption is the method of encoding a message in a way that only authorized persons can access it.
Decryption
It is the vice versa of Encrypion, or the process of decoding a message which was encoded by the sender.
Plaintext and ciphertext
The text which is unchanged or a simple message is called a plaintext. The text which is encoded into a secret code is called a ciphertext. The message is again decrypted by a key.