Topic: INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET

INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET
Class: Comp. Sc A/L By:
By NDANG George

The term Internet is the short form of the expression “Inter-connecting Network”. It can be defined as a
giant computer network that results from the global interconnection of millions of computers and related
equipment based on the TCP/IP protocol. The Internet contains vast information quantities that are constantly
changing and extending. It is used by many individually companies, school and even government agencies.

Learning objectives
After studying this lesson, student should be able to:
- Define Internet and understand what is internet and e-mail and its uses in modern communication
- Discuss techniques of internet connections
- Discuss some Internet services (web, chat; VoIP, social networking, …)
- Differentiate Internet and intranet, intranet and extranet
- Discuss about some Internet threats and the possible remedies

Content of this topic

I. BRIEF HISTORY OF INTERNET………………………………………………………………2

II. INTERNET AND INTERNET TERMINOLOGIES…………………………………………….2

III. TECHNIQUES OF CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET……………………………………..3

IV. HOW TO CONNECT TO INTERNET……………….…………………………………………4

V. USES AND SHORTCOMINGS OF THE INTERNET…………………………………………4

VI. INTERNET PROTOCOLS………………………………………………………………………6

VII. INTERNET SERVICES…………………………………………………………………………6

VIII. INTRANET AND EXTRANET………………………………………………………………..13

IX. INTERNET AND SECURITY……………………………………………………………………………..14

X. NETIQUETE…………………………………………………………………………………...15

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I. BREF HISTORY OF INTERNET

In 1969, the US Department of Defense started a project to allow researchers and military personnel to
communicate with each other in an emergency. The project was called ARPAnet and it is the foundation of the
Internet. During the 1970's, what would later become the Internet was developed. While mostly military personnel
and scientists used it in its early days, the advent of the World Wide Web in the early 1990's changed all that.
Today, the Internet is not owned or operated by any one entity. This worldwide computer network allows people
to communicate and exchange information in new ways. According to www.commerce.net, in April of 1999, there
were 92.2 million Internet users over the age of 16in the United States and Canada. By 2005, it is predicted 75% of
the total US population will be online.

II. INTERNET AND INTERNET TERMINOLOGIES

The Internet in simple terms is a network of the interlinked computers all over the world, which is accessible to the
general public. Internet is used for various important functions which include the several means of communications
like the file transfer, the online chat and even the sharing of the documents and web sites on the WWW( World
Wide Web).
→ A person who makes use of the Internet is called an Internet user.
→ Anything that the Internet provides for users to consume (e.g. information, program or services) is referred to as
an Internet resource.
→ The ability to explore, evaluate, and exploit Internet resource is known as Internet literacy.
→ A community that is made up of Internet users and Internet resources is called a cyberspace.
→ A business enterprise where Internet access is available for public use is called a cybercafé.
→ A person or a computer that is connected to the Internet is said to be online.
→ To Download refers to the act of transmitting data from a remote computer on the Internet or other network to
one's own computer.
→ Upload is just the opposite of download. Upload refers to the act of transmitting data from local computer to
any other computer on the Internet or network.

III. TECHNIQUES OF CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET

There are several technologies that may be used for connecting a computer to the Internet. Some of the
most popular technologies include:
1- Analogue connection: Also called dial-up access, an analog Internet connection is both economical and
slow. Using a modem connected to your PC, users connect to the Internet when the computer dials a phone
number (which is provided by your ISP) and connects to the network.

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2- ISDN and B-ISDN Connection: Integrated services digital network(ISDN) is an international

communications standard for sending voice, video, and data over digital telephone lines or normal telephone
wires. Typical ISDN speeds range from 64 Kbps to 128 Kbps.

3- DSL Connection:(Digital Subscriber Line)It is frequently referred to as an "always on" connection

because it uses existing 2-wire copper telephone line connected to the premise so service is delivered
simultaneously with wired telephone service .The two main categories of DSL for home subscribers are called
ADSL (Asymmetric DSL) and SDSL (Symmetric DSL). DSL connection speeds range from 128 Kbps to 9 Mbps.

