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ejdahlberg — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:04:39 +0000

Chapter 7, Section E – Web and E-mail Security

ejdahlberg — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:45:42 +0000

This section summarizes the different types of threats that you may encounter while using the internet and e-mail. Subjects discussed include Cookies, Fake Sites, Spam, and Phishing. This section gives a brief description of how each threat works, and steps you can take to avoid harm to your computer and, worse yet, your identity.

Cookies

Ad-serving cookies are initiated by clicking on thrid party banner ads, or pop up adds. They are created by marketing to track what you are researching on the internet and produce pop up ads for thing that relate to what you are viewing. The risk of clicking on these ads is that your shopping profile could be collected and sold to other marketing firms. Cookies can be turned off, but some are required to use e-mail or make online purchases, and turning off the cookies would disable these features. Deleting cookies is also an option, but this makes communication between cookies and handlers impossible. Lastly, some certain firms use an opt-out cookie (similar to do-not-call list); however if you delete cookies, your opt-out cookie will be deleted.

Flash cookies are used by Adobe Flash MX Player, which allows your computer to play movies, games, and videos. Because Flash cookies store your data and game progress, marketing firms are increasingly using Flash cookies to gather your information to target you with ads. To avoid this, you can adjust the flash cookie settings in the “settings manager” section.

Web bugs, as we discussed in our digital media chapter, are a 1×1 pixel image in a website or e-mail. These nearly invisible images track what a person is viewing on the internet/e-mail. Web bugs can be completely disabled, by turning off the graphics on your browser, but a more realistic option is by using an antispyware that has webbug detectors. Antispyware is a software used to protect your computer from web bugs, flash cookies, and ad-serving cookies.

Fake Sites

Fake site and Pharming are similar ways of getting users to unintentionally visit the wrong website. Fake sites are a replica of a legitimate web site created with the intent of getting your credit card number or other personal information (fafsa.ed.gov/fafsa.org/fafsa.com). Pharming is also a way of re-directing you to a fake site, however in this process, hackers link their IP address to the IP address of a real web page’s URL. Anti-spoof tools can be used to detect pharming, and when utilized, a bar will appear at the top of the browser, informing you of what website you are actually on, which differs from the real website you may have entered.

Spam

Spam is unwanted junk mail that is sent to your e-mail inbox. Spam is also used by marketing firms for the same reason as ad-serving cookies; to track your interests. Span can also contain viruses and webbugs, though, that may be harmful to your computer. To protect yourself, you can use a spam filter (included in many software applications). Additionally, many mail servers such MSN and Hotmail participate in programs that require senders to prove that what they are sending isn’t spam by posting a bond.

Phishing

Phishing is also an e-mail based scam that aims at persuading you to disclose personal information such as credit card numbers and social security numbers. Phishing requires that you actually respond to the e-mail with your information, as opposed to the aforementioned pharming, which redirects you to a fake site. To avoid become victim to a phishing scam, be weary of e-mails that ask for your personal information and go to web sites using your browser instead of clicking through your e-mail.

Tips

On page 407, the book provides a list of tips to help you avoid harm to your computer and/or identity:

use antipsyware and run continuously
use antivirus software
reject third-party cookies by changing computer settings
register to reject flash cookies
install an antispoofing tool
don’t click on pop up ads
don’t respond to e-mail offers

Chapter 7, Section D – E-mail

ejdahlberg — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:22:52 +0000

E-mail (electronic mail) is a document that can be created digitally and transmitted from one computer to another. An e-mail account gives you access to s storage area, a mailbox, where you can send and receive documents. Each mailbox has a specific address so that e-mails can be routed correctly. An e-mail system is the equipment and software that “carries andmanipulates” e-mail messages, and they contain e-mail servers which sort, store, and route mail. E-mail is sent by a method called “store and forward” which means that when the data cannot be directly sent, it is stored and sent when a transmission is possible.

Originally all e-mails were stored in ASCII text, which does not allow any text formatting, and in order to send a picture, you would have to attach it to be downloaded separately by the receipient. Now, most e-mail software has HTML formatting, which allows you to send and receive formatting text (italic, bold, color) and pictures within the body of the text. Other functions that most current e-mail software include (but are not limited to) address books, carbon copying, blind carbon copying, priority mail, e-mail blocking, and spell check. When sending an e-mail it is important to pay attention to your netiquette, or internet etiquette, by remembering that an e-mail does not convey the body language, gestures, and voice flucuations that are exchanged in a face-to-face conversation. Therefore, one must be aware of the person or people he/she is communicating with to efficiently and effectively convey their desired message.

There are three types of e-mail systems: POP (Pop Office Protocol), IMAP (Internet Messaging Access Protocol), and Web-based. POP temporarily stores new mail, and then you have to connect to your ISP and download it from the server onto your computer’s hard disk drive. IMAP is the same as POP but it also allows you to download your mail and leave it on a computer. Web-based e-mail keeps e-mail on a website where it can be accessed, such as gmail, yahoo mail, and hotmail.

