COMMUNICATION
Digital communications describe a process in which two or
more computers or devices transfer data, instructions, and
information.
NETWORK
• A network is a collection of computers and devices
connected together via communications devices and
transmission media
• Advantages of a network include:
 Facilitating communications
 Sharing hardware
 Sharing data and information
 Sharing software
 Transferring funds
 Personal Area Network (PAN) A network that connects
computers and devices in an individual’s workspace using
wired and wireless technology.
 Local Area Network (LAN) A network that connects
computers and devices in a limited geographical area.
 Wireless LAN (WLAN) A LAN that uses no physical
wires.
 Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) A high-speed
network that connects local area networks in a
metropolitan area, such as a city or town, and handles the
bulk of communications activity across that region.
 Wide Area Network (WAN) A network that covers a
large geographic area (such as a country, or the world)
using a variety of wired and wireless transmission media.
NETWORK ARCHITECTURES
The configuration of computers, devices, and media on a
network is sometimes called the network architecture
 Client/server network one or more computers act as a
server, and the other computers on the network request
services from the server.
 Peer-to-peer network A simple, inexpensive network that
typically connects fewer than 10 computers. Each
computer, called a peer, has equal responsibilities and
capabilities, sharing hardware (such as a printer), data, or
information with other computers on the peer-to-peer
network.
NETWORK TOPOLOGIES
It refers to the layout of the computers and devices in a
communications network. Three basic network topologies are
star, bus, and ring. Most networks, including the Internet, use
combination
 STAR NETWORK All of the computers and devices
(nodes) on the network connect to a central device, thus
forming a star. All data that transfers from one node to
another passes through the central device. A star network
contains a single, centralized device through which all
computers and devices on the network communicate.
 BUS NETWORK It consists of a single central cable, to
which all computers and other devices connect. One
advantage of the bus network is that computers and other
devices can be attached and detached at any point on the
bus without disturbing the rest of the network. Another
advantage is that failure of one device usually does not
affect the rest of the bus network.
 RING NETWORK A cable forms a closed loop (ring)
with all computers and devices arranged along the ring.
Data transmitted on a ring network travels from device to
device around the entire ring, in one direction.On a ring
network, all connected devices form a continuous loop.
Network Communications Standards and Protocols
 Ethernet is a network standard that specifies no central
computer or device on the network (nodes) should control
when data can be transmitted
 The token ring standard specifies that computers and
devices on the network share or pass a special signal
(token)
 TCP/IP is a network protocol that defines how messages
(data) are routed from one end of a network to another
 Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) is a series of network standards
that specifies how two wireless devices communicate over
the air with each other.
 LTE is a network standard that defines how high-speed
cellular transmissions use broadcast radio to transmit data
for mobile communications.
 Bluetooth is a network protocol that defines how two
Bluetooth devices use short-range radio waves to transmit
data
 UWB (ultra-wideband) is a network standard that
specifies how two UWB devices use short-range radio
waves to communicate at high speeds with each other.
 IrDA (Infrared Data Association) transmit data
wirelessly via infrared (IR) light waves
 RFID is a protocol that defines how a network uses radio
signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to
an object, an animal, or a person.
 NFC (near field communication) is a protocol, based on
RFID, that defines how a network uses close-range radio
signals to communicate between two devices or objects
equipped with NFC technology

 WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access), also known as 802.16, is a network standard
developed by IEEE that specifies how wireless
devices communicate over the air in a wide area.
 Fixed- Wireless Wimax A costumer accesses the
internet from a desktop computer at home or other
permanent location.
 Mobile Wimax Enables users to access the WiMax
network with mobile computers and mobile devices
such as smart phones.
Communications Software consists of programs and
apps that:
 Help users establish a connection to another
computer, mobile device, or network
 Manage the transmission of data, instructions,
and information.
 Provide an interface for users to communicate
with one another
Communications Lines
 A dedicated line is a type of always-on physical
connection that is established between two
communications devices.
 The cable television (CATV) network provides high-
speed Internet connections, called cable Internet
service. The CATV signal enters a building through a
single line, usually a coaxial cable.
 DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) transmits on existing
standard copper phone wiring.
– A modem technology that uses existing
telephone lines to transport high-bandwidth data.
DSL provides dedicated, point-to-point, public
network access.
– ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) is a
type of DSL that supports faster transfer rates
when receiving data (the downstream rate) than
when sending data (the upstream rate)
 ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is a set
of standards for digital transmission of data over
standard copper phone lines.
– With ISDN, the same phone line that could carry
only one computer signal now can carry three or
more signals at once through the same line, using a
technique called multiplexing.
 FTTP (Fiber to the Premises) uses fiber-optic cable to
provide extremely high-speed Internet access to a
user’s physical permanent location.
– FTTH (Fiber to the Home) provides home users
with Internet access via fiber-optic cable.
– FTTB (Fiber to the Building) refers to small
businesses that use fiber-optic cables to access the
Internet.
 A T-carrier line is any of several types of long-
distance digital phone lines that carry multiple
signals over a single communications line.
 ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) is a service that
carries voice, data, video, and media at very high
speeds.
Communications DEVICES is any type of hardware
capable of transmitting data, instructions, and
information between a sending device and a receiving
device
 A broadband modem sends and receives data and
information to and from a digital line.
– Cable modem
– DSL modem
 A wireless modem uses a mobile phone provider’s
network to connect to the Internet wirelessly from a
computer or mobile device
 A wireless access point (WAP) is a central
communications device that allows computers and
devices to transfer data wirelessly among
themselves or to a wired network
 A router connects multiple computers or other
routers together and transmits data to its correct
destination on a network
 Some routers provide additional functionality:
– Wireless router
– Broadband router
– Broadband wireless router
– Mobile broadband wireless router
 A network card, sometimes called a network
interface card (NIC pronounced nick), A NIC is a
hardware component, typically a circuit board or
chip, which is installed in a computer so it can
connect to a network.
 A hub or switch is a device that provides a central
point for cables in a network.
HOME NETWORK

