The modern-day world is becoming a global village with expanding usage of the internet. The Internet has now penetrated across the globe even to the developing countries where it is being embraced and used widely. The invention and adoption of the internet have accelerated the growth of the business through improved means of communication but, at the same time, malicious people have invaded the internet making it not so safe for its users.
Statement of the Problem
The development of technology has led to the growth of internet users globally. Many internet users see the internet as the safest means of communication and doing business, thus, there is a need to protect these users from malicious people who conduct cybercrime.
This research paper will address the usage of the internet and how internet theft has continued to thrive as technology advances and how users of the internet can be made safer. The research will categorically put more emphasis on cyber theft and its consequences. To conduct and understand this topic clearly, I will research more on cyber theft from updated online articles, books as well as from my general knowledge and understanding. Through these, I believe I will get a better understanding and conduct a proper analysis of cyber theft.
Definition of Terms
Internet. It is the interconnection of computers worldwide for communication.
Cyber. Internet space where internet facilities and connections are available.
Cyber theft. Accessing internet users personal information without their knowledge with the intent of stealing from them over the internet.
Theoretical Framework on Cyber Theft and how it Thrives
To work out the research problem in this paper, I will be guided by the emerging trends in technology which highlights the increase in the number of cyber theft incidences reported over some time. According to Siegel (2011), the Federal Trade Commission has put the number of internet users who have fallen prey to identity theft as 9 million. This indicates how vulnerable internet users are in the entire world.
Many internet users use the internet blindly without knowing how dangerous it can be especially where the laid down procedures are not set straight (Carr 2011). Most research studies conducted on cyber theft among online users have failed to cushion internet users on the looming danger they face when using the internet (Cornelius & Hermann 2011). A good example is where some internet users receive emails purporting to have won lotteries and in turn asking for personal information and bank details. The authors of these emails turn out to be cybercriminals who steal from vulnerable internet users (Jaishankar 2011).
To counter the initial research studies done on cyber theft, I will focus more on how internet users can learn safe internet usage that is free from malicious programs and malware.
Method and Design on how to Obtain Crucial Data About Cybertheft
Methodologies to be used to collect data
To expound more on this research topic, primary sources of data will be used. These include online articles and the AUS library. The number of sources will be about ten thus enabling me to come up with the main topics that I will form my argument on.
Expected Findings on Cyber Theft Research
I expect to be enlightened on this topic and get to the bottom of the matter so as learn how this kind of emerging theft is executed. My understanding of this topic will also facilitate me to draw conclusions and come up with ways that can be used to stop this form of technological crime.
References
Carr, J. (2011). Inside Cyber Warfare: Mapping the Cyber Underworld. New York: OReilly Media.
Cornelius, K., & Hermann, D. (2011). Virtual Worlds and Criminality. New York: Springer.
Jaishankar, K. (2011). Cyber Criminology: Exploring Internet Crimes and Criminal Behavior. New York: CRC Press.
Siegel, J. L. (2011). Criminology. New York: Cengage Learning.
First of all, it is essential to briefly overview the notion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and describe its overall architecture to provide a proper context for further reasonings. Internet of things is a term proposed by Kevin Ashton in 1999 that refers to a system of interconnected devices (Farooq, Waseem, Khairi, & Mazhar, 2015, p. 1). The invention of this system was a revolutionary step for the time when it had been introduced because it significantly advanced the structure of the contemporary Internet, making it a more diverse network.
The core idea of the Internet of Things is to create an interdependent system, in which every physical object is uniquely identifiable and connected to each other (Farooq et al., 2015, p. 1). The creation of such a system is an ultimate goal, which will be probably achieved in the future. However, the current state of the IoT technologies has considerable imperfections, which are adversely affecting the correct functioning of the network.
Main body
Further, since the general notion of IoT was discussed, it is possible to move on to the discussion of the structure of IoT. The Internet of Things architecture comprises four primary levels, which are the following: perception layer, network layer, middleware layer, and application layer (Farooq et al., 2015). The primary purpose of the perception layer is to collect the information, which is obtained through the observation of unique real-world objects.
When the information is gathered, the network layer is employed to transmit the data through the channels of existing communication networks, such as the Internet, mobile networks, and others (Farooq et al., 2015). Further, the middleware layer is responsible for the processing of information that is delivered by the networks. On this level, the database of the gathered and interpreted information is created, so later other devices could access it. Finally, the application layer is the most useful level from the perspective of peoples needs, since it allows to apply the obtained information from the Internet of Things practically.
However, one of the primary challenges which are imposed for IoT on the level of the application layer is denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. These attacks are among the most widespread issues that concern both regular users of IoT and whole industries. A hacker performs a DoS attack to acquire the non-encrypted personal details of the user, and also to put down the system of networks by the flood of the useless stream of traffic (Farooq et al., 2015, p. 3).
