7. Social Networking

Social networking has become very popular in the recent years.  The definition of a social network is a “social structure made up of individuals which are ties by one or more specific types of interdependency.”  This interdependency can by a friendship, family, common interest, common belief, or other types of relationships.  With use of the internet, social networking is tremendously growing because people can connect and communicate from all parts of the world, whether it’s through personal relation or not. 

            The most common type of social network is the networks that unite school students and former classmates such as Facebook.  Facebook was originally created for college students, so that only people with an active college e-mail address could have access to creating a personal Facebook page.  Now, Facebook has expanded to all age groups.  Young children have personal Facebook pages as well as elderly people and everyone in between.  Popularity of Facebook grew so rapidly because it’s an easy and fun way for people to stay in contact no matter where in the world they are. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking

6. Wireless Network Precautions

Wireless networking is a very convenient invention; however, it poses a lot more security issues than wired networks.  They are easier to break into than wired networks.  Because of these safety issues, programs have been created to take precautions on securing your network.  An example of a security program is the CWID used at Montclair State University.  WID stands for wireless intrusion detection.  This prevents unauthorized users from accessing personal information, in particular with MSU, students’ accounts and educational information.

            A WIPS, wireless intrusion prevention system, is a program designed to act against unauthorized sources of a network.  It is made to detect when an intruding source has accessed the network and can deny or block further access.  This happens automatically – when an unauthorized computer accesses the network, the WIPS detects it and classifies it under a certain type of threat.  Further measures are taken once the kind of threat is identified and interpreted




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Intrusion_Prevention_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_security

5. Strong Password

            Creating a strong password has to do with unpredictability, originality, length, and complexity.  Programs that assess password strength look for how many times it would take someone who doesn’t know the password to guess it.  It is suggested to not use personal terms such as family names or information, as these are easier for the hacker to guess, especially if they know some of your personal information.  Many internet websites have a password strength test to assist the user into creating a strong password.  These password assessment tests look for words out of the dictionary which are easy for an attacker to discover.  They also look for patterns or sequences. 

            The strongest kind of password is a series of random letters and numbers.  The more random, the longer it will take a hacker to figure out.  The problem with these types of passwords is that they are hard for the user to remember.  Users typically like to choose a password that they can remember so they don’t have to even write it down.  Short passwords are a lot easier to hack, so it is important to create a password with length.  Microsoft recommends at least 14 characters, which unfortunately is not usually followed. 

http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/passwords-create.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_password

4. Internet Parental Control Software

            Parental control software has two functions.  The first function is to filter what children look at.  This is very similar to internet filtering, except usually more limited in internet access.  For example, some parents may choose to only allow selected websites for view by children, instead of selecting what they can’t view.  This allows for only a limited number of websites to be accessed. 

            The other function that some parental control programs have is to track internet activity of children.  These programs vary in price.  Some can track everything that people do on the computer.  They can show the parents online chats the children have had, sent and received e-mails, websites that have been visited, images that have been viewed, and even keystrokes that have been typed.  The main purpose of parental control software is to keep children from accessing inappropriate websites, and also for safety from child predators.

http://www.parentalsoftware.org/
http://www.internet-filters.net/info.html

3. Internet Filters

Internet filters are programs that limit the use of surfing the internet.  They work in many different ways.  Sometimes keywords are used to block cites, and some programs have lists of undesirable cites.  Depending on the program, some can be programmed to block cites chosen specifically by the user.  This is often useful for parents limited the internet access they allow their children to view. 

            Internet filters are also useful for schools, libraries, and businesses.  These different organizations sometimes want to limit what their computer users can access, so internet filtering is very important.  For example, a high school computer class may block access to Facebook or other social networking websites because that is not appropriate for classroom activities.  Businesses may also block websites like Facebook because that is not what they want their employees who are on-the-clock to be doing at work. 

http://www.netnanny.com/
http://www.internet-filters.net/info.html

2. Digital Image Steganography

Steganography is the process of concealing a message so that only intended people can interpret it.  This has been used for hundreds of years, and in the past it was used often by hiding text within a message, so that it appeared to be something else.  Only people who knew the means of revealing the hidden message could find it, while all others viewing the document thought it was a different message.

            Recently, with the new development of computer technology, steganography has been expanded by using it within computers as well.  Images can be altered by changing the number of bits or changing the color to produce a completely different “hidden” image.  Sound can also be a means of steganography, by changing the bits of a sound file, it can produce a different sound which can be the hidden message.  Encryption is also a method of digital steganography in which information is encrypted and therefore, only viewed by intended users







http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography

1. Computer Forensics

Computer forensics is a process of obtaining information from computer sources for legal purposes.  When computers became more common in the 1980s, it opened a window for all new types of crime.  People could use computers for hacking into others’ personal information, and also other crimes such as child pornography, cyberstalking, rape, and murder.  Computer forensics is the science of retrieving information through computers for evidence of these crimes.

Computer forensics can be very simple if the information one is looking for is easy to find, but it can also be very challenging and require experts for certain cases.  A common technique in computer forensics is recovering deleted files.  When a file is deleted from a computer, it is usually retrievable by some means.  File carving is the process of searching for files within the operating system to find deleted data.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_forensics