Internet, a system architecture that has revolutionized communications and methods of commerce by allowing various computer networks around the world to interconnect. Sometimes referred to as a “network of networks,” the Internet emerged in the United States in the 1970s but did not become visible to the general public until the early 1990s. By 2020, approximately 4.5 billion people, or more than half of the world’s population, were estimated to have access to the Internet.
The Internet provides a capability so powerful and general that it can be used for almost any purpose that depends on information, and it is accessible by every individual who connects to one of its constituent networks. It supports human communication via social media, electronic mail (e-mail), “chat rooms,” newsgroups, and audio and video transmission and allows people to work collaboratively at many different locations. It supports access to digital information by many applications, including the World Wide Web. The Internet has proved to be a spawning ground for a large and growing number of “e-businesses” (including subsidiaries of traditional “brick-and-mortar” companies) that carry out most of their sales and services over the Internet.
How big is the internet?
One measure is the amount of information that courses through it: about five exabytes a day. That’s equivalent to 40,000 two-hour standard definition movies per second.
It takes some wiring up. Hundreds of thousands of miles of cables criss-cross countries, and more are laid along sea floors to connect islands and continents. About 300 submarine cables, the deep-sea variant only as thick as a garden hose, underpin the modern internet. Most are bundles of hair-thin fibre optics that carry data at the speed of light.
Internet Security
The communication over the Internet is not 100% secure and anyone on the network can eavesdrop your traffic. The computers and network devices are vulnerable to different type s of cyber threats. The WanaCry ransomware attack launched in 2017 is a recent example of how the attackers can break into our computer systems when we are connected to the Internet. However, some simple precautions can avoid the majority of Internet attacks. Following are some basic precautions that should be followed while surfing the internet.
- Keep your Internet connected device software up to date
- Install any patches recommended by the vendors
- Never install software from untrusted suppliers
- Avoid downloading software from the suspicious websites
- Never click on the email links from the unknown and suspicious email accounts
- Never download the email attachments that you don't trust
- Use antivirus and antispyware to scan your system and applications
- Check your system logs and access permissions of the applications running on your system
- Always use the licensed version of the software
- Use personal VPN to protect your identity and privacy
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