As Nguyen, Laurent, and Oualha (2015) observe, a non-negligible number of devices in IoT are vulnerable to security attacks, which poses a considerable necessity for the solution of this problem (p. 18). Therefore, it is essential to discuss the possible ways of protecting IoT from denial-of-service attacks. One of the better decisions is proposed in the research by Sicari, Rizzardi, Grieco, and Coen-Porisini (2015).
The authors assume that to protect the privacy of the IoT users, it is critical to developing a key-changed mutual authentication protocol for WSN and RFID systems (Sicari et al., 2015, p. 152). Through the development of such protocols, the capability of hackers to retrieve the IoT users information would be significantly decreased. Also, the authors mention the Attribute-Based encryption scheme, which has shown significant positive results in protection of the access to information.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to observe that this report provided the necessary information about the general idea of the Internet of Things and its underlying structure. The understanding of the IoTs essential elements makes it possible to develop better solutions for the protection from DoS attacks. Two solutions, which are based on the scholarly literature, were presented in this report.
References
Farooq, M. U., Waseem, M., Khairi, A., & Mazhar, S. (2015). A critical analysis on the security concerns of internet of things (IoT). International Journal of Computer Applications, 111(7), 1-6.
Nguyen, K. T., Laurent, M., & Oualha, N. (2015). Survey on secure communication protocols for the Internet of Things. Ad Hoc Networks, 32, 17-31.
Sicari, S., Rizzardi, A., Grieco, L. A., & Coen-Porisini, A. (2015). Security, privacy and trust in Internet of Things: The road ahead. Computer Networks, 76, 146-164.
The two suggested readings, When the Internet Thinks It Knows You and What Are People For , focus on the relevance and purpose of the Internet, respectively. Indeed, the Internet has taken a key role in everyday life. Its ease of access and availability has connected people from different parts of the world with the help of just one click. As Naughton explains, the impact of the Internet on everyday life is significant and diverse, therefore, the majority of people want to use the Internet for their purposes.
The scholar explains that the desire for control over the Internet by politicians and other large corporations is eminent. Currently, there are various measures that have been put in place to ensure this control. Naughton gives an example of Instagram that tried to get the rights to all images that its users posted in their accounts. This essay considers the arguments purported in these two stated readings and their importance at both individual and societal levels.
Values Supported or Criticized in the Readings
Several values are supported and criticized in the readings. First, Eli Pariser, who wrote When the Internet Thinks It Knows You , argues that the Internet is a revolutionary power (Pariser). This statement supports the value of freedom of extensive communication using this medium (Internet). It is this power that has made different stakeholders fight to control the Internet. As Schneier explains, the war on the Internet has put the government and other large corporations against grassroots users, criminals, and hackers. This can be perceived as a critique of the medium and its impact on the general society.
The author goes further to criticize the Internet due to its inability to allow for censorship. It can be suggested that freedom has created a liberal society that is prone to manipulation at all times. Indeed, from Parisers readings, one can argue that even though the Internet offers great benefits, it has more disadvantages than advantages.
In What Are People For , Wendell Berry considers the purpose of technological advancement. The scholar argues that the main aim of the Internet and other technological advancements in the acquisition of money and wealth. One can argue that Berry supports the advancement of technology for the love of family, God, country, and community. Despite this support, he agrees that currently, many of those who want to control the Internet are doing so for the greed of money.
The scholars arguments resonate with those of Naughton, who states that the desire to control the Internet is purely for personal gain. Overall, just like Pariser, Berry suggests that the Internet has more disadvantages than benefits. This is specifically the case if the control of the medium is not monitored and becomes solely handled by governments and large corporations.
Individual and Societal Importance of the Values and Critiques
The values and critiques raised by both Pariser and Berry are important to me and to Americans. For Americans, these values and critiques are important as they reflect one of the growing concerns of society. Currently, Americans are struggling with the impacts of too much exposure brought on by the Internet. The arguments posed connect with several personal experiences I have had. First, freedom of communication is a fundamental right.
In a democratic society, freedom to the Internet is equally important. This is because the Internet provides a connection that no other communication medium offers. Additionally, one can agree that the use of the Internet and other technological advancements due to the love of family, God, country, and community is commendable (Berry). This is the value that would advance society. The premise is important as it can be considered a suggestion (societal level) for the proper use of the Internet. It can also guide the formulation of policies and guidelines for the same.
Looking at the critiques given, one can argue that they are equally important as they identify some of the reasons the presence of the Internet has led to the degradation of society. For instance, the use of technology and the Internet for personal and greedy ventures has led to an increase in the number of hackers and other cyberspace criminals. Drawing from a personal experience, one can state that the ease of connection between different platforms on the Internet (that ideally create the web) is dangerous.
