Tutorial 4: Computer Security, Ethics, and Privacy

Computer Security, Ethics and Privacy





A security risks is any event or action that results in a loss of data or damage to a computers hardware or software. There are a few different types of security risks when discussing computers.

1. Internet and network attacks. Example: Viruses and worms
2. Unathorized access and use
3. Harware theft. Example: Stolen computer
4. Software theft. Example: Piracy
5. Information theft. Example: Stolen Identity
6. Systen Failure: Example: Lightning striking computer
7. Wireless security. Example: wi-fi tapping

When information travels over a network, it is at a greater risk than if it were local information because there are more ways to intercept the information. A virus is a program that alters the computer and damages it files. It requires human interaction to be spread. A worm copies itself and takes up space on your computer, doesn't require humans to speread it. A Trojan Horse is software that hides behind something that seems hardless, doesn't spread.

How to avoid getting attacks:

1. Use a firewall
2. Keep anti virus software up to date
3. STay alert and watch news

Unauthorized Access and Use
The use of a computer or network without permission. Such as using a University email address to send spam. It is important to protect your user name and password to ensure no one uses it unauthorized.

Software theft: Piracy
Where software is stolen from manufacturers. It is the unauhorized and illegal duplication of copyrighted software.
Use EULA (end user license agreement)  you have to accept before you install. Using registration keys can help prevent this.
Hurts consumers and developers: Risk viruses, increases cost, could go to jail or pay fine.
Piracy in the news:
(insert news article)

Information Theft:
Stealing personal information.
Phishing:
spoofing: Alters heading of emails to make it look like it comes from somewhere else
pharming: Installing malicious code on a software to redirect users to a fake website.

Again: Keep personal information such as gatorlink and password confidential, to ensure only you have access.

wireless security:

Computer Ethics
Ethical issues about computers and information privacy

Computer forensics
=]
how to catch unauthorized disclosure of information.
industrial espionage
fraud and data recovery

Secure email project

Here is a news article that discusses a company that should have used secure email to insure their data was protected from hackers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/us/politics/12hackers.html?_r=2

Hackers penetrated the computers of HBGary federal, which is a service company that sells investigative services to big companies. The hackers posted an immense amount of what appeared to be it's companies emails on the internet. They did background research on their critics and then distributed fake information to embarrass them. Their emails were then all over the internet and could be read by anyone. This proves that a company needs to secure there emails in order to keep their information safe.

Tutorial 3: System development cycle

There are five steps in the system development cycle which include planning, analysis, design, implementation and operation support and security.
                                           Planning 
The first phase of the system development cycle is planning. In this step, you figure out the details such as when you can schedule work, whose on the team, and the requirements you need to meet. A major step is defining the problem. You must first understand why you need systems in order to be sufficient. You will get many project requests so it is also important to review and approve or disapprove them. You must prioritize and decide which projects are most sufficient and important. If you disapprove a project, you have to explain  why one project is approved ahead of another persons project. Sometimes economic reasons and sometimes one project will be more sufficient.
In this step you also need to allocate resources and from a development team.



                                                                     Analysis
In the second phase of system development, analysis, you must create a plan. Also, you must first conduct a  feasibility study. Make sure there isn't already technology to help you create this. Look more at requirements, how to set them up, how the data moves in and out and other ins and outs of the project. An important factor is that it is compatible with the current environment (users will be able to use it).
If you don't have the resources needed you might need to buy additional licenses and hardware.

A good think to do is look at all the different requirements by interviews and surveys given and then recommend a solution.
The Logical design is what it will do not how it's going to do it.
During the analysis phase
Avoid missing the big picture, like the goals of the system.

There are also two different Approaches for the modeling.
Process modeling: getting from input to output
object modeling: combines data and processes and predefined objects


Process Modeling
Entity Relationship Diagram Entity: Any object that has data

Data Flow: how the data moves throughout the system. For example: smartdraw 7.0

Object modeling: data and processes combined to make an "object" case diagram shows user interaction with system. Make it possible for students to turn in and teachers to look up evaluation. Important that it is easy to understand.

Design

First step of the design phase is to create technical plan, which includes figuring out how to implement all requirement.
Also in this phase, you should complete the final review and sign-off on the design.

Deliverables
Detailed specification with approval from clients
The most important part of this phase is the actual physical design.
Physical design: new and existing data and security.

During this phase, you need to decide if you have to buy additional hardware and software to complete the project.
Involves 4 critical steps:
Technical specifications: Research to determine needs
Request proposals: from vendors
Evaluate and test: check references lowest price isn't everything
Deliverable: include timeline and make appropriate recommendation with rationale
Quality review: all clients need to sign off on design

Implementation

Do programming testing and create documentation
Four major activities:
1. Develop programs and documentation
2. Install and test "blind testing" tested by people who are not involved ppl whoa re involved might miss
3. Train top ten reason for system failure
4. Convert from old system to new system with lowest disruption as possible

Four conversion strategies:
1. parallel: same time
2. pilot: smaller user based
3. phased: modular
4. direct: just do it

Operation support and security

The review of program is usually done 3-6 months after released by users and developers. It deals with ongoing issues such as maintenance performance and security. Add new functionality, or replace something if it insufficient

security: see what kind of risks are exposed, and making sure everything is safe for users.

