Network Security

There are many people that use the internet daily, according to PEW 85% of Americans say they use the internet daily, including 31% who say they use it almost constantly, 48% who say they use it several times a day, and 6% who say they use it once or twice a day (Pew Research Center, 2021). Most of us may use the internet for web browsing or for checking email. There are several important things an internet user should know when browsing around. And there are many problems an internet user can run into while browsing.The internet is full of safe things to do, but you must be aware of everything you do.

Internet safety should be a big concern for internet users. There are serveral network security vulnerabilities that a user could encounter while using the internet.These vulnertabilities could include a Ping, DDos, Phishing attack, or Email spam. Phishing attacks are carried out through email or text messages and can be very damaging to an internet user. Phishing emails and text messages frequently use narratives designed to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You may come across an unexpected email or text message that seems to originate from a familiar or trusted entity, such as a bank, credit card company, utility provider, or an online payment platform (How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams, 2022). If you are not aware, you can click on a phishing email link and compromise your personal information. There is also a risk of opening a virus on your personal computer that could cause a loss of files. To stay safe, make sure you back up your files and have an anti-virus program and create unique passwords.

Email Spam is like paper junk mail, spam is unsolicited, unwanted electronic mail (About Spam - University IT, 2023). Depending on who you have as an email provider, you may have a spam folder. And within that folder you will see spam emails which are random emails that are sent to your inbox that may not be relevant to you. How is email spam sent and how does it get your email address? According to the University of Rochester it can be done by chain letters, joke emails, etc. that have been forwarded. Online competitions or "free" gift forms. Documents with your address on them that you have thrown away without shredding. Randomly guessing addresses and hoping the destination is a valid address (About Spam - University IT, 2023). To protect yourself, as said earlier an email provider may have provided a spam folder where all those emails are stored. If you do not recognize certain emails, you should delete them. For your own safety, you should have an antivirus program that will scan your emails before you open them.

Ping attacks can be very disturbing to a casual internet user and a online business. Most commomn ping attacks are denial-of-service (DoS) and Ping flood (ICPM). In a Ping flood attack, the computing device is flooded with tons of Internet Control Message Protocol ping requests, which are used to check for the health status of networking devices and the connectivity between devices. Here, the tons of requests, which flood the computing device, make the target unreachable. Ping flood requests flood the computing device (GeeksforGeeks, 2022). DOS is an attack that involves overloading the target system with too many requests for resources, preventing it from responding to legitimate requests. This is known as a distributed denial of service attack (DDOS), which prevents access by authorized users by exhausting the resources of the computer system (Denial of Service Attack, n.d.). Each attack can potentially cause a stoppage of internet service. This could be very damaging to an internet user or a large business that is functioning off the internet causing traffic jam. To stay protected from each of these attacks, it is best to have antivirus program, firewall, and ping monitor software.

As you see, there are many dangers on the internet and it’s up to the user to take safety precautions to be safe. It's important as an internet user to make sure you have an antivirus program to stop most of the potential attacks and always be aware of the links they click on through email. By taking safety precautions you can ensure that most of your personal information and computers files are not compromised.

Reference
Denial of Service Attack. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2023 from https://www.utep.edu/information-resources/iso/security-awareness/technical-security-resources/what-is-dos-attack.html
How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams. (2022, October 25). Retrieved June 24, 2023, from Consumer Advice. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
Pew Research Center. Retrieved June 24, 2023 from https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/03/26/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-say-they-are-almost-constantly-online/
Protecting Yourself While Using The Internet. (2015, April 21). Retrieved June 24, 2023, from https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/protecting-yourself-while-using-internet