Hackers and cyberspace criminals depend on these connections to engage in crime. For instance, people tend to tag their family members in their social media posts. A hacker looking for common passwords will investigate the tagged family members and use a combination of their names and their birthdays to come up with the users password. Afterward, other connections that the user has made on that social media account might become accessible to the hacker.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the discussion on the relevance and purpose of the Internet as presented by Eli Pariser in When the Internet Thinks It Knows You and Wendell Berry in What Are People For is engaging and eye-opening. Both scholars present several values and critiques of the use of the Internet. Overall, they believe that the Internet has many benefits. However, these benefits are only impactful if the Internet is monitored but not controlled. It is important to note that the scholars agree that currently, the Internet has more shortcomings than advantages.
Works Cited
Berry, Wendell. What Are People For? North Point Press, 1990.
The internet is a worldwide network of computers linking thousands and thousands of computers all over the globe. It has turn out to be one of the quickest growing means of communication in the 21st century. The internet began as a U.S Defense Department Cold War trial during the 1960s (Ruthfield, 1995, para.1). The government was seeking for a method of conveying messages linking tanks and headquarters, so the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DAPRA) developed a method of relaying signals from the combat zone to get to the main computer by means of radio signals and satellites.
J.C.R. Licklider of MIT suggested a way of linking computers in 1962, and relocated to DARPRA later in the same year to champion the efforts of developing it. Leornard Kleinrock of MIT and afterward UCLA built up the technique of packet switching. It is a way of dividing the information being sent into small independent packets which transport sufficient message to find its destination and channeling them out individually in the direction of the destination server. This was to act as a foundation for internet connection (Howe, 2009, para.1).
The packet switching theory developed by Kleinrock was verified in 1965 when Lawrence Roberts of MIT linked two different computers in Massachusetts and California by use of radio signals. Roberts relocated to DARPRA in 1966 and initiated his intentions in ARPANET. These visionary thinking individuals and other unnamed ones are the fathers of internet. The first person to use the internet was Charley Kline who in October 29, 1969 made an ARPANET link involving Stanford Research Institute, Los Angeles, and the University of California. The use of ARPANET grew rapidly from then.
In 1979, Tom Trustcott and Jim Ellis then students at Duke University, developed the Unix-to-Unix Protocol (UUCP) to transmit news and messages on a serial line. In 1979, the use of Usenet was adopted based on UUCP. Newsgroups then developed that functioned to exchange messages across the world. The use of internet got a major boost in the 1970s from the development of TCP/IP network protocol first suggested by Bob Kahn at BBN and later improved by Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf of Stanford University during the decade. The Defense Department took it in 1980 and substituted it with the previous Network Control Protocol (NCP); it was globally adopted in 1983.
The word internet was accepted in the first Request for Comments (RFC) publication on the TCP network in 1974 as a short form for the word internetworking and both terms were used interchangeably (Cerf, et al., 1974). Generally, internet referred to any network making use of TCP/IP network. Around that time, ARPANET was connected with NSFNET in the 80s, and the word meant the name of the network, internet, signifying an enormous and worldwide TCP/IP network. Interest in worldwide network was aroused and software applications for it were made, the internet technology extended all over the world (Wiggins, 1994).
The TCP/IP network made it possible to use any present network facility, for example the IPSS X.25 network, to transmit internet traffic. In 1989, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, commonly recognized as CERN, suggested the latest protocol for message circulation that made nets easier to use. This protocol, which in 1991 was adopted as the World Wide Web, was founded based on hypertext messaging.
References
Cerf, V. et al., 1974. Specification of internet transmission control program. Web.
This technical description will introduce you to the concept of the Internet of Things and define this term and its peculiarities. It is possible to observe that the Internet of Things (IoT) is the process of connecting various technical objects, which are used in the everyday life, into a holistic communication network. Rose, Eldridge, and Chapin (2015) define the IoT as scenarios where network connectivity and computing capability extends to objects, sensors and everyday items not normally considered computers (p. 1). By the means of this process, these objects are able to generate and exchange data without human intervention.
Generally speaking, what the IoT does is that it makes the processing of information less difficult, and thus it creates a more diversified and comprehensive informational environment, which enhances the overall technical progress. Practically, this goal is achieved by developing a unified framework that enables heterogeneous technologies to exchange datasets. Arguably, the best example that would help to acquire the understanding of the IoTs practical importance is that the technology of smart houses is based upon the use of the Internet of Things.