Using POP requires that you get e-mail client software for your computer. Examples of this are Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. POP only requires that you connect to the internet to send and receive e-mail, because your e-mail is stored on your hard drive. This helps control who can access your e-mail because it is only on your personal computer, but this may risk your security because in the event of a hard drive malfunction, all of your e-mail information could be lost. On the other hand, Web-based mail stores your e-mail on their server, so if something happens to your computer’s hard drive, your information is still saved. Web-based e-mail may also be a better option for travel because you can access it from any computer; however, with POP, you may only access your infromation on your personal computer, making it necessary to take it with you if you need to access your e-mail when you travel.

Best Buy offers Microsoft Outlook for 109.99, and offers special discounts on Microsoft Office suites with the purchase of a computer. Using Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail is free.

Anti-Virus

ejdahlberg — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:07:07 +0000

My home computer has Norton Anti-Virus and Internet Security installed on it. I know that it’s up-to-date because when you pull up the program page on the computer it says “108 days remaining”. Also, I can log into my profile on mynortonaccount.com and it tells me that my subscription expires on February, 19, 2010. When it expires, I could upgrade to Norton 360 premier edition, but am in doubt that I will because I don’t need the extra back up storage space. I will probably opt for a cheaper selection, such as the regular version of Norton 360 or the Norton AntiVirus 2010 product, which is like the one I have now (2009), but with a few additional features.

Purchasing a New Computer

ejdahlberg — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:09:52 +0000

I think this computer would be a great choice because it has 6GB of SDRAM which is way more than her present computer. The additional RAM will allow her to multitask more (write papers and listen to music at the same time) and to watch DVDs and online videos at a better quality, because the additional memory will process it faster. It already comes with Windows 7 on it and has a widely expandable graphics option for better quality of her images/movies. In addition to Windows 7, it also comes with Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition, which will be valuable when she is writing papers. The processor is a quad core processor, meaning that the rate at which the computer will be able to process her inputs is much greater than her current computer. The upgrades I suggested for her current computer amount to about $250, and they won’t even make comparable improvements like this new computer can provide. And, she could use many more upgrades than the three I suggested. This computer is priced at 579.99. So, for less than $300 more than the upgrade, she can buy a whole new computer that would meet her needs and perform more efficiently.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9549401&type=product&id=1218122580360

Upgrading a Computer

ejdahlberg — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:21:48 +0000

For Betty (we’ll call her Betty), I would recommend upgrading her RAM, Hard Drive, and Windows Operating System.
Her RAM can be upgraded from 512MB to 1GB. 1024MB equals 1GB, so Betty can add 512MB of SD RAM to her existing 512MB for a maximal capacity of 1GB. She can buy 512MB of SD RAM from Office Max for $89.99.

http://www.officemax.com/technology/drives-memory-storage/pc-memory/desktop-memory/product-prod2530054?history=1gg1bd95|categoryId~10004^categoryName~Technology^parentCategoryID~category_root^prodPage~25^region~1@5hn9t2p6|categoryId~cat1310028^categoryName~drives-memory-storage^parentCategoryID~cat_10004^prodPage~25^region~1^refine~1@7a6p6rgm|categoryId~290^categoryName~PC+Memory^parentCategoryID~cat_cat1310028^prodPage~25^region~1^refine~1@hmd2yg10|prodPage~15^refine~1^region~1^categoryName~Desktop+Memory^categoryId~355^parentCategoryID~cat_290@3hdky91q|refineName~Capacity^prodPage~15^refine~1^sub_attr_name~1^region~1^refineValue~512MB

I would also recommend that Betty upgrade her hard drive. She can upgrade to a 500MB internal hard drive from Best Buy for $74.99.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8188962&type=product&id=1164155955173

Lastly, I would recommend that Betty upgrade her operating system. The one on her computer is for IT professionals and developers. She can buy the lastest version of Windows, Windows 7, from Best Buy for $119.99.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9382697&st=Select_Windows_7_200910&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218095770599

Chapter 7 – Web and E-mail

ejdahlberg — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:44:08 +0000

I have been assigned to research the topics listed in Chapter 7: The Web and E-mail. This Chapter delves further into subjects that we have just learned such as HTTP, HTML, and POP. It explains how search engines, e-commerce, e-mail, and web security function. I am interested in this chapter because I e-mail and shop online frequently, so it would be nice to know how it works in detail. There are also many terms listed in the back of the chapter that I have seen before, but do now know what they mean, so I am hoping to gain a better understanding of these things.

Router TCP/IP

ejdahlberg — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:36:52 +0000

This site describes the basic definitions of Internet Protocol (IP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). IP allows communication between computers without requiring a connection, and TCP allows communication between applications but, unlike IP, uses a fixed connection. TCP sends a “communication request to an exact address” to initiate communication bewteen applications until one is closed. On the other hand, IP does not require a connection. Instead, the information is “broken down into packets”, which are sent via the internet. The packets are received by routers, which then send it to specific locations. TCP and IP work together, because TCP breaks down the information into packets so that IP can send them to routers and their eventual, intended final destination.

http://www.w3schools.com/tcpip/tcpip_intro.asp

Wi-Fi hotspots

ejdahlberg — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:36:13 +0000

Does Starbucks pay for the textbook mention on page 323?

Hello

ejdahlberg — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:32:32 +0000

Hi wordpress.com. Typing in an entire class’s links takes forever.