Describe your experience as a victim of security problem. Explain also how you handle the problem, and classify the problem.
One experience of a security problem that I have been a victim of would be the daily spate of junk mail attacks, a problem also more commonly known as spam.The daily deluge of unsolicited commercial or offensive messages comprises one of the biggest problems facing Internet users today.
Indeed, some people have the misconception that even though spam might be considered a nuisance, it is hardly harmful. Is that true? Take for example, hordes of salespeople come to your door everyday, force their way into your house or office or anywhere you consider private, by using pseudonyms or fraudulent premises to persuade you into letting them inside, and then bombard you with sales pitches or display offensive photos to you and your family, you would definitely feel that your security had been breached.
That, is exactly what spam does to your computer.
I have received many different kinds of spam mail. Sometimes, spammers send their messages as HTML mail, or in the form of messages that include attachments. These spam mail carried embedded malicious code and some even contained viruses that could have damaged my computer if opened. Some spammers spoof the addresses of legitimate companies, banks, etc. and attempting to gather credit card and other personal information.
People tend to think of spam as just unwanted mail in email format, but it’s more than that. I have also been attacked by spammers who send unwanted messages of other types, including forum posts, instant messages, bulletin board postings, and even exploitation of services such as Windows Messenger to get their obnoxious advertisements through.
To stop spamming, I had initially tried Spamcop (www.spamcop.net), which runs a service that allows you to report spammers. SpamCop determines the origin of unwanted email and then reports it to the relevant Internet service providers. Reporting unsolicited email also helps feed spam filtering systems. Other spam control techniques I have also checked out are spam filters such as Key word filtering. The filter lets you block all messages containing particular keywords or phrases that are often seen appearing in spam (for instance, “Viagra” or “hot sexy babes”). Another filter technique would be by blocking the address. This method helps to block mail from particular IP addresses, email addresses or domains of known spammers.
However, no matter how many filters I have utilised, I have discovered that there it can be really difficult to ensure complete effectiveness against preventing spam. This is because spammers are constantly changing their addresses, updating their content and using tricks such as misspelling key words or using spaces or periods to evade the filtering systems.
A particular inconvenience with spam filtering software is the possibility of having legitimate and important messages wrongly identified as spam. Regardless of the methods used to identify spam, I think that a good anti-spam program should include a mechanism that allow users to specify mail messages from certain addresses that should be delivered to the inbox instead of the Junk mail folder.
2007年7月27日金曜日
2007年6月27日水曜日
IP Assignment 02
Give one example of a difference before and after the Information Age.
Today we live in what is commonly know as the Information Age. The Information Age refers to the period of time where information rapidly propagated. At that time, information was evidently a scarce resource, sparking competition among companies to find ways to allow faster and wider dissemination of information that were previously thought impossible.
This led to the invention of machines used mainly for information processing, namely the typewriter, the calculator and the telephone.
In the 19th Century, with the development of wireless transmission of information, the ability to relay vocal and auditory information when combined with new recording technologies, the radio was invented. Furthermore, television followed, enabling visual graphics to be displayed alongside sound. With further advancements in technology, we are now able to see both cable and satellite television providing massive amounts of information and entertainment to audiences worldwide.
Present day technological developments have enabled the birth of personal computers in our homes, schools and workplaces, while using communication devices known as modems to access even more information via the Internet.
As a result of the emergence of these new technologies, we are now constantly bombarded with information in vast quantities that we were once inaccessible to before the Information Age.
What do you think the Internet will be like 10 years after? 50 years after?
The Information Age continues on even today, and technological advances have made way for even higher speeds, and more efficient of the spreading of information. The Internet has grown from a mere idea motivated by the need to interconnect communication networks to our current existing ubiquitous communication web joining people, businesses, and organisations by various forms of electronic equipment in a common system.
Based on the integration of wireless, display and Internet access technologies, the ‘fantasy’ of connecting and interacting with the world around us is already starting to become reality. I would not be surprised to see this trend continue its ascend in the next 10 years, 50 years.
First of all, the Internet will definitely be more deeply intergrated in our society and physical environment than ever before. High speed connecting computing devices would proliferate and become embedded in electrical applicances, cars, phones and even clothes. For example, Bluetooth™ wireless technology connectivity would be incorporated in more devices such as earphones, flat-panel televisions, printers, and digital cameras. This is the vision of anywhere, anytime connectivity through wireless technology.
However, increases in connectivity provide us with greater and easier access to products and services, as well as increased surveillance. At that moment in time, there may be a loss of personal privacies. Knowing what you are using is linked to a greater authority elsewhere would lead you to think that your every move is being watched by someone. There should be a greater effort made to control the use of these surveillance methods such as the implementing of regulations and laws to avoid an infringement of people’s rights to free speech and privacy.
Today we live in what is commonly know as the Information Age. The Information Age refers to the period of time where information rapidly propagated. At that time, information was evidently a scarce resource, sparking competition among companies to find ways to allow faster and wider dissemination of information that were previously thought impossible.
This led to the invention of machines used mainly for information processing, namely the typewriter, the calculator and the telephone.
In the 19th Century, with the development of wireless transmission of information, the ability to relay vocal and auditory information when combined with new recording technologies, the radio was invented. Furthermore, television followed, enabling visual graphics to be displayed alongside sound. With further advancements in technology, we are now able to see both cable and satellite television providing massive amounts of information and entertainment to audiences worldwide.
Present day technological developments have enabled the birth of personal computers in our homes, schools and workplaces, while using communication devices known as modems to access even more information via the Internet.
As a result of the emergence of these new technologies, we are now constantly bombarded with information in vast quantities that we were once inaccessible to before the Information Age.