Naturally, due to the fact that the IoT operates various electronic devices through contemporary communication technologies such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it is not possible to see what the process looks like. The majority of the IoT working cycle happens when different devices generate and share datasets. From the perspective of the user of the IoT, the result of the work of such systems is available, as he or she is provided with the gathered information in its final form.
Further, it is essential to describe how the IoT works so that readers would understand the entirety of the process. There are different perspectives on the categorization of the IoT-related processes; however, to simplify the initial explanation, it is possible to observe that there are three principal operational levels of the IoT architecture: hardware, middleware, and presentation. The hardware level refers to the vast variety of electronic devices, which are responsible for generating datasets. On the second middleware level, the gathered data is stored and processed by other devices. This is the stage in which devices exchange and analyze information.
Finally, the presentation level is what people interact with: on this stage, the IoT is responsible for presenting the gathered and processed information is the form that would be easily understandable by the users of the IoT. Once again, the example of smart houses would perfectly exemplify each of the three mentioned stages: people are able to acquire information about various conditions in their house since the information from different electronic devices in such houses has been processed by the IoT.
Why should the reader be interested in further exploration of this process? As it is mentioned by Rose, Eldridge, and Chapin (2015), the IoT is a rapidly developing sphere of communication technologies and its use is yet to come to its fullest potential. Even despite the fact that further progress in this area should be made, the IoT is widely used currently. Therefore, it is essential to understand how this technology works so that the reader would be familiar with it because he or she would probably come across some IoT systems at a certain point in time. The Internet of Things is one of the most important trends in contemporary telecommunications.
Reference
Rose, K., Eldridge, S., & Chapin, L. (2015). The internet of things: An overview. Web.
The emergence and rapid development of computer technology have brought significant changes in almost all spheres of human life from everyday activities to science and medicine and has also changed peoples ideas about common notions. Education is not an exception as students and teachers use technology every day to find, transfer, or learn new information. Moreover, education has become one of the areas that new technologies and the Internet have influenced to the greatest extent since almost all learning processes today are conducted by devices.
According to Chiemeke and Daodu, education is a form of learning, in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training and research (294). Consequently, essence, person, and way of teaching are features that change over time in any culture. Currently, education has acquired new features, including changed content, the altered role of teachers, and new forms of teaching and learning processes, which are caused by the use of the Internet and digital technologies.
Main body
One of the new features of education due to the advent of the Internet is the change of its content. Centuries ago, knowledge was transferred from teacher to student directly during classes orally. After the invention of printing and replication techniques, information has become more accessible but in a limited amount due to the inability to find and transmit it quickly over long distances. Today, education is a combination of diverse sources from around the world in various fields of knowledge that are accessible to everyone via the Internet. In other words, the Internet has developed educational and scientific content because of the ability to access virtually any data in minutes.
For example, students are no longer limited to often outdated or incomplete information that is available to them in a university or city library, since they can find relevant studies and answers to all questions online. This fact also improves the quality of the scientific base, since the creators of textbooks and research rely on more extensive data for writing their works. Thus, the quality of the content and its quantity is developing and becoming more accessible for education.
Another change that occurred in the educational processes is the perception of the teacher, which significantly affected the students expectations. Students no longer associate the process of acquiring knowledge with the personality of an educator, since millennial expect teachers behavior that match with secularities of technology-driven world in which these students were born (Hashim 2).
The availability of information allows them to master their skills through online textbooks, videos, and tutorials, so they can avoid interpersonal contact with teacher if they do not need any assistance. An educator is a mentor and instructor who helps students to choose the most optimal ways to gain knowledge and structure the amounts of data provided by the Internet through different channels of information distribution.
For example, a teacher cannot impose his or her opinion about a particular phenomenon or event; however, he or she can guides students and makes their learning more organize by providing information about the choice of quality sources. A teacher can also offer a list of literature for study, which will help the student avoid a long search and doubt about sources selection. Compiling curricula, assignments, and tests is also an organizational measure conducive to learning opportunities. Thus, students perceive a teacher as a mentor and assistant in organizing and mastering knowledge but not as their source.
Moreover, the teaching and learning processes include new techniques technological methods that expanded the opportunities for education. These methods have shifted the focus of interaction from teacher and student to computer and student. For example, E-learning allows people to use approaches inaccessible to offline classes, such as the Internet of Things, which enables effective data exchange and attributes to creativity, research opportunities, self-learning, and hyper-connectivity for educational purposes (Abbasi and Quesada 914-916). Consequently, students more effectively master knowledge at home and use class time for issues that require the assistance of a teacher.
This form of learning is associated with such a method as the flipped classroom, which focuses on the pre-class study of material that allows the student to benefit more from discussion with peers and the teacher (Green 180-181).