4- Cable Connection: Cable connections are “always-on”, high-speed Internet connections. Cable
connection is known as broadband connections and is much faster than analogue or ISDN links. It is more
costly than analogue and ISDN connections.

5- Wireless Connection: Wireless Internet or Wireless broadband is a new Internet connection type which
use radio frequency band instead of using telephone or cable networks for the Internet connections. Wireless
Internet is an “always-on” connection that can be accessed from anywhere as long as you are geographically
within a network coverage area.

6- Satellite connection: Internet over Satellite (IoS) allows a user to access the Internet via a satellite that
orbits the earth. A satellite is placed at a fixed position above the earth’s surface.
Network Type Speed Connection Description
Dial-up connection Twisted pair with Rapidly being replaced by broadband
Up to 56Kbps
(POTS) RJ-11 connector. technologies such as DSL and cable.
Integrated Services Twister pair with
128 kbps Business access
Digital Network (ISDN) RJ-11 connector.
Digital Subscriber Line Twisted-pair with Home, small business, and enterprise
256 Kbps to8 Mbps
(DSL) RJ-45 connector. access using existing phone lines.
Coaxial cable with F
Cable modem 512 Kbps to 52 Mbps Home, business, school access
connector.
Satellite 400 kbps Satellite Dish Rural and remote areas

IV. HOW TO CONNECT TO INTERNET

Analogue connection is one of the simplest and the cheapest connectivity techniques. The basic requirements are a
modem, a phone line, and a contract with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in addition to your computer:

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a) Computer - Generally any computer purchased in the last three years, particularly aPentium, should have
no problems in supporting the software you need to install. Older machines such as a 486 with only 8Mb RAM do
work, but you may want to upgrade the amount of RAM and your hard disk capacity.
b) A phone line: As a phone line, you can use your ordinary telephone line at home if you already own one.
c) A modem (modulator/demodulator): A modem is a hardware, which converts digital data into analog
signals (i.e. modulation) that can be sent over an analog telephone line and convert the analog signal back into
digital data (i.e. demodulation). The most critical aspect of the modem is its speed of operation. The speed of
modem is measured in kilobits per second (Kbps). Modern modem supports 28–56 Kbps speeds. There exist
internal and external modems.
d) An Internet account. It is an account that can be opened with an Internet service Provider. The process
of going to an ISP and getting an access account is referred to as subscription. An Internet Service Provider (ISP)
is a company or organization that provides Internet Access to user in return for money. Some examples of ISP are:
CamNet, Camtel, Africom, MTN, Orange, Ringo, YooMee

V. USES AND SHORTCOMINGS OF THE INTERNET

V.1- Uses of Internet
Internet is undoubtedly the most crucial technology of the modern world, the useful application has not only
made our lives easier than ever before but it also plays a very important role in the future developments. The
various uses of Internet include the following.
a) Educational purposes: For the students and educational purposes the internet is widely used to gather
information so as to do the research or add to the knowledge of any sort of subject they have. E-leaning enables
Internet users to have a full training on a certain domain through the Internet.

b) Social purposes: The internet is useful in maintaining contacts with friends and relatives who live abroad
permanently. The easiest communication means like the internet chatting systems and the emails are the best and
the most common for the maintaining contacts with the people around the world. One cannot imagine an online
life without social websites like Facebook or Twitter today

c) Entertainment: Not to forget internet is useful in providing with most of the fun these days. May it be all
the games, and networking conferences or the online movies, songs, dramas and quizzes, internet has provided the
users with a great opportunity to eradicate the boredom from their lives.

d) Faster Communication: The foremost target of Internet has always been speedy communication and it has
excelled way beyond the expectations. New innovations are only going to make it faster and more reliable. Now,
you can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world.

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e) Sharing of resources: Many resources like files, video or audios can be easily shared over the Internet

f) Information Resources: Information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers. Internet is a
virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the
Internet. The search engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service on the Internet.

g) Online Services: it has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now perform all
your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc., and right
from your home. Services like e-commerce are also available to enable people buying and purchasing online.

