Internet and Security - Coursework Example

 Internet and Security A) The World is flat 1) The security concern expressed by Thomas Friedman in his book, “The World is flat” is the threat of terrorist groups like Al-Qaida. Thomas celebrates the flattening of the world, which could otherwise be termed as globalization, but suddenly notes the crises involved in the benefits of an interconnected universe. In chapter 15 of the book (11/9 versus 9/11), Thomas contradicts the hope that the destruction of the Berlin wall brought to the noble relations of countries (Friedman, 67). On 9/11, there was terror and anguish. Attacks pioneered by Osama bin Laden pain and muddle in the universe. He notes that the precise tools that are used for flattening the world (technology) are the same tool that can be used to unflatten the world. Responsible use of technology builds the universe while selfish use of the same technology destroys the world and keeps societies distant. The other security concern is economic security of the American people. The author expresses concerns that the American place as the economic power house is threatened because of the attitude of the citizens and the government. The government spends mindlessly on wars and neglects the fundamental economy of the states. The citizens on the other hand idolize ideas and opinions that cannot bring economic growth to the nation. They, for example, idolize Britney Spears while their serious competitors idolize the resourceful Bill Gates (Friedman, 32). 2) Three ethical concerns outlined in “the World is flat” are: Social injustice in the global economic system: Thomas notes that the flattened world has caused a caste-like system where wealthy states are getting richer while the poor countries are languishing in more poverty. Trade is focused between rich states while the poor countries are sidelined. The concern is that populations in poor nations will languish in perpetual poverty. Misuse of borrowed technology: The author loves the rate of labor transfer, and the numbers of people coming from other countries in quest of knowledge in the USA. He regrets the misuse of this acquired knowledge, for example, in the 9/11n attack. The mastermind of the attacks, Osama, received his education in the US. The third ethical question insinuated in the story is unlawful labor outsourcing. It creates jobs for some but breeches professional ethos in some areas. By the time of publication of the book, there were no stringent laws regulating the business. An example is the online writing of assignments for some students by others. B) Ethics and Security 1) Security awareness training communication plan Date Topic Details Everyone is a Target Create awareness that everyone is a possible target of cyber crime, and everyone needs to take guard Social Networking Explore ways of ensuring safety by controlled sharing of information over social networks Browsers Educate on the available browsers, their security meter in safeguarding transmitted information Passwords Importance of securing systems and sites with passwords Armature cracking of insecure passwords Choosing secure passwords Encryption Explore the reasons for encryptions Choosing the right protocol for securely encrypted data Email and AIM Security of email sand AIM accounts Elaborate how to use the right firewalls for email safety Smart Phones and Mobile devices Show the security risks involved in accessing high confidentiality sites via smart phones and other mobile devices 2) How to safeguard children from online predators Online bullying and predation on children has become a vastly spread phenomenon and is a source of worry to eexact caring and responsible parents. To avert worse effects of this delinquency, parents are advised to place the family PC at an elevated, visible place. Monitoring the sites a child is visiting from a distance becomes possible. The fear of being witnessed defy parental orders keeps the child at bay from browsing family forbidden sites. Parents need to advise or help their children pick instant messaging and chat-room names that draw little attention. Guiding a child through which chat rooms to avoid also helps safeguard the child’s interests. A child, therefore, evades the probabilities of meeting a sex minded bully or cyber criminal online. Children need lessons from their parents about the safety of internet. A general consensus that the internet is not safe should be reached between the parents and their children. Anonymity provides a false sense of security. The truth about web based location sensors is necessary for the young ones so that they understand that they are not invincible. Online predators can use the same tools to monitor their moves and harm them. The most crucial of all is that parents should make a step to understand the use of computers and the cyber crime. Parents have heavier convincing power when their children know they understand what they are warning about. Parents should not assume that their children know the dangers of internet. Involving the offspring in the discussion even when they look knowledgeable enough may help. Despite the restrictions and boundaries that parents are herein advised to try out, high-handedness will worsen a situation. Parents, therefore, should exercise these restrictions with caution and wit. Pushing a teenager too forcefully from what he enjoys gets him deeper into the offending habit. C) Online Predator Threats 1) Tools for controlling child online predation Parents can use commercially available filtering and monitoring software to control the websites that a child can access. These tools have the functionality to locate the exact location of computer user miles from the tracker. Parents use this tool to know the boundaries within which a would-be offender is, and prevent the possibility of an ugly scenario. Parents can block access of some social sites. Parents, therefore, protect their children from accessing websites that contain harmful contents such as pornography and precarious chat sites. Parental controls enable parents to restrict the use of computers for desired purposes. A parent has the authority to keep the children do academic work alone even if he is out of sight. A password that a child cannot decipher makes this kind of control tool effective and reliable. 2) Comparing and Contrasting Tools used to minimize online Harassment and Theft Examples of tools for reducing online harassment and theft are IP2Location and IP2Proxy. Both offer a complete XML web based API. The principle difference between the two is that IP2Locator has the functionality of analyzing weblog statistics, enabling the user to understand his target better by geographical location; IP2Proxy lacks this function. IP2Locator contains model code examples for simple incorporation. It computes the distance between the source and destination locations. This web based filter pin points the exact location of a customer with information about the country, latitude and longitude and states. IP addresses provide all that information. These functions make IP2Locator an effective tool to get the exact location and arrest a cyber criminal. So far, the IP2Locator has not been awarded any prize. Reference Friedman, T. L. (2007). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Picador/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Read More