Besides, the very idea of online education enhances opportunities for both teachers to provide information and students to obtain it. For instance, an art history teacher has to demonstrate visual examples of artworks so he or she can create and download a video online. In addition, people have different abilities and capabilities to receive information. One student needs only to watch the video once to memorize the information, and the other must read the explanation of the material several times. Therefore, technology has made education more individual, high-quality, and made learning possible without interpersonal interaction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, education in the modem digital world driven by the Internet is a process of search, analyzing, and processing the information about knowledge and skills generated by others and spread online. The teachers are exposed to altered roles of being instructors more than educators since they need to guide students in an endless flow of information. The learners benefit from online education and other technology-driven forms of knowledge and skill acquisition.
These forms of learning help students to choose the most convenient and understandable way for them to receive, understand and remember information. In addition, the quality and quantity of content have developed significantly, which allows anyone to study issues inaccessible even several decades ago. Thus, every element of the educational process shifts to individual and customized work with information due to the technological development of the modern world.
Works Cited
Abbasy, Molid Bayani, and Enrique Vilchez Quesada. Predictable Infuence of loT (Internet of Things) in the Higher Education. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 7, no. 12, 2017, pp. 914-920.
Chiemeke, S. C., and S. S. Daodu. Re-Defining Education through E-Technology. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, vol. 6, no, 4, 2015, pp. 293-299.
Green, Teogan. Flipped Classrooms: An Agenda for Innovative Marketing Education in the Digital Era. Marketing Education Review, vol. 25, no. 3, 2015, pp. 179-191.
Hashim, Harwati, Application of Technology in the Digital Era Education. International Journal of Research in Counselling and Education, vol. 2, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-5.
The World Wide Web as it is today has witnessed myriad changes. It began as a closed resource only used for governments and large organisations until later when it was revolutionized and became an open resource for the whole world. The benefits the internet has brought forth are mind boggling particularly in the aspect of globalising the world. The possibilities accompanied with its robust growth are inexhaustible.
The internet has become the worlds richest resource of information making knowledge far more accessible at the touch of a button. This paper will look at a few factors and how they have each contributed to the immense growth of the internet. It will also look at scripting languages both one server side and one client side and discuss the different methods used to integrate multimedia features into various multimedia products such as websites and CD-ROMS.
Scripting languages are increasingly gaining popularity as a result of the emergence of web based applications on the internet. The World Wide Web market is exponentially moving towards the age of dynamic web content which is a great advancement compared to the static content that has been in existence for a long time.
Day in day out web gurus are busy developing new scripting languages which are more user friendly requiring very minimal or no programming prerequisite. This in turn has led into an explosion in the development of highly interactive web pages. Nonetheless scripting languages have a major loophole that developers have not been able to counter which has proved to be a major security breech that is encountered by majority of the internet users.
This is the ability of executable code to be unconsciously downloaded to a web browsers machine from the remotely located server and easily run on the browsers interpreter. This in turn results to issues of security where malicious characters use this loophole to get into peoples computers and steal valuable information (Whitcomb, Client and Server ).
The integration of multimedia features into multimedia products on websites is perhaps one of the paramount achievements witnessed in web development. One therefore wonders how this has been achieved. This is where the concept of one server scripting language and one client scripting language kicks in.
The one side client environment solely plays the role of running scripts this is in essence a browser. The scripts (in form of source codes) are obtained from the web server over the internet and processed on the end users browser ( Methods Used to Implement Client-side Scripts n.p). The client computers browser has to have the scripting language enabled for it to run. Various methods can be used in the implementation of client side code. These include;
Integration of scripts in between a pair of script tags
Can be stored in an external file that is singled out form the extension src which attributes a script tag.
Can also be implemented within an event handler.
Finally can be implemented in various URLs that use certain kind ofprotocols.
The one server side environment scripting language is run by the web server. When a user on the client server side sends a request it is fulfilled directly after the script is run of the web server thus generating dynamic HTML pages.
The generated HTML is then sent to the client browser as output.One server side scripting language is the wheel behind dynamic and interactive websites which are linked in with databases on the server ( PHP Server Side Scripting Language n.p). It generates items from the database and sends to the client browser which is the displayed out by the browser as results.
The major advantage of one server side scripting is the unlimited ability to highly customise results based on the users requirements, access databases in form of queries and the unlimited access rights they poses. With the use of this different scripting languages integration of multimedia features into products has become a reality and with the advancement in scripting languages the internet in the near future is expected to have limitless functionalities embedded within it.
Having looked at how scripting languages work it is imperative to look into how modern scripting languages have further backed the transformation of the web. As explained earlier,modern scripting languages have been instrumental in the transformation of the web. Earlier scripting languages such as Perl are slowly fading awaydue to their limitation in functionality as well as their complexity levels.