V.2- Shortcomings of Internet

Following are the disadvantages of Internet:
a) Spamming: Spamming denotes distribution of unsolicited e-mails in large numbers. They are meaningless
and they unnecessarily block the whole system. These activities are treated as illegal.

b) Theft of personal details While using the Internet, there is high probability that your personal details like
name, address and credit card number may be accessed by con artists and used for fraudulent purposes.

c) Pornography: it is definitely harmful for your children. There are numerous pornographic sites available
over the Internet and watching any of those can have very bad influence on the mental health of your children.

d) Virus threat: Virus is a program that interrupts the usual operation of your personal computer system. PCs
linked to the Internet have high probability of virus attacks and as a result of this your hard disk can crash,

e) Social Disconnect: People now only meet on social networks. More people are drifting apart from their
friends and family. Even children prefer to play online games rather than going out and mingling with other kids.

With all its falls, the Internet has the potential to make your life simple and convenient, as well as wreak
havoc in your life. Its influence is mostly dictated by the choices you make while you are online. With clever use,
you can manage to harness its unlimited potential.

VI. INTERNET PROTOCOLS

A protocol is a standardized way in which a specific procedure is performed. When people agree upon protocols it
enables them to communicate and perform various tasks together. Some examples of Internet protocols are:

→ HTTP: (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). These four letters are likely to appear in lowercase in the address bar of
a web browser while viewing this article. They are located at the beginning of the address and are used to tell the
browser how to properly process the data on the page and display the data to a computer user.

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→ FTP: (File Transfer Protocol )The primary protocol used to transfer large amounts of data from place to place
across the Internet is known as FTP. Computers known as FTP servers are places on the Internet where files can be
stored and accessed via File Transfer Protocol.

→ TCP/IP: The network protocol suite that is primarily responsible for the transfer of raw data across the Internet
is known as TCP/IP. The acronym stands for a combination of Transfer Control Protocol and Internet Protocol. The
TCP side primarily describes how computers connect and how data is to be transmitted across the Internet properly.
Internet network addressing concepts such as an IP address are part of the IP side of the TCP/IP protocol suite.

VII. INTERNET SERVICES

Once you are hooked up (connected) to the Internet, this giant network provides you with its numerous resources.
Apart from just sending and receiving e-mails, there are many other things that can be done on the Internet. In fact
the Internet provides you information on all possible topics. It also provides you with additional courses, electronic
game, the possibility of selling and purchasing goods, as well as possibility of communicating live with other
Internet users. All these resources that the Internet puts at our disposal are referred to as Internet services. The
World Wide Web, the e-mail, live messenger and search tools are popular Internet services.

VII.1 World Wide Web

The WWW or the Web is the user-friendly graphical interface to Internet resources. It is made of several
interconnected electronic documents (Web documents) stored on Internet computers. These web documents are all
interconnected by means of pathways called hyperlinks or links. A hyperlink is usually a colored or underlined
element (word, phrase, graphic or icons) in a web document that connects element in the same or another document.
A document that contains links to other text documents is called hypertext. The one that contains links to
multimedia documents is known as hypermedia. A software program which allows you to gain access to and
explore the web, is called a web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google chrome, …). Information
is presented to the visitor in an aesthetic and readable manner in a document called Webpage. A named collection
of related web pages that are created and/or maintained by the same person or organizations is known as a Website

Notion of URL (Short for Uniform Resource Locator)

URL or Internet address is a standardized naming convention used to locate a resource over the Internet or
Intranet. A resource can be a specific Web page, a document, or an image.
An example of URL is: http://www.computerhope.com/Jargon/start/main.htm. It can be divided into four main parts:
- Protocol :http stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol and enables the browser to know what protocol it is
going to use to access the information specified in the domain.

