Internet Safety - Essay Example

Running head: INTERNET Internet Safety Introduction Internet safety is one of the primary objectives for the ever growing internet and the concept ensures that not only content but the safety of the users, their very confidence to trust the online elements, requires to be protected. The next section concentrates on the various online threats which require be focusing and exploring for exploring the knowledge base and devising methodologies for their defense. It concludes the very process through recommendations for improvement and ensuring the objectives for a safer virtual world. Enterprises and individuals use internet not just for communication but to avail the various activities like online business, transfer of important organizational data and large scale communication. The internet is vulnerable to several threats and the general requirements of safety of networks and systems of information can be formulated with the following four, interrelated characteristics: a. Disposal: With the term disposal we mean that the data are accessible and the services function, despite that by any chance disturbances, as interruption of catering, natural destructions, accidents or attacks. b. Verification of identity: Confirmation of declared identity of institutions or users (Bejtlich, 2006). For the verification of identity are required suitable methods for various applications and services, as are the electronic contracting of convention, the control of access in certain data and services (e.g. for the tale-workers) and the verification of web sites (e.g., for internet banks). It should also be included the possibility of anonymity, since a lot of services do not only need the identity of user but reliable confirmation of certain criteria of (called “anonymous credentials”), as the solvency. c. Integrity: Confirmation that the data have been dispatched, it is received is stored is complete and they have not suffered alteration d. Observation of secrecy: Protection of communications or stored given opposite interception and reading by not permitted individuals (Greene, 2004). It is particularly required for the transmission of sensitive data and she is one from the requirements that correspond in the concern of protection of private life of virtuous networks of communications. e. Firewalls It is a device which permits, restricts computer traffic in accordance to the security policies enforced in the business rules. Firewalls are either implemented through hardware, software, or both. They work best in detecting attacks that could enter or leave your system through an open port, such as worms and some Trojan horses. They do not scan the fragmented packets so in that way male wares attached to e-mails are still threats inside your network. Figure 1 : Firewalls (Source:http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisserver/9.2/dotNet/manager/graphics/firewall.PNG) f. Routers It is a device which functions as a networking component for storing and forwarding of packets to another network from that of senders. Figure 2 : Routers (Source: http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/images_old/myimages/howto/two_routers.jpg) g. Gateways It is an excellent network device which functions for communication with various types of networks with a different architecture and protocol usage. Figure 3 : Gateways (Source:http://www.2n.cz/images2/obrazek_click/528/thumbnail.jpg) Types of attacks a) Interceptions of communications. The electronic communications can intercept and the data can be copied or modified. Interception it can be realized with various ways. Potential damage: The outlaw interception can cause damage, so as much violation of private life of individuals, what via the exploitation of data that they have been intercepted (Panko, 2004). Likely solutions: Defense against interception can emanate with the encryption of data that is transmitted via the network. b) Not permitted access in computers and networks of computers (hacking, cracking) The not permitted access in computer or in a network of computers is usually realized malicious with the intention of copy, modification or destruction of data. Potential damage: The not permitted access has occasionally as motive mental challenge and no speculation. The protection at the not permitted access in personal information, included economic information, banking accounts and data of health, constitutes right of individuals (Thomas, 2004). Likely solutions: The most common method of protection against not permitted access is the installation of a firewall. However, with this is provided limited only protection and also it should be supplemented by other controls of safety, as the recognition of attacks, the detection of access and the controls in the level of application (included “intelligent cards "). c) Denial of Service That is to say challenge of network collapse because of overloading. The networks are to a large extent digitized and are checked by computers. The most common reason of perturbation of network existed at the past the damage in the system of computer that checks the network, while the attacks against network were directed mainly to their in question computers. Today, most attacks exploit weaknesses and liabilities of constitutive elements of network (functional systems, routers, switches, DNS etc). The attacks can receive various forms: a) Attacks against DNS, b) Attacks of routing, c) Attacks of refusal of benefit of service. d) Potential damage: The interruptions are detrimental for certain web pages, since the enterprises are based continuously more on the unhindered disposal of their network places for their commercial transactions. Likely solutions: The attacks in DNS servers are faced firstly easily with the extension of protocols DNS, e.g. using secure extensions DNS that is based in public keys’ cryptography. Much difficult is the defense against attacks at the system of routing. Internet has been drawn for maximization of flexibility in the routing, while with this way is limited the probability of loss of service in the event that collapses a part of infrastructure of network. There are not effective means for sure protocols of routing, same in routers. The volume of transmitted data does not allow in detail infiltration, since the verification would cause immobilization of networks. For this reason, the networks execute only basic infiltration and operations of control of access, while the most specialized operations of safety (e.g. control of identity, integrity, encryption) are placed in the limits of networks, that is to say in the terminals and in the servers of the networks that function as terminal points (IETF, 2007). Conclusion The introduction of public key infrastructure, cryptography, digital signatures and biometric passwords has saved us a lot in safeguarding the content and data from malicious intenders. It has strengthened online businesses to safeguard their data and imbibe trust and confidence in internet activity and its use. References/Bibliography Bejtlich, R (2006). Extrusion Detection: Security Monitoring for Internal Intrusions. Addison Wesley. Greene T. C (2004). Computer Security: for Home and Small Office. Apress. IETF (2007). Transport Level Security. Retrieved 16, December 2007 from http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/tls-charter.html Panko, R.R (2004). Corporate Computer and Network Security. International Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall. Thomas, T (2004). Network Security First-Step. Cisco Press. Read More