Ethical, Safety and other issues when using the Internet Displays a knowledge of networking in terms of user- access Demonstrates responsible communication styles Explains the responsible use, purpose and significance of any new computer developments. Textbook: Module 2.4

Spam Spam is that you did not request and it contains advertising – usually quick ways to make money, sell cheap software, etc. How to minimise receiving spam  Contact your ISP and ask them to filter spam  Do not give your address out to everyone  Use antivirus software that has spam filtering

Hoaxes Often messages that you receive are hoaxes and contain untruths. Most are not meant to be malicious. Often they encourage you to send them on otherwise “bad” things will happen to you.

How to protect yourself from hoaxes Never accept things at face value Learn to recognise an urban legend If you recognise a message to be a hoax, delete it and end a message back to the sender warning them Never delete files from your computer when you have been told to do so in an message Check the validity of suspect messages on sites that are available on the Internet

Phishing Phishing is the sending of an message claiming to be from a legitimate organisation such as a bank. In the they request that you give personal information such as your passwords and PIN as they are “checking” your information.

Phishing How to protect yourself  Never give out personal information using  Always check with a bank if they are actually asking for information

Spyware Spyware is software that is installed on a user’s computer without their knowledge. It is used to obtain information and personal details about the person. Consider installing anti- spyware software to protect your computer.

Cookies A computer cookie is a small text file that is automatically saved on your computer by a website. Cookies are given out by sites that you logon to often to make the logon process simpler. This is not always a good idea. Many sites want to know what your interests are and what types of pages you visit so they can target there advertising accordingly. Cookies are not dangerous and will not harm your computer.

Viruses A virus is a program that is written intentionally to disrupt the normal functioning of a person’s computer without the person’s permission or knowledge. Your computer can get infected in the following ways:  By infected attachments in an  Downloading infected files from the Internet  From a file stored on a stiffy disk or other media

How to protect your computer against viruses Make sure you have a reliable antivirus software package installed and that you update the virus definitions regularly. Examples of antivirus software include Norton’s AntiVirus, PC-Cillin, Avast and McAfee. Never open from people you do not know. Set your anti-virus software to scan incoming and outgoing . Be careful when opening an attachment. Rather scan it before you open it. Avoid pirated software. Scan files stored on portable media such as stiffies, flash drives and CDs before using them.

Netiquette Netiquette (Internet + Etiquette) is the use of good manners when communicating using the Internet. There are various rules that you need to follow so that you do not offend anyone.

User-access Issues Restrictions on access to data/information  Different rights are given to users in a network so that access to the data is restricted for people who should not have access Access controls  Every user should be given a user name and a password

The role of networking software The network software controls the access to information When a user logs on, the software authenticates the user against the data base and lets valid users logon