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- Web Server Name/Domain Name:www.computerhope.com (unique reference that identifies a website

on the internet.)
− Path: /Jargon/start/(The folder in which the page is found on the web)
− File Name:main.htm

VII.2 Electronic Mail

An electronic mail (e-mail) is a text message or letter that is sent through a computer network such as Internet. An
image, music or a video can be attached to an e-mail as an e-mail attachment.
a) E-mail addresses
E-mails are sent and received with the use of E-mail addresses. An e-mail address is just a group of character,
which identifies a sender or receiver of an e-mail. An e-mail address has two parts separated by the symbol @.
The part before the @ is called the username or user ID; the portion after the @ is called the location address or
the domain name. It is the name of the computer that handles your mail. Example: In the e-mail address
[email protected], pchs is the username and yahoo.com is the location address. E-mail addresses are not case
sensitive. It doesn’t make any distinction between upper case and lower case ([email protected]=
[email protected]).
c) Advantages of Email
- Low cost: the cost of sending an e-mail is very low
- High-speed: An e-mail takes only a few seconds to reach a destination
- World-wide access: You can access or open your e-mail account from any computer in the world that is
connected to the Internet.
- Time independent: E-mail can be sent or received at any hour of the day.
- Distance independent: The cost of sending e-mail does not depend on the distance of the receiver.
- Attachment: In addition to pure messages, an e-mail can also graphics, musics, speech and video
- Multiple destinations: A single e-mail message can be sent to several people at the same time.

d) How E-mail Works

It works in a similar fashion as the postal service. To send e-mail, one needs a connection to the Internet and
access to a mail server, which forwards the mail. The standard protocol used for sending e-mail is called SMTP
(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). It works in conjunction with POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet
Mail Access Protocol) servers.
e) E-mail Services

An e-mail service is a set of resources that provides the communication needs of the public on the Internet. The
most popular e-mail services are: Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AIM Mail, AOL and Hotmail. Yahoo! Mail which is one
of the largest e-mail providers on the Internet is a web based e-mail service from Yahoo! A program that is used

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to send and receive e-mails is called e-mail client. Popular e-mail clients are: Outlook express, Eudora,
Netscape communicator and Yahoo! Mail client. A storage space for e-mails on the Internet is known as E-mail
account. An E-mail account is associated with a given user ID, and is usually protected by a password to
prevent other people from reading and changing its contents without the user’s permission.

VII.3 Internet Relay Chat

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a service on the Internet that allows people to communicate in real time and carry on
conversations via the computer with one or more people. It provides the user with the facility to engage in
simultaneous (synchronous) online 'conversations' with other users from anywhere in the world.

VII.4 Instant Messaging

Also called Online Chat, Instant messaging (IM) is a form of communication over the Internet, that offers quick
transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver. Popular IM applications include MSN Messenger,
Yahoo Messenger and AOL Messenger
Chat programs allow users on the Internet to communicate with each other by typing in real time. They are
sometimes included as a feature of a website, where the users can log into chat rooms to exchange comments and
information about the topics addressed on the site.. In addition to these dedicated applications a number of Web-
based services also provide instant messaging facilities within the Web site, such as Yahoo Groups.

VII.5 Online Social Networking

Online Social Networking has become very popular during the past few years. It is the use of a dedicated Web
site to communicate informally with other members of the site. These websites are known as social sites. Some
examples of online social networking website are:

a) Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service launched in February 2004, owned and operated by Facebook, Inc.
Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. As of September 2012, Facebook has over one billion active
users. Facebook is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload
photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. The site, which is
available in 37 different languages, includes public features such as:
• Marketplace - allows members to post, read and respond to classified ads.
• Groups - allows members who have common interests to find each other and interact.
• Events - allows members to publicize an event, invite guests and track who plans to attend.
• Pages - allows members to create and promote a public page built around a specific topic.
• Presence technology - allows members to see which contacts are online and chat.

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b) Twitter
it is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based
messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets". It was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched
that July. The service rapidly gained world wide popularity, with over 500 million registered users as of 2012,

VII.6 Search tools

There are many tools and services designed for searching the Internet for sites and resources. Search tools can
be classified as search engine, meta-search engine and subject directories:
a) Search engine:
A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are
generally presented in a line of results often referred to as search engine results pages (SERP's). The
information may be a specialist in web pages, images, information and other types of files. Some examples are:

SEARCH Engine Dscription

Google - The world's most popular search engine.

