This Week's
Hot Topic

Protecting Your Network, Your Computer, and Your Privacy

The hot topic this week has never been more important than it currently is.  Several years ago at this time there was a HUGE breakout that attacked the University networks and computers. A few Summers ago our courses were more offline than online due to a variety of hacking situations on our server. When such evil occurs it can render servers almost helpless by creating such a traffic jam that the server either creeps along ever so slowly or it just shuts down all together.  I know many of you have had personal experiences with the effects of these, which often results in at least a 4-alarm or 5-alarm blazes that can get out of control FAST!  What you may not know is what these viruses and worms actually do, where they come from, and how they work.  People say you should "know your enemy."  This is our goal this week - to know the enemy in order to be able to protect ourselves against it. 

Another issue along the same hot topic is that of protecting your privacy.  Now more than ever hackers are attempting to gain access to personal information, such as your passwords, your bank accounts, and other private information.  If a hacker makes it into your computer system where you have passwords and/or account information stored then it is likely he or she can use the information they get to transfer money out of your bank account, use a credit card number to purchase things online, etc.  With the expansion of online shopping in the last few years, we as consumers are sending more and more private information through the Internet to purchase things online.  In addition, web sites that you browse collect all sorts of information from you through a variety of tools.  If you are not aware of the type of information that sites may be collecting about you, it is time you became informed in this area.

The hot topic readings and drills this week will provide you with the information you need to know and the procedures you can follow to protect your network, your computer, and your privacy.      

Security, Protection, and Privacy

Now that you know a little bit about networks from last week's hot topic, we are going to begin to address the issue of network security.  While you may have little concern about this given you do not manage a network yourself, you become part of a network every time you dial in, connect, or browse the Internet.  This means that the level of network security that the networks you access have will affect the likelihood of you getting "attacked."  Those who administer networks and servers view network security from a variety of angles.  These angles include, risk assessment, vulnerability testing, security policy analysis, and auditing.  To learn a little more about this level of network security use the following links (NOTE: This is big picture stuff and probably not very relevant to many of you (and not on the quiz) so feel free to skip it if you want but I felt the need to give you the big picture first):

• Network security tutorial
• Check out this Sword and Shield web site.  It is the web site of a network security company.  Lots of good information.  some interesting links include:
  • 2 online seminars
  • Security sites - probably too much here but if you are really into the topic there are plenty of links
• Internet Security from IEC (it is one of the few tutorials I could find that address this topic in a somewhat cohesive fashion)

Even if the networks you access have a high level of network security and are continually assessing their weaknesses to better provide service to you, this is not enough.  Hackers are likely to get to you eventually. So, it behooves you to know a little bit about how you can protect your own little computer system at home, work, or school.  For all kinds of information relevant to you and protecting your computer and your privacy,

read the following chapters in your text:

• Chapters 43 - 49 - lots of great info!

and review these links:

• Computer Security 101 (10 Lessons with Quizzes!) - a great intro!
• Computer Virus Education
• How Computer Viruses Work
• How Firewalls Work
• How to Protect Against Computer Viruses
• Viruses: The Common Sense Guide
• What is a Firewall?
• Personal Firewalls (some for free)

It also is a good idea to find out the different ways in which web sites can collect information on you and what they may do with information you voluntarily provide.  The more you know the better able you are to protect your privacy.

• Top 10 ways to protect your privacy online
• About Web Bugs
• AOL and Web Bugs (for all you AOL users)
• Why worry about Web Bugs?
• Other security tutorials (short and sweet - they are trying to sell products but they give good info too)
• How Encryption Works

Drill

Once you have completed your readings on networking, check your knowledge of the following:

• describe ways to protect your privacy

• describe and explain how the following work: web bug, Internet cookie, Internet passports

• distinguish between an Intranet and the Internet

• explain what a firewall is and how it works

• recognize examples of denial of service attacks, Trojan horses, worms, viruses. and other malicious acts hackers can perform

• match port numbers with their typical use

• recognize examples of how viruses can be transmitted

• describe actions you can take to protect yourself from viruses

• describe cryptographic systems and how they work

Take the Security and Protection Quiz in the elearning system. You will have 80 minutes for this quiz.

Extra Credit: Draw where a firewall should go in your home network diagram

Fire Marshal Badge: File Management and Looking at HTML Code

Drill

Before we "jump out of the frying pan and into the fire" and begin working on FTPing your network diagram from last week up to your personal space on the student web server I would like to address some file management issues and some html code issues that are common causes of problems when students begin using FTP for the purpose of posting web pages. Some of these may seem like personal preferences to you, but please believe me when I say it will make your life SO much easier if you follow them.

