What is Internet

The global network of interconnected computers is known as the internet. The linking is done using internet protocol tool. 

The Internet authorizes user's computer to access and share information with others. Earlier known as ARPANET, it is the brainchild of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969. The Internet can be obtained using modems, broadband connections, satellite connection, WIFI or cellular technology. Our lives have been simplified greatly since the internet has made it possible to the availability of everything at our fingertips.

Internet Services

World Wide Web:  This is one of the most used services on the internet. It contains documents, images, hyperlinks etc. Hyperlinks are usually shown as words of a different color than the rest and are mainly used for cross-reference. Clicking on these hyperlinked words takes us to another page where we get further detailed information related to that word. World Wide Web also provides images, videos etc that are also clickable. There is a number of browsers available, that help us navigate through the web like internet explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. It also is an effective and inexpensive way of sharing one's idea and getting feedbacks. 

Communication: Communication has been made very easy by the internet. It has made the entire world into a global village. The Internet provides its users with a number of communication options. E-mail is one of the most effective methods available. It can be sent to single or multiple receivers. Pictures, documents and other files can be sent as attachments over e-mail. Video calls and voice calls are also important features of the internet. 

The quality of the calls can depend on the internet signal, but this technology is now used by a large number of the internet population. Social media sites have also gained much importance in internet communication 

Data transfer: The Internet provides a variety of options for data transfer. Data can either be transferred in the form of attachments. The data sent can be encrypted with the intended receiver able to decrypt it using a key code for security assurance. Streaming is another way of transferring data. 

It allows accessing online multimedia content, without actually downloading it. A lot of information is passed on, through online streaming portals and websites. Social networking sites are another data transfer option which is the most popular. Popular social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Most of the premier media companies also rely on the internet to transfer their data. 

Internet security threats

The Internet comes with a lot of security issues too. Criminal attempts to gain unauthorized access to others computer and stealing valuable information or commit fraud is a matter of major concern. 

Malicious software: These are software that disrupts computer operation and collects sensitive data. An internet user can be tricked or forced to download malicious software into his system. Malicious software act against the intentions of the computer user and comes in different forms. Some of the most common malware include virus, Trojan, worms, spyware, and ransomware.

Phishing: This happens when the attacker pretends to be a trustworthy source, either through emails or websites to gather sensitive data from us. Fake websites which resemble the original and e-mail spoofing are all part of phishing techniques.

Application vulnerabilities: This includes memory safety bugs or flawed authentication checks in the web applications. In extreme situations, these bugs can provide the attacker full control over the computer. 

Using strong internet security measures like antivirus, firewall and password managers can help with internet security to a great extent.