Bing Search: Microsoft's entry into the burgeoning search engine market. Better
late than never.
Yahoo! Search: The 2nd largest search engine on the web (as defined by a
September 2007 Nielsen Net ratings report.
AltaVista: Launched in 1995, built by researchers at Digital Equipment
Corporation's Western Research Laboratory.
Excite: Now an Internet portal, was once one of the most recognized brands on the
Internet. One of the famous 90's dotcoms
Galaxy: More of a directory than a search engine. Launched in 1994, Galaxy
was the first searchable Internet directory.
Live Search (formerly Windows Live Search and MSN Search) Microsoft's
web search engine, designed to compete with Google and Yahoo!.
Lycos: Initial focus was broadband entertainment content, still a top 5 Internet
portal and the 13th largest online property according to Media Metrix

b) Meta-search engine:
A meta-search engine is a search tool that sends user requests to several other search engines and/or databases
and aggregates the results into a single list or displays them according to their source. Meta-search engines
enable users to enter search criteria once and access several search engines simultaneously. Meta-search engines
operate on the premise that the Web is too large for any one search engine to index it all and that more
comprehensive search results can be obtained by combining the results from several search engines. This also
may save the user from having to use multiple search engines separately.
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Meta-Search Engine Primary WebDatabases Ad Databases

Vivisimo Ask, MSN, Gigablast, Looksmart, Open Directory, Wisenut Google
Clusty Ask, MSN, Gigablast, Looksmart, Open Directory, Wisenut Google

Ixquick AltaVista, EntireWeb, Gigablast, Go, Looksmart, Netscape, Yahoo

Open Directory, Wisenut, Yahoo
Dogpile Ask, Google, MSN, Yahoo!, Teoma, Open Directory, more Google, Yahoo

Mamma About, Ask, Business.com, EntireWeb, Gigablast, Open Miva, Ask

Directory, Wisenut
AlltheWeb, AltaVista, EntireWeb, Exalead, Hotbot,
Kartoo
Looksmart, Lycos, MSN, Open Directory, Teoma
ToileQuebec, Voila, Wisenut, Yahoo

c) Subject directories
Subject directories are a collection of sites organized by a human. At the top of the directory is a general topic.
From that general topic the deeper you go into the directory, the more specific the information you will find.
Sometimes subject directories are called trees. Examples of subject directories include the following: Internet
Public Library, BUBL, Scirus, INFOMINE, The WWW Virtual Library, Intute, Librarian's Internet Index,
Statistical Sites on the WorldWide Web, The Scout Archives

VII.7 VoIP (Voice over IP):

This is a technology that allows voice conversations to be transmitted over the Internet as opposed to
traditional phone lines. Here, a suitable combination of hardware and software enables people to make phone call
using the Internet. VoIP is often used as a voice extension of instant messaging services like Yahoo! Messenger.
The most known example of VoIP is Skype:
Skype:
Skype is widely known as a software application that allows you to make free or low cost calls across the
Internet to other Skype users, cell phones, VoIP and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) lines. But Skype
is about more than just making calls from your PC. With Skype you can also:
- Send and Receive Instant Messages
- Conduct Video Calls
- Collaborate and share documents
- Send and Receive Faxes
These options make Skype a complete communications service for just about any user, whether you are using it
for personal or professional use.
a) Google Hangout, Google Talk, Google voice
There are 3 others programs that you can use as alternatives to Skype. it depends on what you were using Skype for.