Another major difference between modern and earlier scripting languages is the fact that the modern languages are easy to pick up and learn even for beginners as compared to earlier languages that were more structured with heavy code(Joan, Difference between Pearl and Python ). This limits the users as not many people would easily understand them.
Earlier scripting languages used confusing keywords that more often than not do not conform to the task that the coder had in mind. This only served to confuse the more. Scripting languages in the earlier days were as complex as software development languages and thus took longer time to debug. This would mean that a programmer writing complex code would have to take a very long time in checking for errors. However modern languages have overcome this barrier.
As it has been shown modern scripting languages have in more ways than one proved to be advantageous in many ways thus propelling the growth of the internet. Other factors of modern scripting languages that have propagated this growth include ( Advantages and Disadvantages of Scripting Language n.p);
They require minimal programming experience to learn
They allow programmers to perform intricate tasks relatively fast
They provide room for simple editing within most text editors
Provide room for the creation of very interactive web pages
Code runs fast
The last part of this paper will chiefly focus on the importance of open source movement and its role in the development of the modern internet. Open source movement is an organisation that believe that human knowledge is for the world and should be shared among all free of charge.The issue of open source software has been one that has brought forth many mixed reactions from different groups of people.
Notwithstanding the idea of open source software has been a great motivator and a large catalyst in the advancement of the internet. Many advantages are associated with open source movement. The first easily perceivable benefit of this open source model of software is the fact that it is made available at minimised cost or free of charge in many cases(Gonzalez, Advantages of Open Source Software ).. However this is not exclusive to open source kind of software as some companies provide proprietary software products at no cost.
The distinguishing factor between open source software and software that is provided at no fee is the fact that the source code for open source software is made publicly available and modification rights granted to anyone who would like to make changes unlike with proprietary software where only the developers can make changes to it.
The public availability of source code has ensured the limitless modification of software products. This in turn for enthusiasts as well as pro developers to be able to carry around code within different hardware under different modifications to enable the software survive different changing conditions. Thisfactor has by itself fuelled the growth of the World Wide Web to the levels that are witnessed today.
Another key advantage of open source software that has propelled the growth of the internet is the right to make improvements to code and redistribute. The fact that distribution rights cannot be revoked is an attractive package for developers worldwide. They are attracted by the fact that these rights are universal and they can have their idea spread out to the whole world.
The right to use software in whichever manner one pleases ensures that software attracts a large crowd of users. When a large user base is created it promulgates the creation of a market for the support and development of the software and in the long run attracts more and more developers. This encapsulation of many developers leads to quality products in the market and thus the user numbers keep increasing. This factor has been key in the growth of the World Wide Web over the years ( Key Advantages of Open Source n.p).
Open source software is advantageous because of the fact that no single entity that determines the future which certain software will take. Say a certain company A relies on another company B for all its software upgrades. Incase something befalls B since they own all the rights to the software and thus it means that the production of the software ceases (Delaney, Cleg & Williams, The Advantages of Adopting Open Source Software ).
In conclusion, this paper has tried to show the various factors have enhanced the growth of the World Wide Web. The reader gets to understand how scripting languages have propelled further the growth of the World Wide Web. The reader further gets an insight into how these various scripting languages have been slowly manipulated and exploited with time until developers are now able to translate multimedia functions into multimedia products simply by exploiting the use of these languages.
The paper has also given a great insight into how these scripting languages have developed over the years thus providing ample room creativity and opening up the field to more developers thus pushing forward growth. Finally the paper has been inestimable in helping the reader understand the various advantages that have come forth with open source software and how it has led to the revolutionising of the World Wide Web.
As the trends in the internet are clearly drawn out on the paper the internet in the near future is expected to witness explosive growth especially when it upgraded to ipV6 which will be an advancement of the current. This will allow more room for expansion and in turn lead to more and more exponential growth. The world should thus be prepared for a surprise when it comes to internet in the future.
Works Cited
Advantages and Disadvantages of Scripting Language. Client Side Scripting Features. Sqa.org, 2007. Web. N.d.
Delaney, Emmett. Clegg, Peter & Williams, Jason. The Advantages of Adopting Open Source Software. informIT, May 2005. Web.
Gonzalez, Barahona. Advantages of Open Source Software. Eu.conecta.it, May 2000. Web. N.d.
Joan, Ben. Differences between pearl and python. Differencebetween.net, n.d. Web.
Key Advantages of Open Source is Not Cost Savings. Computer economics, May 2005. Web.
Methods Used to Implement Client-side Scripts. Client side scripting features. Sqa.org, 2007. Web. N.d.
PHP Server-Side Scripting Language. University Information Technology Services. Indiana University, n.d. Web.
