Cable: a cable data connection transfers information from the Internet to your computer and from your computer to the network, through your cable television connection. Cable connections provide high speed data transfer downstream from the Internet to your computer, but they are slower while sending data from your computer to the network. Additionally, transfer Mates are more effective with the increasing number of subscribers connected online simultaneously. All connections originate in one line per street, so signal decreases with the numer of subscribers coming online. Cable connections can be used by individual subbscriber to connect one computer to one line or for connection of multiple computers in a building to the Internet.
Dial-up: data is transmitted through the analog phone connection. You will connect to the Internet by using phone line to dial into an ISP's line. The analog connection is the slowest type of available connections and permits you to use your telephone for a voice connection at the same time.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line): DSL and its variations (such as ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), use normal phone lines to transit and receive data digitally. Unlike a cable connection, DSL allows you to use the line exclusivelly so there is no signal degradation caused by other users. Like cable connection, DSL offers high-speed connectivity, and allows you to connect a whole building to the Internet.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): ISDN is a technology that also provides a high-speed connection. ISDN offers connections throughout ordinary telephone wire, facilitating both voice and data transmission so you can maintain your connection to the Internet while placing telephone calls. ISDN can be used by individuals who needs to connect one computer to one line, or it can be used to connect multiple computers in a building to the Internet too.
T1: is a digital transmission technology that uses copper wire. T1 could be used to provide data service to an entire building, and data wiring would distribuce the service throughout the building. T1 is the technology used in the Cornell campus. A T1 connection requires a substantial investment of money and because of this may not be the most desirable mean for connecting your house.
Wireless: is a high-speed technology that transmits data over radio waves. Wireless transmission can be used for providing connectivity from an ISP to an entire building, however, service is dependent on the existence of a clear line of signal between the ISP and the building, Within a building, a wireless local area network (LAN) can connect multiple computers to each other and to the Internet.
Unfortunately there are people who seek to disrupt the use of computers with a variety of programs that are able to infect computers and subsequently damage them in some way.
These malicious programs range in effect from the mildly irritating to severely damaging. Computer operation is interfered with, data is deleted, recorded or corrupted, movement of the infection often rapidly spreading by the use of the internet.
Assaults on our computers often display the weaknesses in our security. Attacks such as these also highlight the degree to which we have all become interconnected and more sophisticated technologically.
Of the wide variety of computer infections in existence four characteristic varieties occur:
-Trojan horse: a computer program that masquerades as being able to perform a certain (usually benign or useful) task but that actually performs a different and damaging action e.g. erasing your hard drive or allowing open access to your computer. Once you click to use the program it downloads and your computer is suddenly infected. -Viruses: these software programs attach themselves to specific programs. When these particular programs run, so does the virus, the result typically that your computer has been damaged in some way. -E-mail viruses: these viruses are transported between computers via e-mail messages. Replication is achieved usually by this virus automatically e-mailing its self to most if not all of the e-mail addresses on the host computer. -Worms: computer networks and the particular weak spots in their defenses are exploited by this electronic infection in order to propagate its self. A copy of this worm is able to scan the whole network for other computers with similar security holes through which it can then move to another computer for duplication.
Amongst the many cases of highly successful electronic infections a few notable ones have occurred. One of the best known was:
Code Red worm. This worm was released to devastating effect on the 19th of July 2001. In the space of 9 hours the worm duplicated its self onto new computers over 250,000 times. This worm replicated its self during the initial 20 days of each month, replaced infected servers with web pages displaying "Hacked by Chinese", and continuously targeted the White House Web server aiming to slow it or shut their website down. After a computer had become infected a wait of about an hour occurred, after which 100 connections would be attempted to port number 80 of the www.whitehouse.gov website (IP number 198.137.240.91). The US government responded by modifying the IP address and spreading the word about the Code Red worm. As with many infections, strains have appeared over time. Since this is a well known infection it has been monitored very closely with patches being freely available on the internet with which to combat the new strains.
Other major malicious programs from the past have been the "Slammer worm" from January 2003, "Mydoom worm" (January 2004), the "ILOVEYOU" (2000) and "Melissa" viruses.
So as not to become yet another statistic during the next major computer infection outbreak what is imperative is that you frequently update your computer with the latest antivirus tools and patches, read about current threats and follow basic preventative protocol regarding the opening of attachments and downloading of files.
If your computer does become infected the most important aspect to focus in on first is to target it specifically so that it is unable to spread to any more computers.
Both Jirka Coolhousing & Alex Rider are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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