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- If you need a quick and easy way to set up group video conferences, look no further than Google Hangouts.
You can add up to 8 other participants for a total of 10.
- If you just need a service that lets you call other people over the Internet, then GoogleVoice is your
solution. Assign yourself a Voice-provided phone number that you can use for everything no matter what your
phone or service provider is. Through GoogleVoice, you can make free calls to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada;
everywhere else has extremely low rates.
- If it’s instant messaging that you need, use Google Talk. As a bonus, you can use Google Talk to initiate
private video chat sessions; all you need to do is install a plugin. Google Talk interfaces with Gchat (on Gmail),
iGoogle, and Orkut.
VII.8 Weblog
A weblog or a blog is a shared online diary where people can post daily entries about their personal
experiences and hobbies. The activity of updating a blog is called blogging and someone who keeps a blog is
known as a blogger. Quelques examples de serveurs de blog sont. Over blog(www.overblog.com), Blog4ever
(www.blog4ever.com), Blogger (www.blogger.com)

VII.9 Video Conferencing

Video conferencing uses the same technology as IRC, but also provides sound and video pictures. It enables
direct face-to-face communication across the networks. A video conferencing system has two or more parties in
different locations, which have the ability to communicate using a combination of video, audio and data. A video
conference can be person to person (point-to-point) or can involve more than two people (referred to as multipoint)
and the video conferencing terminals are often referred to as endpoints. It uses VoIP software like Skype.
VII.10 9 Newsgroups (Usenet)
Newsgroups are international discussion groups that focus on a particular topic and helps in gathering
information about that topic. The topics discussed here cover all the fields such as politics, computers, technology
and many more. The information or articles that make up the 'news' are written by people interested in a specific
topic. These articles are posted to the newsgroup so that others can read, reply and comment on them.
Other services
The use of Internet is not limited only to browsing, searching, and exchange of messages. Other important uses
of Internet include the following:
a) Online game: This is a type of game which is played on the Internet. They are different from video and
computer game in the sense that they are not dependent of hardware or software a computer may have
b) E-commerce: This is the buying or selling goods and services on the Internet
c) Webcasting: It is the process of broadcasting information over the Internet, rather than by radio or television.
d) Online learning: This is a form of education r training that occurs on computer network such as the Internet.

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e) Online translation: This is a service that translates a given piece of text from onelanguage to another language
with the help of special software called online translator (e.g. Google translate).

VIII. INTRANET AND EXTRANET

A key requirement in today’s organizations is the ability of the organization to communicate effectively, both
internally with its employees and externally with its partner and customers. Both forms of communication can be
set up by means of private computer networks. Intranet and extranet are two common examples of private
computer network used for such case.

1- Intranet
An intranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols to provide Internet services restricted within an
organization. It is protected from unauthorized users by a firewall. Intranet enhances existing communication
between employees and provides a common knowledge base and storage area for everyone in an organization or
company. It utilizes network hardware and software technologies like Ethernet, WI-Fi, TCP/IP, Web browser and
Web servers.
An intranet may consist of many interlinked LANs and also used leased lines in the WAN. The main purpose of an
Intranet is to share company information sans computing resources among employees
Benefits of Intranet
- Better internal communications: Corporate information can be stored centrally and access at any time.
- Sharing of resources at best practice
- Improve customer service - Reduction of paperwork

2- Extranet
An extranet is a private network that enables an organization to communicate and collaborate more effectively
with selected business partners, suppliers and customers. An extranet can play an important role in enhancing
business relationships and improving management. The extranet uses Internet protocols so users can navigate with
a browser, but resides on the company’s private server rather than on a public Internet server. One very valuable
application for an extranet is customer service. Online patches, upgrades, downloads, knowledge bases, and an
interactive help desk are just a few examples of ways to serve a client using an extranet.

Benefits of Extranet
An extranet can offer a wide range of benefits to a business establishment, starting from lowering costs, to
producing faster results, and improving the quality of service to customers. However, the type of benefits that those
organizations using extranets typically experience includes:
- More integrated supply chain through the use of online ordering, order tracking and inventory management.