Whitcomb, Valerie. Client and Server Scripting in Web Pages. Msdn, July 1997. Web. Jan 1997.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical objects with built-in technologies that provide interaction with the external environment and exchange information. IoT unites devices into a computer network and enables them to collect, analyze, process, and share data to other objects using software, applications, or technical devices (Chahid et al., 2017). Elements of the Internet of Things networks can exchange data without direct human involvement (Malhotra et al., 2021; Riahi Sfar et al., 2018). The conversion of devices into independent Internet nodes has led to a significant decrease in the systems security. All smart devices connected to the network transmit data through it, corresponding to their functionality, which is a target for cybercriminals.
The security of iOS devices is ensured primarily by maintaining the integrity of the code, verifying the authenticity of users and devices, and assigning ownership rights to users (including generated data). It also pertains to the ability to repel virtual and physical attacks. Several studies have revealed a vast number of vulnerabilities from the use of default passwords to the use of unsecured web interfaces (Azrour et al., 2021; Conti et al., 2017). These are used by most gadgets to connect to the Internet of Things.
Currently, several private organizations are working in the field of intelligent device certification. For example, the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), has prepared an initiative to solve the problem (Yekini et al., 2019). Thus, a unique list of criteria has been released for developers of new equipment, compliance with which makes it possible to increase security and protect confidential user data. Security certificates are a way to control manufacturers, but they do not fully ensure the safety of users. To increase the reliability of smart devices, it is necessary to work with practical methods to ensure the security of the Internet of Things in general.
Chahid, Y., Benabdellah, M., & Azizi, A. (2017). Internet of Things security. International Conference on Wireless Technologies, Embedded and Intelligent Systems (WITS), 1-6. Web.
Personal computer users face diverse security consequences due to different malicious software such as spywares and root-kits in their current system usage, especially during internet transaction procedures. This report outlines the procedures for securing personal data through un-trusted internet as addressed by Mohammad Mannan during a security seminar. The presentation took place on February, 22nd 2011 at Concordia University also abbreviated CIISE (Concordia Institute of Information System and Engineering), located in a vibrant cosmopolitan setting in the city of Montreal, Quebec Canada. The Authentication and Securing Personal Information in an Un-trusted internet colloquium addressed drawbacks relating to computer and web usability. The session by Mannan mainly addressed semantic attacks for instance phishing, which has become a common in un-trusted host machines as well as through legitimate sites. Today most antivirus software suffers higher vulnerability than non-security software. The increase of untrustworthy environments in the web therefore leads to the question of whether there are measures or tools to control, improve and protect environments for the end-users. How can users continue to engage the online economic transactions safely?
Discussion
Mobile Password Authentication (MP-Auth)
The main way of improving security for the end user is by finding a realistic technology/model that clients can put into operation during valid or virtual global operations. The ability to verify veracity of usage as well as passwords generation and authentication of techniques are some of the mechanisms that can assist end-users to improve transactions security. Phishing and session interferences compromise procedures of authenticating integrity of sensitive data even when users practice the most convenient security measures. This is a real concession for user safety during virtual transactions. The intention of most web-based security practices is to provide protection to user, from complex phishing frauds during sensitive web transactions either through a secure PC or through compromised platforms. The security of personal information requires authentication and safeguarding of sensitive information such as application for online banking and other long-term codes/keys.
Mobile Password Authentication (MP-Auth) addresses this issue through use of simple mobile devices such as smart phones or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that combine with servers to generate random encryptions through use of the public key, to be relayed through venerable end-user machine terminals. The long-term password can therefore be applied as a single use password since it is concealed from potential phishing sites. The Mobile Password Authentication (MP-Auth) protocol therefore safeguards integrity of transactions through persisted confirmation and transparency to the mobile device in use, as opposed to the two-factor technique.
MP-Auth provides protection and privacy for users such as protecting their passwords against phishing and violation of integrity during transaction. On assumption that the mobile device in use is safe from malware attacks and all users can access correct public key from the bank, installation on the device must involve all targeted websites public keys. MP-Auth procedure thus involves a visit to an online banking website from a venerable personal computer, but the browser forwards authentication key prompt to the mobile device. The device in-turn encrypts the password using the websites public key (loaded at some stage during setup execution). The result (an encrypted password) is then forwarded to the financial site through browser of the venerable personal computer.
Suggestions
The MP-Auth procedure protects against phishing for the reason that spoofed sites are not able to decrypt information. The protocol also prevents pharming by concealing long-term secret information especially when users cache is under threat. Protection of transaction procedures are assured since it is easy for a mobile device to detect illegal transactions on the computer. The MP-Auth can easily fail due to overhead writes, involvement of large software and failure of measures to notify users on authentication status. Most attacks on MP-Auth thus occur due to existence of malware, re-use of passwords on different websites especially social sites, lack of Password hashing and submission of passwords during social browsing. In his presentation, Mannan (2011), malwares on personal devices are avoidable by virtualized Trusted Platform Module (vTPM), TCGs Mobile Phone Work Group or devices of less functionality or software (p.18). General user safety tips include keenness throughout confirmation of secure data transactions and use of devices that are free from malware during web transactions.