First, are a few rules of file management.  These are:

• When you begin embarking on creating a web page or a web site (more than one page), begin by creating a folder on your hard drive (preferably the C: drive for those of you with PCs).  Once you create this folder, name it something meaningful.  If you are going to create a web site about fishing then name the folder "fishingweb".  If you are going to make one about your family then name the folder "familyweb".  Once you decide on a meaningful name, make sure you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER put spaces in your folder name.  Just don't do it.  Web browsers do not like spaces and it will mess you up all over the place if you put spaces in your folder name. Other rules of thumb are to keep the name relatively short (but still meaningful) and to use all lowercase letters.

• Now that you have created a folder, EVERYTHING associated with that web page or that web site should be in that folder.  This means that if you inserted a graphic into your web page, then the actual graphic file should also be in that folder.  If you use clip art, then a copy of the clip art file should be in that folder. If you use a sound on your web page then that sound file should be in the folder.  You may not completely understand this at this moment but as we continue through the next few weeks and you begin to make your own web site, it will become clearer.

• Now let's talk about file names.  You should follow the same principle for naming files as you did for naming your folder.  Make it meaningful and ABSOLUTELY DO NOT EVER, EVER, EVER put spaces in your file name.

• The file extensions (you know what they are now) on your files should always be a key element in helping you identify what file is what.  A web page should always have a .htm or a .html extension.  It does not matter which one you use.  I use .htm simply because it is one less letter to type. Your graphics will have various extensions compatible with the web - such as .gif and .jpg.  Sound files and video files will also keep their appropriate file extensions. Regardless of the type of file, no file name should have spaces in it.

To put these rules into practice you are going to use some of the files you exported last week and get them ready to FTP to the student web server. Follow the steps below:

1. Create a folder on your C: drive [there are several ways to do this.  One way is to double click on your "My Computer" icon on the desktop, then double click on the C: drive icon, then go to the "File" menu, select "New" and then select "Folder."  Another way is to right click on the "Start" menu and choose "Explore".  Then you should click on the C: drive in the left menu and then go to the "File" menu, select "New" and then select "Folder."

2. Initially the new folder will be named "New Folder." You need to rename the folder "network" (without the quotes).  To do this click once on the folder name and wait a second.  It will then show the folder name itself selected and you can delete it and type in a new name. Remember: ABSOLUTELY NO SPACES.

3. This folder is the folder you will FTP to the student web server in the next drill so it is the one that is going to contain the network diagram you completed last week and exported as a web page.

4. If you followed the directions last week then you should have a folder on your desktop named "myhomenet".  Inside that folder you should have 3 files and one folder:

   • mygifnetwork (a gif file)
   • myjpegnetwork (a jpeg file)
   • myhtmlnetwork (a htm file)
   • myhtmlnetwork_files (a folder with a gif file in it named myhtmlnetwork_1)
   • Notice NO quotes and NO spaces

   As I noted last week, 2 of these files were created when you exported your diagram as a web page.  These 2 files are "myhtmlnetwork" (the html file) and "myhtmlnetwork_1" (the gif file that is your diagram) inside the "myhtmlnetwork_files" folder.  If you exported as a web page  more than once then you may have a different number at the end of your gif file.  These 2 files that were created when you exported your diagram as a web page are the ones we want to copy and paste into your new "network" folder on your C: drive.

5. To copy and paste these files (and folder) into your new "network" folder, right click on the file "myhtmlnetwork" and select "Copy".  Then go to your "network" folder on the C: drive, open it (there should be no files in it at this point), then click on the "Edit" menu and select "Paste."  To copy and paste the folder that holds the gif file, right click on the FOLDER "myhtmlnetwork_files" and select "Copy." Then go to your "network" folder on the C: drive, open it, then click on the "Edit" menu and select "Paste." 
6. If the above is too confusing, another route you can go is to open your Inspiration diagram and export it as a web page just as you did last week but make sure it is saved to your "network" folder on your C: drive.
7. This folder is now ready to be used to FTP your web page to the student web server!

Before we jump into transferring your web page to the web server I want to take this opportunity to teach you just a bit about HTML code (the code used to create web pages).  The html file created by your export from Inspiration is a very small and simple file that I think will be a good way to introduce you to a few things.  You will learn much more about html in coming weeks but I have provided a few links below if you want to get some basics and get a head start.

Follow the steps below to begin to get a better understanding of html and your web page.

1. From your "network" folder, double click on your "myhtmlnetwork" file, the html file.  This should open the file in your web browser. If it does not, then open your web browser, choose "File" and then select "Open" and then "Browse" - find your folder and your file and then select OK.
2. What you should see is a web page with your network diagram on it. You may think your diagram is too big or too small.  Or it may be just right.
3. Now we are going to look at the html code that created this web page.  You can look at the html code for any web page you access by clicking on the "View" menu and selecting "Source".  When you do this, notepad will open a file that is full of text.  Your file should look similar (not necessarily identical) to the one below:

You should notice the following things about this file:

• It is all just a bunch of text - that is all an html file is
• Most text is encompassed by less than and greater than signs, < and > - These identify tags (or commands) that tell your web browser what to do. 
• Notice the <HTML> tag at the top and the </HTML> tag at the bottom.  The first one signals the web browser that html code will follow. The last one (with the slash / in it) signals the web browser that this is the end of the html code.  To start a tag you leave off the slash - to end it you put in the slash.  What other beginning and ending tags can you find?
• Notice the <TITLE> tag and the </TITLE> tag.  Between these 2 tags in the graphic above are the words "DSL Modem"  That is the type of network connection I used for my home network drawing.  Your title is probably something else.  When Inspiration exports as a web page.  It takes the text you typed in the Main Idea box and makes it the title of your web page.  This TITLE tag tells the web browser to take the text "DSL Modem" and put it in the title bar of the web browser.  Look and see what text is in your TITLE tag and then look at your web page in the web browser.  Is that text in the title bar?  It should be.
• The code uses the <BODY> tag to indicate to your web browser what is to go on the web page.
• After the <BODY> tag you should see the following tag: 
  
  <IMG SRC="myhtmlnetwork_files/myhtmlnetwork_1.GIF" BORDER=0 WIDTH=625 HEIGHT=257 USEMAP="#InspirationMap"
  ALT="DSL MODEM"> 
  
  This tag is used to tell the web browser to go find the image file and place it on the web page.  Notice that "myhtmlnetwork_files" is the folder that was exported with the html file, then notice the "/" and then the file name "myhtmlnetwork_1.GIF" is the file name of the file in the folder that was exported along with the web page.  This tag is how the web browser knows to get that file and place it on the page.  It knows to look in the folder called "myhtmlnetwork_files" and find the file called "myhtmlnetwork_1.GIF." If your diagram is not showing up on your web page, the problem lies here in this line of the html code.  
  
  If the folder and file names are not the same as the folder and file names that are in your "network" folder then it cannot go and get it and place it on the web page. So if the file name that was in my "myhtmlnetwork_files" folder was "myhtmlnetwork_2.gif" and it is looking for a file named "myhtmlnetwork_1.gif" then it will not be able to place the graphic file and you will get a broken image symbol on your web page.  If this happens to you, you can fix this by either changing your file name to the one that is in the IMG SRC tag or you can change the file name in the IMG SRC tag to match the file name in your "network" folder. If you change the text in the notepad file then make sure you choose "File" and then "Save" so it will save the changes you make.
  
  If you did not put the folder and file with the image file into your "network" folder along with your html file then your diagram will not show up either.  This should illustrate to you why it is important to always have all the files in the same folder and why it is important to save image files, sounds files, and other files that are used in your web page with the web page file.  All the html file does is tell the web browser to find the correct file; it does not save those files within the html code.

Another thing to notice about this IMG SRC tag is the "WIDTH" and "HEIGHT" designations.  When exporting as a web page, Inspiration automatically decides what the width and height of your graphic should be regardless of how big or small you made it.  If you think your image is too small, then you can enlarge it by changing the width and height.  The width and height measurements are in pixels.  To experiment, you can add 100 to each measure, save the html file, and then open it in your web browser (NOTE: If your file is already open in your web browser then all you need to do is click on the refresh button. You must save the file first for the web browser to accept the changes.) If you did this then your image should be a bit bigger than it was before.  Experiment with the numbers until you like the size of your diagram or leave it alone if you think the size is just fine.  When changing the size, it is best to add or subtract the same number of pixels to both the width and the height so the graphic will not get distorted.

• This is a very simple html source file that illustrates to you the idea that all html is, is a bunch of text formatted in a specific way.  It should also illustrate to you how you can make changes to the code, save them, and see their effects in your web browser.  Finally, you should begin to grasp the idea of why having all the files in the same place is important.

If you want to learn a little more about html before you begin working with web pages check out the following

read the following chapters in your text:

• Chapters 19-25

and visit the following links:

• HTML Crash Course for Educators
• How Web Pages Work
• HTML Goodies (beginner and advanced stuff)
• HTML: Interactive Tutorial for Beginners
• HTML Tutorials

FTP:  Your First Web Page

Before you attempt to do this please make sure you have completed the 2-alarm drill above.  All the instructions for this drill are provided in the document you downloaded in the housekeeping tasks.

If you are still trying to grasp the concept of FTP and web servers, you may want to review these web sites:

• What is FTP anyway?
• How Internet Infrastructure Works
• How Web Servers and the Internet Work
• Understanding web addresses

Drill

Using the directions given, FTP your folder that contains your network diagram web page (the one you named "network" on your hard drive) to your personal space on the UWF Web Server.  Once successful, send me the url of your first web page!

  If you encounter a fire during this drill, click the fire extinguisher.  It links to a Word document that contains information for troubleshooting typical problems.

• Check the FAQ Page to see if your question has already been answered.
• Email Chief Curda.
• Email EMT Kelly.
• Email the firehouse crew and see if another firefighter knows the answer.

Now let's take a look at the Chief's
Inspection List for this week!