What do you think the Internet will be like 10 years after? 50 years after?
The Information Age continues on even today, and technological advances have made way for even higher speeds, and more efficient of the spreading of information. The Internet has grown from a mere idea motivated by the need to interconnect communication networks to our current existing ubiquitous communication web joining people, businesses, and organisations by various forms of electronic equipment in a common system.
Based on the integration of wireless, display and Internet access technologies, the ‘fantasy’ of connecting and interacting with the world around us is already starting to become reality. I would not be surprised to see this trend continue its ascend in the next 10 years, 50 years.
First of all, the Internet will definitely be more deeply intergrated in our society and physical environment than ever before. High speed connecting computing devices would proliferate and become embedded in electrical applicances, cars, phones and even clothes. For example, Bluetooth™ wireless technology connectivity would be incorporated in more devices such as earphones, flat-panel televisions, printers, and digital cameras. This is the vision of anywhere, anytime connectivity through wireless technology.
However, increases in connectivity provide us with greater and easier access to products and services, as well as increased surveillance. At that moment in time, there may be a loss of personal privacies. Knowing what you are using is linked to a greater authority elsewhere would lead you to think that your every move is being watched by someone. There should be a greater effort made to control the use of these surveillance methods such as the implementing of regulations and laws to avoid an infringement of people’s rights to free speech and privacy.
2007年5月11日金曜日
IP Assignment 01
1. Similarities and Differences between the Internet and the real world
There are many things in the real world that can be found on the Internet as well. However, there are definitely slight differences that can be found.
For example, the function of sending electronic mail (e-mail) and online chatting to people can be compared to snail mail and vocal conversation with people. Even though in both cases, the literal meaning expressed will reach the other party accurately, the Internet can never really replace the human senses by conveying meanings that can only be heard from the tones of voices and understood from facial expressions.
Another example would be the online purchasing of goods as compared to shopping in stores. Although time can be saved from going to shops directly, you will not be able to see or check the product you bought on the Internet until it arrives at your doorstep. In this case, there might be a possibility that the product might be faulty or not up to your expectations.
2. What do you think about the future of the Internet?
There is no doubt that the Internet will continue in advancements and result in a surge in the number of Internet users. The Internet is so convenient and easy to use that in the future, it will become an irreplaceable necessity in people’s lives. The chances of face-to-face communication will gradually decrease, as people will find it easier and faster to just send email.
With more and more people accessing the Internet, print and broadcast media will soon not be as commonly seen as compared to now, for businesses and advertisers will rush to promote more via the Internet to serve more customers.
Furthermore, due to the increased reliance on the Internet, the impact of Internet crime such as cyber-terrorism, espionage and spreading of viruses will also be even greater.
3. Functions of the Internet to be improved
The major risk of using the Internet is the loss of privacy. There are so many ways that a user’s personal profile and preferences can be stored and abused on the Internet. These ways include obtaining private information via cookies or the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) etc.
In order for the large amount of consumers to continue using the Internet safely, more should be done to prevent or lower the risk of the privacy of Internet users from being exploited.
4. Applications of the Internet that are best for you
What I really like best about the Internet is its convenience - the wealth of information available and the amount of things you can accomplish with just one click of the mouse. I can find almost anything about any subject that I am interested in and I don’t have to spend time going to the library directly or finding and asking people who know the answers.
Another application of the Internet that is really beneficial to me would have to be the increase in speed of communication. I find it even more useful now because I am in a foreign country. With the help of instant messenger services and email, I can talk to my friends and family at home anytime and for as long as I want without having to fork out a huge amount of money to make overseas calls.
There are many things in the real world that can be found on the Internet as well. However, there are definitely slight differences that can be found.
For example, the function of sending electronic mail (e-mail) and online chatting to people can be compared to snail mail and vocal conversation with people. Even though in both cases, the literal meaning expressed will reach the other party accurately, the Internet can never really replace the human senses by conveying meanings that can only be heard from the tones of voices and understood from facial expressions.
Another example would be the online purchasing of goods as compared to shopping in stores. Although time can be saved from going to shops directly, you will not be able to see or check the product you bought on the Internet until it arrives at your doorstep. In this case, there might be a possibility that the product might be faulty or not up to your expectations.
2. What do you think about the future of the Internet?
There is no doubt that the Internet will continue in advancements and result in a surge in the number of Internet users. The Internet is so convenient and easy to use that in the future, it will become an irreplaceable necessity in people’s lives. The chances of face-to-face communication will gradually decrease, as people will find it easier and faster to just send email.
With more and more people accessing the Internet, print and broadcast media will soon not be as commonly seen as compared to now, for businesses and advertisers will rush to promote more via the Internet to serve more customers.
Furthermore, due to the increased reliance on the Internet, the impact of Internet crime such as cyber-terrorism, espionage and spreading of viruses will also be even greater.
3. Functions of the Internet to be improved
The major risk of using the Internet is the loss of privacy. There are so many ways that a user’s personal profile and preferences can be stored and abused on the Internet. These ways include obtaining private information via cookies or the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) etc.
In order for the large amount of consumers to continue using the Internet safely, more should be done to prevent or lower the risk of the privacy of Internet users from being exploited.
4. Applications of the Internet that are best for you
What I really like best about the Internet is its convenience - the wealth of information available and the amount of things you can accomplish with just one click of the mouse. I can find almost anything about any subject that I am interested in and I don’t have to spend time going to the library directly or finding and asking people who know the answers.
Another application of the Internet that is really beneficial to me would have to be the increase in speed of communication. I find it even more useful now because I am in a foreign country. With the help of instant messenger services and email, I can talk to my friends and family at home anytime and for as long as I want without having to fork out a huge amount of money to make overseas calls.
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