wireless networking

• WIRELESS ADVANTAGES

  • No wires, no costs of cables and disorganization of cables
  • More freedom to move around
• WIRELESS DISADVANTAGES:

  • Transmission depends on number of people per access point
  • Strengh of signal, interference from physical surroundings. 
• WIRED ADVANTAGES

  • faster data transmission speeds
  • more reliable 
  • does not depend on distance from router
• WIRED DISADVANTAGES:

  • ties users to one location
  • can degrade if cables are old
• NETWORK SECURITY

  • Authentication:  like usernames, passwords, fingerprints, retinal scan…
  • Encryption protects data from unauthorised access, but it doesn't stop it from being deleted 
  • Antivirus software is designed to detect and prevent infection by computer viruses
  • BACK-UPS is the process of making an extra copy of data in case it gets deleted or corrupted
  • Firewalls
  • MAC ADDRESSES: (Media Access Control address). They are coded into devices by manufacturers, and are used to identify specific pieces of hardware.
  • Physical measures, such as alarms, cameras, walls, doors, locks… Wireless network 
• BASIC TYPES OF HACKING ATTACK 

  • Denial of Service: An attack designed to overload a server, a basic technique would be to write a program that makes hundreds of request to a particular site every second 
  • Man in the middle: An attack in which an undetected third party intercepts communication between two people. 
  • Phishing: Generally this is done by creating a mock-up of a web page (like a bank login page) providing a link that looks genuine but it is a mock-up site. 
• BASIC TYPES OF HACKING ATTACK 

  • Trojan horse: This is a malicious program designed to look like a trusted program. you enter data thinking it is the trusted program and it sends the details to the hacker.
  • Spyware: this is software that runs undetected on your system and records your activity. 
  • Spoofing: This is the name given to faking your identity online, usually faking an email, IP or MAC address.
• Encryption is the process of converting human-readable text to incomprehensible text, also known as ciphertext, so that only authorized parties can understand the information. 
• • Encryption requires the use of a cryptographic key: a set of values that both the sender and the recipient of an encrypted message agree on.
• Hashing functions are a type of encryption algorithm that turns any sequence of values into another. Once you hash, it is impossible to get back to the plain text.

  • When storing user passwords, it's best to hash the passwords rather than storing them in plaintext. This adds an extra layer of security
• SYMMETRIC KEY ENCRYPTION 

  • In symmetric encryption, there is only one key, and all communicating parties use the same secret key for encryption and decryption.
  • As long as keys are truly private, then this method is extremely secure 
  • A problem is how to exchange the key, as sending an email is risky
• ASYMMETRIC KEY ENCRYPTION 

  • In asymmetric encryption, there are two keys, a public key and a private key, data is encrypted using the pubic key and decrypted using the private key. 
  • There is no key exchange problem, as you can send your public key directly. 
  • No one should know the private key 
• ENCRYPTION ADVANTAGES:

  • Privacy: Encryption ensures that no one can read communications except the intended recipient. This prevents attackers from intercepting sensitive data, protecting user privacy.
  • Security: If a device is lost or stolen and its hard drive is properly encrypted, the data on that device will still be secure.
  • Data integrity: Encryption also helps prevent malicious behavior. When data is transmitted across the Internet, encryption ensures that what the recipient receives has not been viewed or tampered with.