Chapter 1: Cyberspace, The Internet, & the World Wide Web Flashcards
Define Cyberspace.
The interdependent network of information technology infrastructures, and include the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers in crucial industries; Cyberspace refers to the virtual environment in which people communicate and interaction with others. Cyberspace consists of four different layers: 1) physical later, 2) logic layer, 3) information layer, and 4) personal layer.
Define Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
The DMCA updated US copyright law to meet the demands of the digital age and to conform US law to the requirements of the World Intellectual Property Organization and treaties that the US signed in 1996
Define Domain Name System (DNS).
A system for naming computers and network services that is organized into a hierarchy of domains. DNS naming is used in TCP-IP networks, such as the Internet, to locate computers and services through user-friendly names. When a user enters a DNS name in an application, DNS services can resolve the name to other information associated with the name, such as an IP address
Define Hyperlink.
A reference or navigation element in a hypertext document that offers direct access to another section of the same document or to another hypertext document that is on or part of a (different) domain
Define Hypertext.
A hyperlink that is embedded in words
Define Internet.
The hardware and software infrastructure that connects computers around the globe
What is Internet Protocol Suite?
TCP-IP is the commonly used nickname for the set of network protocols composing the Internet protocol suite. Many texts use the term Internet to describe both the protocol suite and the globalwidearea network. In this book, TCP/IP refers specifically to the Internet protocol suite; “Internet” refers to the widearea network and the bodies that govern it
What is Malware?
Malware, short for malicious software, refers to a type of computer program designed to infect a legitimate user’s computer and inflict harm on it in multiple ways
What is a Personal Computer?
A small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for an individual user
What is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL)?
The address of a website or file
What is a Vulnerability?
A weakness in a product that could allow an attacker to compromise the integrity, availability, or confidentiality of that product
What is the World Wide Web?
The interconnected documents and variety of resources that can be accessed via the Internet
What is the Purpose of the Internet?
“The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location.”
What 3 distinct aspects did the Internet develop?
1) Operations & management
2) Social
3) Commercialization
Explain the Operations & Management aspect of the development of the Internet.
- Researchers had to make it easier for people to use the Internet
- The Domain Name System (DNS) was developed for household Internet users -
- Other major issues were increasing the capabilities of: Routers, Operating Systems, Software
Explain the Social aspect of the development of the Internet.
- The Internet was built to be a free and open access
- The social aspect has become one of the most important purposes of the Internet: shopping online, meeting in online cafes, sharing pictures & opinions
- The evolution of the Internet has also created substantial dangers for people’s lives, for example: bullying, child pornography
Explain the Commercialization aspect of the development of the Internet.
- The opportunity to create new businesses & markets
- Private companies developed private network services
- Commercialization led to an increasing use of the Internet: online shopping, online banking, online education
What are the 5 distinct gateways that vulnerabilities create for anyone that uses the Internet?
1) Time & Space
2) Lacks of Barriers to Entry
3) Anonymity
4) Asymmetries of Cyberspace
5) 1’s & 0’s
Explain the Time & Space gateway.
- Today, a thief can be on another continent and use the Internet to steal money or credit card information from someone
- The main purpose of the Internet is to move information quickly & reliably, & thus, it was designed to be open & frictionless
- Since criminals have the same global access to the Internet as non-criminal users, they don’t need to be anywhere near the victim to perpetrate their crime
Explain the Lacks of Barriers to Entry gateway.
- Whereas countries have physical borders that serve to keep criminals out of the country, the Internet has no such borders
- This borderless Internet traffic threatens nation-states’ ability to control their territory & the flow of information & goods
- Different countries have developed different strategies to deal w/ this problem
- China has probably the most restrictive Internet strategy
Explain the Anonymity gateway.
- Users can remain completely anonymous if they chose to do so
- The lack of identification makes it easy for criminals, criminal organizations, & terrorist groups to hide
o Criminals often operate from outside the jurisdiction where the crime occurred, raising issues of who has the authority to pursue the criminals
o US has no jurisdiction in other countries if the criminal is operating outside of the US - Many users are unaware of the risks of leaving identifying & secret information while surfing the Internet
Explain the Asymmetries of Cyberspace gateway.
- A small number of criminals can cause a great amount of damage because cyber crimes do not require a sophisticated industrial base or significant financial resources
- The strength of a nation-state depends on its intellectual capabilities rather than their military capabilities
o Any country could potentially challenge the US & Europe if the country has the intellectual capabilities – including North Korea, China, Russia, or Iran
Explain the 1’s & 0’s gateway.
- Not possible to determine what specific code will do, whether it will execute a program we meant to download or whether it will plant malicious software on our computer
- It is possible that the downloaded program can do both – install the program we wanted & plant malicious software
What are the 4 layers of Cyberspace?
1) Physical layer
2) Logic layer
3) Information layer
4) Personal layer
