Internet security

Internet security is a branch of computer security focused on the Internet. It includes browser security, web application security, and network security as it applies to other applications or operating systems as a whole. Its objective is to establish rules and measures to improve Internet safety and Internet privacy, including to protect against cyberattacks and cybercrime. The Internet is an inherently insecure channel for information exchange, with risk of intrusion and Internet fraud, including phishing, viruses, trojans, ransomware and worms. Many countermeasures are used to combat Internet security threats and web threats, including encryption and ground-up engineering.

Internet security is a branch of computer security focused on the Internet. It includes browser security, web application security, and network security as it applies to other applications or operating systems as a whole. Its objective is to establish rules and measures to improve Internet safety and Internet privacy, including to protect against cyberattacks and cybercrime. The Internet is an inherently insecure channel for information exchange, with risk of intrusion and Internet fraud, including phishing, viruses, trojans, ransomware and worms. Many countermeasures are used to combat Internet security threats and web threats, including encryption and ground-up engineering. ==Threats== ===Phishing=== Phishing targets online users in an attempt to extract sensitive information such as passwords and financial information. Phishing occurs when the attacker pretends to be a trustworthy entity, either via email or a web page. Victims are directed to web pages that appear to be legitimate, but instead route information to the attackers. Tactics such as email spoofing attempt to make emails appear to be from legitimate senders, or long complex URLs hide the actual website. Insurance group RSA claimed that phishing accounted for worldwide losses of $10.8 billion in 2016. Attackers may use AI to create more convincing phishing attacks, such as deepfakes with audio or video that seem to be real messages from a trusted person but are actually fake. ==Countermeasures== ===Threat modeling=== Threat modeling tools help people to proactively analyze the cyber security posture of a system or system of systems and in that way prevent security threats. ===Multi-factor authentication=== Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an access control method in which a user is granted access only after successfully presenting separate pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism – two or more from the following categories: knowledge (something they know), possession (something they have), and inference (something they are). Internet resources, such as websites and email, may be secured using this technique. ===Security token=== Some online sites offer customers the ability to use a six-digit code which randomly changes every 30–60 seconds on a physical security token. The token has built-in computations and manipulates numbers based on the current time. This means that every thirty seconds only a certain array of numbers validate access. The website is made aware of that device's serial number and knows the computation and correct time to verify the number. After 30–60 seconds the device presents a new random six-digit number to log into the website. ===Electronic mail security=== ====Background==== Email messages are composed, delivered, and stored in a multiple step process, which starts with the message's composition. When a message is sent, it is transformed into a standard format according to RFC 2822 . Using a network connection, the mail client sends the sender's identity, the recipient list and the message content to the server. Once the server receives this information, it forwards the message to the recipients. ====Web security==== Firewalls restrict incoming and outgoing network packets. Only authorized traffic is allowed to pass through it. Firewalls create checkpoints between networks and computers. Firewalls can block traffic based on IP source and TCP port number. They can also serve as the platform for IPsec. Using tunnel mode, firewalls can implement VPNs. Firewalls can also limit network exposure by hiding the internal network from the public Internet. ====Types of firewall==== ===== Stateful packet inspection===== In a stateful firewall the circuit-level gateway is a proxy server that operates at the network level of an Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model and statically defines what traffic will be allowed. Circuit proxies forward network packets (formatted data) containing a given port number, if the port is permitted by the algorithm. The main advantage of a proxy server is its ability to provide Network Address Translation (NAT), which can hide the user's IP address from the Internet, effectively protecting internal information from the outside. ===Antivirus=== Antivirus software can protect a programmable device by detecting and eliminating malware. A variety of techniques are used, such as signature-based, heuristics, rootkit, and real-time. ===Security suites=== Security suites were first offered for sale in 2003 (McAfee) and contain firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spyware and other components. They also offer theft protection, portable storage device safety check, private Internet browsing, cloud anti-spam, a file shredder or make security-related decisions (answering popup windows) and several were free of charge. ==References==

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