Mobile devices authentication depends highly on strength of user password. Use of other different options such as graphical (images or binary) instead of plain text may strengthen the password. Various platforms support password encryption through mobile devices such as the add-ons on browsers and current mobile applications such as android.
Conclusion
Common attacks by spy and malwares occur during installation of key-loggers (hardware and software) on personal computers. Today it is possible for phishing sites to install key-loggers on personal computers even when the general user does not direct explicit downloads or follow links to such sites. The main aim is to extract useful information such as usernames or passwords for accessing financial accounts. The malware have access to information when unsuspicious users keys in these long-term secret details on a typical personal machine to access online bank accounts. Current phishing attacks are also able to obtain information from computers that are free from malware by hijacking the domain identities. Safeguard of long-term passwords therefore require encryptions using mobile devices governed by the public key of a server. The long-term access information therefore require transformed to one-time passwords, which are not easily disclosed by key-loggers or phishing sites. This form of password authentication thus causes the personal computer to act as a mare bridge for interaction with websites since it encrypts data and only accesses temporary secret information such as passwords. Mobile devices are thus better since they have limited software compared to personal computers and provide security protocols that involve passwords authentication only.
Reference
Mannan, M. (2011). Authentication and Securing Personal Information in an Untrusted Internet: Security Seminar. Montreal, Quebec Canada: Concordia University.
The original makers of the internet did not intend it to be a place where business transactions would take place. However, many businesses have turned to the internet as a means of conducting financial transactions and advertising given its ease of access. With money changing hands so easily over the internet, thieves are constantly coming up with ways of stealing crucial information like credit card numbers and other personal information.
Therefore, the big question remains; is the internet safe for any business transaction? It could be, but the involved parties must take all the necessary precautions to prevent internet fraud on its part as well as their customers.
Risks Involved There are numerous risks for business especially small ones that choose to transact online. One such risk is identity theft, this is the crime involved when a person steals anothers personal identification information be it their credit card number, social security number or their ATM PIN (Miller, 2008, p.3).
The stolen information can then be used against the victim as a means of blackmail, for industrial espionage or even to gain access to his or her financial accounts. Tactics used in executing identity theft are important to understand as they form the basis of creating adequate security while online.
They include phishing where one is mislead by genuine looking sites to give away personal information, Spyware which are small program hidden and running in the computer that gives away ones information and even hacking where the criminal hacks into your system and steals your information (Baskin & Piltzecker, 2006, p.80). The others are email interception and wi-fi data sniffing especially in public hotspots.
The other risk is tampering where the victim has his data compromised through various means such as viruses, worms, Trojans or even directly. This can be used by a competitor to destroy the reputation of the victim or simply gain advantage over him or her in business. In light of these risks, it is important to take necessary precautions to prevent internet fraud.
Solutions There are several precautions one can take to safeguard themselves against online attacks. For a business considering going online the first thing should be to understand their security concerns then come up with a security plan (Reuvid, 2005, p. 4). The next thing should be to ensure the computers are well protected using regularly updated anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
In addition, having a firewall is essential in blocking most of the hackers and unwanted sites. Even though these might be expensive to implement a small to medium business cannot afford the loss that they prevent. Another precaution that cannot be overemphasized is the use of passwords, these should be long (about eight characters) and consist of numbers, lower and uppercase letters and special characters (Sinclair, 2007, p.264).
Dictionary words are insecure as programs exist to reveal such passwords. Finally, when browsing the internet: Do not follow links given in emails even if they seem genuine and do not download files and applications from suspicious websites. A security plan that takes all these precautions into considerations should be adhered to strictly.
Conclusion Online threats to businesses are a reality but also is the technology that has been developed to counter it. I think that since all businesses involve risks then there is no point being deterred from going online just because of the threats involved. Businesses need to develop a plausible security for the success of online transactions with limited risks.
Reference List
Baskin, B., & Piltzecker, T. (2006). Combating Spyware in the Enterprise. Rockland: Syngress Publishers.
Miller, M. (2008). Is It Safe?: Protecting Your Computer, Your Business, and Yourself Online. New York: Que Publishing.
Reuvid, J. (2005). The Secure Online Business Handbook:. London: Kogan Page Publishers.
Sinclair, J. T. (2007). EBay Business the Smart Way: Maximize your Profits on the Webs #1 Auction Site. New York: AMACOM publishers.