Computing Holiday Homework

By Osama Hassan

Communicating Methods:

● Social Networking: Facebook & Twitter

● E-mail: POP3 (Hotmail, Yahoo Mail), STMP (Gmail,
Microsoft Exchange)
● Blogs: Blogger, Engadget, etc.
● Chat rooms: Omegle, Chat Roulette, etc.
● Instant Messaging: MSN, Yahoo Messenger, Gtalk, ect.
● PTP File shareing: LImewire, Napstar, Bareshare, ect.
● RSS Feeds: Google Reader, News.com, ect
● Internet connected devices: Smart phones, Tablets, Netbook, etc.

Internet Laws (Safety & Security):

 "The Communications Decency Act (1996)": Imposed criminal sanctions on anyone who
knowingly uses an interactive computer service to send to a specific person or persons
under 18 years of age inappropriate content.
 "The PROTECT Our Children Act (2008)": The most forceful act to
date relating to Internet safety. Singed by ex-president G.W.
Bush, it gave unprecedented control to the FCC over what was
deemed “exploitation of child/adolescence” on the Internet.

Threats & Dangers:

 Phishing: Immoral people who intend to acquire sensitive information by masquerading

as a trustworthy source. The most common methods of phishing are E-mail and instant
messaging; the hacker intends to lead the unsuspecting victim to a fraudulent site in
order to attain, for example, bank details. Even with browser security safeguards such as
server verification, the most trained IT personal find it hard to tell wether a site is
legitimate or not. This results in many cases of phishing reported around the world
countless times .
 Malware: Malicious software that is installed on a persons workstation without there
knowing or consent. Malware unusually results in the computer being infected with some
sort of virus (worms, Trojan horses, dishonest adware, crime ware and most root kits).
Results of such an event can cause the computer can crash, Blue Screen or not function
properly in general (OS could be corrupted).
 Network Vulnerabilities: Wireless Cracking is the unauthorized penetrating or usage of a
wireless network without the known consent of the owner. To crack a wireless network
requires a certain level of technological knowledge ranging from moderately skilled to
 professional hacker. One access is gained; the person can change network setting,
modify software and gain valuable information among other things.

Safety Precaution:

 Install an anti-virus and scan your computer on a regular basis to keep protected.
 Enable a firewall in wireless network to reduce the risk of getting hacked.
 Encrypt your important data so as to keep your private information private in the event of your
computer getting infiltrated.
 For extra security when using a public hotspot, log onto a guest user account to avoid the risk of
getting hacked and giving away valuable details.
 Use SSL 3.0 in your web browser to help protect from “shaddy” web site.
 Remember to get updates as they come from your OS provider to stay up to date with the latest
patches and bug fixes.
 Always back-up your hard drive whenever possible to keep your data safe.
 Don’t open unknown e-mail attachments unless scanned by your anti-virus first.
 Tweak the privacy setting on your social network of choice (if you use one) to limit the
information attained by tired party application developers.
 Keep your passwords and usernames secret!