Bluetooth technology

              

             Bluetooth may seem very similar to Wi-Fi because they are both based around wireless communications, but they are vastly different. While Wi-Fi provides Internet access, Bluetooth is used to connect devices in a close range (30 feet max) and exchange data between them through the use of low power radio communications. Basically, it acts as a cord between 2-8 devices by creating a secure PAN (personal area network) in which they can all communicate. Bluetooth technology was designed mostly for the personal consumer to connect multiple devices, such as smartphones to things such as laptops, headsets, speakers or printers. Many cars nowadays come preinstalled with Bluetooth capabilities so one can talk on the phone hands-free.

              So, how does Bluetooth operate? As I said before, data is transmitted via low-power radio waves. The frequency it communicates on is 2.45 gigahertz, which lies on the ISM frequency band (industrial, scientific, and medical devices). Even with many other systems using the same frequency, Bluetooth avoids interference with them by sending out weak signals of 1 milliwatt. This is why the objects must be in close range, but no line of sight is required. Bluetooth also uses a technique called spread-spectrum frequency hopping, in which an individual device changes between 79 randomly chosen frequencies, making it rare for two devices to be on the same frequency at the same time.

      http://www.techopedia.com/2/27881/networks/wireless/what-is-the-difference-between-bluetooth-and-wi-fi

      http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/bluetooth/g/bldef_bluetooth.htm

      http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth1.htm

Wireless networks precautions

                

              We humans love free Wi-Fi. Airports, cafes and hotels often have it. Wi-Fi is so much more convenient than having a wired connection, which is such a thing of the past. But how safe are wireless networks to use? We will discuss this first by defining how a wireless network operates. Going wireless generally requires connecting an internet "access point" – like a cable or DSL modem – to a wireless router, which sends a signal through the air. Any computer within range of this signal can access the Internet, or worse...the information on that computer.

              This is why certain precautions must be taken to protect your wireless network from criminals, hackers or spammers. First, you should make sure the Wi-Fi you are using is a secure network, whether it is public or your own personal one. If the public one is not secure, refrain from sending personal information when connected to it. For your personal Wi-Fi, use WPA or WEP encryption. Then, you should secure your router and computer. Make sure you change your router’s pre-set SSID and password because those are easy for hackers to figure out. Protect your computer through turning on the firewall and installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Always run updates on these applications to verify they are still protecting your router/computer.

https://www.onguardonline.gov/articles/0013-securing-your-wireless-network https://security.intuit.com/protect-your-computer.html

Cloud Computing

             

           Cloud computing is something that has always confused and disturbed me. In a nutshell, it is when someone can store and access data over the Internet instead of on their hard drive. People can reach the cloud anywhere, anytime. However, most don’t even realize they are utilizing it. Some examples of cloud computing include Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and Amazon Cloud Drive. Dropbox is a hybrid because it not only syncs your files online, but also with local storage. The Cloud could also just simply be an online service, such as Instagram or Adobe Creative Cloud.

            What is the cloud exactly? It is not actually a physical thing. It is a network of servers in which each server holds a different function. No one knows for sure how much the Cloud can store, but in the article I read, they referenced another article that guessed the cloud could store about 1 Exabyte. That is equal to 4.2 million MacBook Pro hard drives! This is a reason why it is so beneficial – it saves money for companies and individual users by saving space on their hard drives. However, there are some downsides, including the security of the cloud, which has been a major issue in the media when it comes to hackers. It is better to store non-sensitive information than personal data.

      http://mashable.com/2013/08/26/what-is-the-cloud http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2c2817%2c2372164%2c00.asp

Internet filters and parental control software

                

               

The Internet is a crazy huge place, and it is an amazing thing. However, there is a lot of content on the Internet that is very explicit and inappropriate for children and teens to have access to. This is where parental controls and Internet filters come in. Internet filters are software tools that can monitor what sites a child visits and blocks them from seeing inappropriate material. They work by excluding or including certain content, also known as "blacklisting" or "whitelisting".

                Parents are the ones who put Internet filters into place, which is why “parental controls” is an overarching term for the use of filtering and blocking. Internet filters can be found pre-installed on popular browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, but there are also outside applications for Internet filtering, such as Netnanny. Even though filtering is mostly used to protect kids from accessing the wrong things, it can also be used by businesses to restrict employee usage of the Internet or to limit public access to certain sites in places such as a school or a library.

      http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4963466_internet-filters-work.html

http://www.microsoft.com/security/resources/internetfilters-whatis.aspx

Radio Frequency Identification

                

            Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID for short, is a wireless system made up of two parts: readers and tags. Readers are devices with antennas that emit radio waves and receive signals from the RFID tag. To communicate their information to nearby readers, tags use radio waves. Tags can be passive or active. Passive tags are not powered by batteries, but by the radio waves from the reader. Active tags have their own power source.

            RFID systems use the radio waves to transfer data about people and objects. Since the 1970s, RFID technology has been available for commercial use. According to dhs.gov, it can be found in things such as car keys, employee identification, medical history/billing, highway toll tags, and security access cards. It also has a wide variety of uses in hospital settings and libraries. There is no personal information, just a number that is stored in secure databases.

Example of RFID technology

      http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/ElectromagneticCompatibilityEMC/ucm116647.htm  http://www.dhs.gov/radio-frequency-identification-rfid-what-it

Digital Image Steganography

              The word “Steganography” originated in Greece and literally means “covered writing”. Digital steganography can be used in graphics files, HTML, sound files, video, and text files. However, digital image steganography refers to hiding secret data within a photo, often referred to as stego-images. There are two methods to doing it: adding bits to the image, or replacing bits in the image. Adding bits is easy, but it increases the size of the original file, which could give away that there is data hidden. However, some bits are not important to the overall file and can be replaced with new bits that include the secret messages. This is a better approach because it does not have an effect on the file size and it doesn’t alter the original file.

              How does one hide data in an image? There are several tools that will hide files inside files. One is called Invisible Secrets 4.1, which can embed any kind of information within JPEG, PNG, HTML, WAVE or BMP files. After selecting a file to store the secret information in, you choose which files to store inside the carrier. You can even include fake files to stir up more confusion and make it more difficult to find the encrypted information. Once your image is complete, you won’t even be able to tell the difference between the new and original one.

 http://www.itworld.com/article/2826840/security/crash-course--digital-steganography.htm

 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-digital-steganography.htm

Computer Forensics

               

                The purpose of computer forensics is to investigate and analyze information found on computers to find suitable evidence for a trial. This field is relatively new because back when computers first came out, evidence from them was considered no different than any other kind of physical evidence. However, with advancements in computers, it became obvious that evidence from them could be easily changed, destroyed, or corrupted. Detectives partnered up with computer scientists to come up with a proper set of procedures for securing evidence from a computer source.

                First, detectives must retrieve a proper warrant for where they can search for certain information on a suspect’s computer. Then, after isolating the computer from being illegally tampered with, forensic investigators make a digital copy of the device's storage media. The real device is then locked in a safe facility to maintain its condition. All investigation is done on the digital copy. Investigators use a variety of techniques and software applications to examine the copy, searching hidden folders and unallocated disk space for copies of deleted, encrypted, or damaged files. Everything in the procedure is documented and important evidence is carefully placed into a “findings report”, which is what is presented during the trial. 

          http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/computer-forensics http://computer.howstuffworks.com/computer-forensic.htm