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- Reduced cost by making manuals and technical documentation available online to trading partners and
customers.
- More effective collaboration between business partner
- Improve business relationships with key trading partner because of the close collaborative working that extranet
supports.
- Improve customer service by giving customer s direct access to information

Shortcomings of extranet

- Extranets can be expensive to implement and maintain within an organization (e.g. hardware, software,
employees training cost), if hosted internally rather than by an application service provider
- Security of extranet can be a concern when hosting valuable or proprietary information
3- Comparison Internet-Extranet
An extranet is actually an Intranet that is partially accessible to authorized outsiders. Similarly, if the Intranet is
connected to the internet and allows access from the Internet, it becomes an extranet. There are many similarities
and differences between extranet and intranet.
a) Differences
Intranet Extranet
Not accessible beyond a company’s firewall accessible beyond a company’s firewall
Is an entirely internal network Has a portal to the outside world
More secure Less secure
b) Similarities
- Make use of Internet technologies and protocols - Are both private networks
- Enable easy information sharing workgroup.

XI. INTERNET AND SECURITY

Internet security is a broad term that refers to the various steps individuals and companies take to protect
computers or computer networks that are connected to the Internet. One of the basic truths behind Internet security
is that the Internet itself is not a secure environment. Data sent over the Internet, from personal e-mail messages to
online shopping orders, travel through an ever-changing series of computers and network links. As a result,
unscrupulous hackers and scam artists have ample opportunities to intercept and change the information. It would
be virtually impossible to secure every computer connected to the Internet around the world, so there will likely
always be weak links in the chain of data exchange.

VIII.1 Common Internet security threats

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1) Computer Virus
A virus is a piece of software that can replicate itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge
of the user. A virus can only spread when it is transmitted by a user over a network or the Internet, or through
removable media such as CDs or memory sticks.

2) Spam, Spin and Spit

SPAM is electronic junk email. The amount of spam has now reached 90 billion messages a day. Email addresses
are collected from chat rooms, websites, newsgroups and by Trojans which harvest users’ address books.
SPIM is spam sent via instant messaging systems such as Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger and ICQ.
SPIT is Spam over Internet Telephony. These are unwanted, automatically-dialed, pre-recorded phone calls using
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

3) Spoofing, Phishing and Pharming

Spoofing is an attack in which a person or program masquerades as another. A common tactic is to spoof a URL
or website
Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is a common form of spoofing in which a phony web page is produced that looks
just like a legitimate web page. The phony page is on a server under the control of the attacker.
Pharming (pronounced “farming”) is an attack in which a hacker attempts to redirect a website's traffic to another,
bogus website. Pharming can be conducted either by changing the hosts file on a victim’s computer or by
exploitation of a vulnerability in DNS server software.

4) SPYWARE
It’s software that is secretly installed on a computer without the user’s consent. It monitors user activity or
interferes with user control over a personal computer. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal
information, such as websites visited, credit card details, usernames or passwords, as well as install other malware,
redirect web browsers to malicious websites, divert advertising revenue to a third party or change computer
settings ( leading to degraded or unstable system performance, slow connection speeds or different home pages).

5) Keystroke Logging (Keylogging)

A keylogger is a software program that is installed on a computer, often by a Trojan horse or virus. Keyloggers
capture and record user keystrokes. The data captured is then transmitted to a remote computer.

6) Adware
Adware is software which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. The
adware runs either after a software program has been installed on a computer or while the application is being
used. In some cases, adware is accepted by users in exchange for using software free-of-charge.

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7) Botnet
A Botnet (also called a “zombie army”) is a collection of software robots, or bots, that run automated tasks
over the Internet. The term “botnet” is generally used to refer to a distributed network of compromised computers
(called “zombie computers”).

8) WORM
A computer worm is a self-replicating, malicious software program. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach
itself to an existing program or require user intervention to spread. It uses a network to send copies of itself to
other computers on the network.

9) Trojan Horse
A Trojan horse or Trojan is a piece of software which conceals a payload (often malicious) while
appearing to perform a legitimate action. Trojan horses often install “backdoor programs” which allow hackers a
secret way into a computer system.

10) Denial-Of-Service Attack (DoS Attack)

As its name implies, a Denial-of-Service or DoS attack is an attempt to make a computer resource such as a
website or web service unavailable to users.