Those are the five steps in the system development cycle. Hopefully after reading this tutorial you have a better understanding of each of the steps and there significance in the cycle.

Florida Basketball's road to a National Chanpionship

http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/336670/ChandlerParsonsppt

         I learned so much from this project. I had never even used anything like the tools I had to use to complete this project. First time using powerpoint, slideboom, flickr, and many other resources needed to complete this project. It took me a lot longer than I thought to try and figure out how to use this new and incredibly useful technology. I am extremely glad I learned how to use these features while in college because I can see them becoming increasingly useful in the future.

         Although after completing my project, I thought it flowed extremely well, was easy to understand, and pleasing to the eye, I saw from other peoples presentations that there is so much more I could have added to mine. People had music, audio, transitions, and a lot of cool things that made their presentations more appealing. I never knew all of this was possible with a simple powerpoint presentation slide. The access we have today to all of this technology can really increase information exchange from businesses and to clients.
        I thought my presentation was extremely easy to follow and very clear. What I should have done better after seeing other people's presentations is a better job at getting attention in the first 30-60 seconds. All of my information is extremely accurate to the date that I did the presentation. Obviously with basketball statistics they are going to change on a game to game basis, but I did my best at providing the most accurate information possible.
       My presentation was very clean and concise and lacked any clutter. None of the slides had too much information on one slide that hindered the reader. What I did to ensure readability was make sure the colors of the text and the background were different enough to be easily seen. I clearly wanted to use orange and blue because of the topic of my presentation. I also made sure the pictures were big enough to be seen but not too big as to overwhelm the slide.
        I could not figure out how to add audio so I know that is an area where my presentation struggled. It would have been a lot better if I could have done that, but overall I think my presentation was informing, easy to understand, and visually appealing.

Tutorial 2: Multimedia

     According to articlesbase.com, multimedia is media that uses multiple forms of information content and information processing such as text, audio, graphics, and animation to inform an audience. Multimedia is a widely used application that is found in the following areas: advertisements, entertainment, education, medicine, business, and a plethora of others. In the business world, multimedia can help you present material to potential customers in a more appealing way. The three main types of multimedia content are images, audio, and video. Below I will describe these key types of multimedia, and explain how to create them.

Images

     Images are the most simple form of multimedia content. The two main types of images are raster graphics and vector graphics. Raster graphics use a lot of dots, called a "bitmap", to make a photograph. These dots are called pixels and are colored with a certain depth. Basic raster graphic images can be extremely large. There are two different forms of compression to make these images smaller. Lossless compression is a term that means having the same image quality without losing any data. This would be ideal if you later plan on editing the image. In lossy compression, some data is lost but not enough for many people to notice. A time when lossy compression would be used is if you were planning on delivering that image to a website. A major problem of using raster graphics is the image gets skewed if you try to make it larger.

     Here is an example of a raster graphic image. This is a small picture of myself taken from nbadraft.net. When trying to enlarge the photo, the quality of the photo is sacrificed and the resulting image is blurred. 

    Vector graphics uses primitives-geometrical objects that are expressed mathematically. This enables you to zoom in and out without sacrificing quality. There are times when a raster graphic is your best choice, and times when a vector graphic is your best choice. There will also be times when the two will come together and  complement each others functions.

     There are a few ways to go about creating images. The main way is by using an external device such as a digital camera, a webcam, or a scanner. Another way is by using a screen cap. This is exceptionally useful if trying to show your customers how to do something on a computer. Images are the most simple form of multimedia. Now let's take a look at the audio branch of multimedia and how it can be used in the business world.

Audio

      If audio files are not compressed, they can be extremely large. When comparing the two forms of compression it is extremely similar to image compression. If you use lossy form of compression, it will generally sound the same, but throws away some of the audio data.However, lossless compression will make it about 50% smaller without losing any data. For music, you want higher quality so the size is going to be bigger. 

There are six different types of audio file formats. 

1. WAV- "Waveform Audio File Format" Which is not compressed

2. AIFF- "Audio Interchange File Format" Also not compressed

3. WMA- "Windows Media Audio" Compressed, won't play on an Ipod, but has digital rights management. 

4. MP3- "MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3" High levels of compression (Lossy)

5. AAC- "Advanced Audio Coding" Widely found on Apples and Ipods.

6. Apple Lossless and FLAC 50% compression

     Digital rights management "DRM" places limitations on the way people can use files. They do this by setting an expiration date, or limiting the ways the file can be used. Another way is by placing a digital watermark on the audio. This helps show who exactly purchased the file in the beginning. If a file is "DRM" protected, sometimes people take the analog output, and record it to a different computer without a watermark or expiration date. The term for this is an "analog hole".

     If you want to create audio, it is simple and cheap. You need an audio microphone and audio adapters. Most audio microphones are cheap and can accomplish what they are needed for. Here is an example of what a computer microphone might look like. 

