Cyber
Security
ARCHITECTURE OF
CYBERSPACE
cyberspace as a huge, global city where information lives
and travels.
To make this city work, you need: *
1)Physical Infrastructure (The Roads and Buildings)
2)Internet Backbone
3)Protocols and Standards
1)Physical Infrastructure:
This is the foundational layer.
Network cables: The literal wires that carry data (like roads).
• Data centers: Big buildings filled with computers
that store and process information
(like the city's main libraries or data storage facilities).
Network devices
• Basically, it's the physical foundation that
allows data to move around.
Internet Backbone:
The internet backbone consists of a vast network
of high-capacity data transmission lines and fiber-optic cables.
Protocols and Standards:
These are the rules and guidelines that make sure all the different computers and devices on the internet can
understand each other and communicate properly.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): This is the fundamental set of rules that governs how data
is broken down into small packets, sent across the internet, and reassembled at the destination. It's like the basic
"rules of the road" for all data.
HTTP/HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol/Secure): These are the rules used for sending and receiving web
content. When you type a website address into your browser, HTTP/HTTPS are what allow your browser to fetch
that page. HTTPS is the secure version, encrypting your data.
DNS (Domain Name System): This is like the internet's phone book. When you type a website name (like
"https://www.google.com/search?q=google.com"), DNS translates that human-readable name into a numerical IP
address (like "172.217.160.142") that computers can understand, telling your computer where to find the website's
server.
SMTP/POP/IMAP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol/Post Office Protocol/Internet Message Access Protocol): These
are the rules specifically for sending and receiving emails.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): This is a rule for transferring files (like documents, images, or software) over the
internet.In essence, cyberspace is built on a physical foundation (cables, data centers), connected by high-speed
networks (the backbone), and governed by a set of rules and languages (protocols) that ensure everything works
smoothly and securely.
Communication and Web technology:
Communication and web technology are super connected. Web tech helps us communicate in many ways, by providing
tools for things like creating, sharing info, and organizing.
1. Email: * What it is: Email is a basic way to communicate digitally.
How it works: It uses rules (like SMTP, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, and IMAP, Internet Message Access Protocol)
to send and get messages.
Examples: Services like Gmail and Outlook are built on web technology, allowing people to access their emails from
anywhere with internet.
2. Instant Messaging and Chat: This is about real-time conversations.
How it works: Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Slack are web-based.
They let people talk instantly through web browsers and dedicated apps.
They use web protocols (rules) to help these applications work.
3. VoIP and Video Calls: This is about making calls (voice and video) over the internet.
How it works: Services like Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams use web technology for communication.
These services use web-based rules for audio and video transmission over the internet.
4. Social Media: * What it is: These are online communities for sharing.
How it works: Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are built on web technology.
They let users share text, images, videos, and links, and encourage conversations through web-based interfaces.
5. Web Conferencing and Webinars: What it is: These are tools for online meetings and presentations.
How it works: Tools like Webex and GoToMeeting use web-based communication rules to help people work
together and share information.
6. Blogs and Forums: * What they are: Online places (like personal journals or discussion boards) where people
can write about things and talk to each other
* How they work: They're built on web technology, allowing people to publish their thoughts and share information
.7. Social Networking Sites: * What they are: Websites where you can connect with other people.
• How they work: Platforms like LinkedIn use web technology to let you connect with colleagues, share
professional info, and communicate.
8. News and Media: * What they are: Websites that provide news, articles, videos, and other content.
* How they work: News websites and other media providers use web technology to share news, videos, and other
multimedia with people worldwide
9. Web Forms and Surveys:
• What they are: Online forms or questionnaires.
• How they work: These tools use web technology to collect information and feedback from people through online
interfaces.
• 10. Online Collaboration: * What it is: Working together on projects or documents online.
• * How it works: Tools that help manage projects and share documents rely on web technology to allow real-time
communication and teamwork among people.
Internet:
The internet can be defined as a large network that connects other networks of computer all around
the world.
An example of a single school network of computer might be all the computers connected within an
entire school district.
The Internet is tens of thousands of these networks communicating with one another.
Using the different applications, such as email . A user is allowed to interact with information found
on the other computers connected to the Internet.
WWW: The World Wide Web (WWW)
is not the entire Internet; it's just a part of it.
The WWW uses graphical browsers to show information like text, pictures, videos, and sounds through connected
"hypertext pages" (web pages) that you can navigate by clicking on links.
Definitions of Internet: The Internet means different things to different people. [cite_start]It's a network of computers
talking over various media, a place to communicate, get game demos, find resources, do research, a place with
risks (like "crackers"), a commercial opportunity, a support group, a source of professional information, a collection
of libraries, and a technology for the future.
Internet" vs. "internet":
"Internet" (capitalized)→ refers to the global network that connects the world. [cite_start]
internet" (non-capitalized)→ refers to any inter-network of two or more networks using internet technology and
protocols, even if not connected to the global Internet.
How the Internet Works:
Every computer on the Internet has a unique address, either an "IP Address" (a number like 192.65.245.76) or a
"Domain Name" (a name like oregano.mwc.edu).
Information sent across the Internet is broken down into "packets" of data (like emails, chats, web searches).
Protocols" are rules that allow different computers to exchange and understand data.
The two main protocols are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP).
TCP breaks data into numbered IP packets, and IP sends them across networks.
TCP then reassembles them at the destination and requests replacements for lost packets.
The Internet is a "packet-switch" network, meaning it focuses on exchanging packets rather than direct connections.
Routers are hardware devices that direct packets to their correct destinations.
* IP Address and Domain Name:
An IP address is a unique numerical address (e.g., 216.27.61.137) assigned to each machine on the Internet.
A Domain Name is a human-readable name (e.g., https://www.google.com/search?q=google.com) that corresponds
to an IP address, making it easier to remember and use.
The Domain Name System (DNS) manages these names.
Domain names have different parts, often indicating the server name, organization name, and a "general domain"
or "top-level domain" (TLD) like .edu (education), .com (commercial), .gov (government), .mil (military), .net
(networking), or .org (non-profit).
Some domain names also include geographical abbreviations (e.g., .in for India, .uk for United Kingdom) for
addresses outside the U.S.
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the complete address that can also include a path to a specific file or folder
on a website (e.g., http://www.vision.edu/accounts/main.html).
• Advantages of the Internet:
Email: Essential, free (compared to phone/fax/postal services) communication.
Information: Vast amount of information available on almost any subject.
Services: Many services like online banking, job applications, and hotel reservations are available, often
exclusively or cheaper online.
E-Commerce: Buying and selling goods and services online, offering a wide range of products.
Communities: A great way to connect with people who have similar interests and discuss common issues.
Drawbacks of the Internet:
Theft of Personal Information: Risk of personal data (name, address, credit card) being accessed by malicious
actors.
Spamming: Receiving unwanted bulk emails that can be frustrating and obstruct the system.
Virus Threat: Computers connected to the Internet are more susceptible to viruses that can disrupt functioning
or crash hard disks.
World Wide Web (WWW)
The Web is a system of Internet servers supporting special documents.
These documents are formatted in HTML which supports links to other documents, graphics, audio, and video.
Language of the Web:
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs): Provide hypertext links between documents, allowing access to various
protocols on different machines.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): A standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic,
and hyperlink effects on web pages.
Common Gateway Interfaces (CGI): Provide a gateway between HTTP server software and the host machine.