11) Rootkit:
A rootkit is a collection of tools that are used to obtain administrator-level access to a computer or a network of
computers. A rootkit could be installed on your computer by a cybercriminal exploiting a vulnerability or security
hole in a legitimate application on your PC and may contain spyware that monitors and records keystrokes.

VIII.2 Basic Means of Protection

Luckily, computer experts have developed ways to help small businesses protect themselves against the most
common security threats. For example :
1) Antivirus: An antivirus program is a software utility designed to protect your computer or network against
computer viruses.

2) Firewall: A firewall is a hardware security device that is installed between a computer network and the
Internet. It acts like a Web server, routing traffic, but also blocks external users from accessing the internal
computer system.

3) Encryption: A method of preventing third parties from capturing data while it is being transmitted over the
Internet is encryption. Encryption programs put data into a scrambled form that cannot be read without a key.

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4) Authentication: There are several methods available to help small businesses prevent unauthorized access to
their computer systems. One of the most common methods is authentication of users through passwords. Since
passwords can be guessed or stolen, some companies use more sophisticated authentication technologies, such as
coded ID cards, voice recognition software, retinal scanning systems, or handprint recognition systems. All of these
systems verify that the person seeking access to the computer network is an authorized user.

5) Upgrade: To upgrade is generally to replace a hardware, software or firmware with a newer or better version,
in order to bring the system up to date or to improve its characteristics. Upgrade all web browsers to support 128-bit
encryption will help safeguard any information you want to pass securely over the web, including passwords and
other sensitive data submitted on forms.

IX. NETIQUETE
It seems complicated but it’s not. These are just simple guidelines that one needs to follow while you are online.
These will prevent you from hurting somebody you’re talking to. Internet etiquette, or netiquette guides us in
proper behavior on the Internet. There are widely accepted rules of behavior to follow when you're online. It is
very important to learn and follow these rules. Some netiquette tips are:

1. Avoid hurting someone's feelings with e-mail.

Sometimes, online, people can't tell that you are joking. When you write an e-mail message, make sure the person
you're sending it to will know whether you are happy, sad, angry, joking, etc. You can do this by using smileys.

2. Respect other people's online rights.

People on the Internet have rights just as they do in everyday life. If someone sends you a threatening letter, or
makes crank phone calls to your house, it can be annoying and sometimes very scary. The same is true on the
Internet. If someone sends you e-mail which threatens you or makes you feel uncomfortable, talk to a parent or
other adult right away.

3. Avoid insulting someone unless you want to start a flame war.

A flame war is when angry people try to punish each other with e-mail. Sometimes this can be done by sending so
many messages that a mailbox gets jammed, and sometimes this is done by sending a few very nasty messages
meant to hurt someone's feelings. If you insult someone with e-mail, they will probably get angry just as they
would if you insulted them face to face.

4. If someone insults you, be calm.

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Starting a flame war is serious business on the Net. Even if you are angry with someone, you don't need to take
things any further. Try being calm, ignoring the message, or sending a polite message asking for them to explain
what they meant. It may have been a misunderstanding.

5. Avoid "crashing" discussion groups or forums.

People on the Net frequently get together online to talk about things they may have in common. This can be done
on a listserv, a bulletin board, a chat group, etc. If you join the discussion just for the fun of "crashing" it, or
ruining it, people will definitely get angry.

6. Respect the privacy of other people.

If someone tells you something secret, it should be kept secret. This includes passwords, full names, addresses, or
interests. Sharing your own password with someone else, even someone you like, is never a good idea. Passwords
and personal information are private, and are never safe to share with others.

7. Be responsible online.
When you are at the computer, you are in control. Avoid using the computer to harm other people. Taking things
which are not yours (such as files, passwords, or credit card numbers), spreading rumors about other people online,
and infecting other computers with viruses (on purpose) are examples of harming other people online

8. Help other people learn more about the Net.

Chances are someone else taught you a lot of what you know about the Internet. The Net is growing quickly, and
it's difficult to keep up. Other kids, or even your parents and teachers, may need help understanding what it's all
about. Try to help them if you can. Who knows? They might show you a thing or two someday!

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