     This hardware will then mix with software (also free), and can be edited. There are a few different types of software that enable the recording and editing process. Here is a link to the main software used in audio, Audacity.

 http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

     Audio is a little more complex than images, but creating audio can be simple and enable business users to instruct employees verbally, and record messages to send to customers.   

Video

     Video is the most complex form of multimedia. Video is just still images playing rapidly in a sequence, called motion pictures. As in audio, CODEC is also used to code, and decode the files. It's important to make sure the company and it's customers have the same CODEC.

The main properties you need to consider when discussing video are as follows:

1. Aspect ratio- Width:height

         -Tv is 4:3

         -Widescreen 16:9

2. Resolution

         - 480p is standard 

         -720p is HD

         -1080p high quality

3. Frame Rate

         -24 to 30 range is ideal, higher is smoother

4. Bit Rate

         -Combination of aspect ratio, resolution, and frame rate. 

     If you have a video that you are later wanting to edit, you should use lossless compression or uncompressed video. If you are distributing the video to customers you should definitely compress the video. 

Video Formats

1. AVU- "Audio Video Interleave" webcams, no compression

2. WMV- "Windows Media Video" WM8 and WM9 

2. MOV- "Quick Time Movie" Lossy or lossless

4. MP4 and H.264

5. Screencast doesn't use video camera, uses computer screen to make video. 

Creating Videos 

     As with audio, you will need both hardware and software to create a video. For hardware, you will need a camcorder with FireWire, USB connection, disk, or flash memory storage. There are many different types of software available depending on your purpose for the video. There is software for basic uses such as Apple iMovie, and Windows Movie Maker. For more extensive uses, there are software programs such as Apple Final Cut and Adobe premier. 

     Multimedia is media that uses multiple forms of information content and information processing such as text, audio, graphics, and animation to inform an audience. Multimedia is used in many areas but most applicable here would be in the business environment. I hope after reading this tutorial, you have a better understanding of the different types of multimedia and their various uses. 

Excel Project

           Before beginning the Excel project, I had no prior knowledge of how to use the program. The "Excel Scavenger Hunt", really enabled me to learn the basics of Excel and the main purposes for using such a program. The project took me a lot longer to complete than I thought because I ran into some unplanned complications. For example, every time I would type in a number, it would automatically change to a date. I remember this being addressed in the Excel tutorial videos, but couldn't remember how to fix it. I then used the "Excel Help" function on Excel to solve the problem.
           I learned a lot through out the project that was covered in the videos, but didn't really understand it until I had to do it. For example, applying a formula to an entire row or column was a lot more difficult to do than perceived in the video. Also, coming up with the right formula was difficult at times. The actual function of a pivot table became more clear once it was applied to the project itself and not just explained in the video. The information gathered through out the completion of this project will be beneficial if I ever have to use the Excel program again.
        

Tutorial 1: Computer Software

    
        According to Dictionary.com, computer software are programs used to direct the operation of a computer, as well as documentation giving instructions on how to use them. It also defines computer software as anything that is not hardware but used with hardware. Some common examples of computer software are programs such as Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, and CD drives. Software is anything that enables the computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to hardware. Although hardware and software work together, hardware is the physical components of the computer. Answers.com describes the pairs relationship as software being the set of instructions used to tell the hardware what to do. Although the distinction isn't clear, software is usually separated into three categories: system software, programming software, and application software.

                                               System Software
        System software is what helps run the computer hardware and computer system. It is mainly the operating systems on a computer. One example is the type of Microsoft Windows a computer uses. The latest version of Microsoft Windows, is called Windows Vista. On howstuffworks.com, they state that Windows Vista has two "behind-the-scenes" jobs:

• The first one is to manage hardware and software resources. This includes many of the main components of a computer such as the memory storage and processor. 
• The other job is allowing programs to work in correspondence to the computers hardware.       

Here is a link to a video that introduces Windows Vista when it was first introduced. 
     http://videos.howstuffworks.com/inline-player.htm?videoId=2834&adCode=computer.howstuffworks.com/preempt/ros/computer/computer-software/os/windows-vista.htm    

                                         Programming Software
          Another software branch is programming software. It is used to create, debug or support other software applications. Various programming language editors, such as Eclipse, fall into this category. What programming software basically does is convert numbers like 0'a and 1's into words like "add". Programming software is a mixture of analytical thinking and experimentation. After this information is analyzed, it is fed back to the program to see which which parts of the software need to be changed. 


Here is a picture of programing software from whitefang.com.

                                                       Application Software
                   The last type of software is application software. Application software allows users to complete one or more specific tasks. Database software and multimedia software are the main examples of this specific type of software. Education software also falls under this category. Examples of how this is pertained to education is the use of mock tests, turning in assignments, and checking grades. 
Here is the link to the website the University of Florida uses for assignments, tests, communication, and grade distribution. https://lss.at.ufl.edu/sakai-info/


                     I hope after reading this tutorial you have a better understanding of the different types of computer software and how they work. The relationship between hardware in software is extremely complex, so I tried to break it down in a way that is easily understood.