 Many home users connect multiple computers and

devices together in a home network

TRANSMISSION MEDIA

 Transmission media carries one or more

communications signals
 Broadband media transmit multiple signals
simultaneously
 The amount of data, instructions, and information
that can travel over transmission media sometimes is
called the bandwidth
 Latency is the time it takes a signal to travel from
one location to another on a network
Physical Transmission Media
 Broadcast radio is a wireless transmission medium
that distributes radio signals through the air over
long distances
 Cellular radio is a form of broadcast radio that is in
wide use for mobile communications
 Microwaves are radio waves that provide a high-
speed signal transmission
 A communications satellite is a space station that
receives microwave signals from an earth-based
station, amplifies it, and broadcasts the signal over a
wide area to any number of earth-based stations
 A GPS (global positioning system) is a navigation
system that consists of one or more earth-based
receivers that accept and analyze signals sent by
satellites in order to determine the receiver’s
geographical location
CYBER ATTACKS
A cyberattack is a malicious and deliberate attempt by
an individual or organization to breach the information
system of another individual or organization. Usually, the
attacker seeks some type of benefit from disrupting the
victim’s network.
Information transmitted over networks has a higher
degree of security risk than information kept on an
organization’s premises.
INTERNET AND NETWORK ATTACK
 Malware short for malicious software, consists of
programs that act without a user’s knowledge and
deliberately alter the operations of computers and
mobile devices. Malware is a term used to describe
malicious software, including spyware, adware,
viruses, trojan horse, rootkit, and worms.
 Virus A potentially damaging program that
affects, or infects, a computer or mobile
device negatively by altering the way the
computer or device works without the user’s
knowledge or permission.
 Worm A program that copies itself repeatedly,
for example in memory or on a network, using
up resources and possibly shutting down the
computer, device, or network.
 Trojan Horse A program that hides within or
looks like a legitimate program. Unlike a virus
or worm, a trojan horse does not replicate
itself to other computers or devices.
 Rootkit A program that hides in a computer or
mobile device and allows someone from a
remote location to take full control of the
computer or device.
 Spyware A program placed on a computer or
mobile device without the user’s knowledge
that secretly collects information about the
user and then communicates the information
it collects to some outside source while the
user is online.
 Adware A program that displays an online
advertisement in a banner or pop-up window
on webpages, email messages, or other
Internet services.
Can Spread via an Email Message
 STEP 1 - Unscrupulous programmers create a virus
program that deletes all files. They hide the virus in a
word processing document and attach the document
to an email message
 STEP 2 -They send the email message that contains
the infected attachment to thousands of users around
the world
 STEP 3 - Some users open the attachment and their
computers become infected
 STEP 4 - These users do not open the email message
— instead they immediately delete the email message
and continue using their computers. These users’
computers are not infected with the virus with the
virus
 Botnets or zombie army is a group of
compromised computers or mobile devices
connected to a network such as the Internet that
are used to attack other networks, usually for
nefarious purposes.
 A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is an assault
whose purpose is to disrupt computer access to an
Internet service.
 A back door is a program or set of instructions in a
program that allows users to bypass security
controls when accessing a program, computer, or
network.
 Spoofing a technique intruders use to make their
network or Internet transmission appear legitimate
to a victim computer or network.
CYBER INTRUDERS
Cyber intruder is the one who attempts to gain
unauthorized access to or to disrupt or damage a
computer system or electronic communication network.
Types of Cyber Intruders
 Trolls A person who posts intentionally offensive,
or off topic comments online. The basic purpose is
to upset people.
 Spies All such data collecting - as is much of the
gathering of personal facts about us by credit
agencies, educational and health institutions, and
agencies of the U.S government.
 Hackers a person who gains unauthorized access to
computers or network
– Malicious Hacker known as Crackers someone
who accesses a computer or network illegally but
has the intent of destroying data, stealing
information, or other malicious action.
o Script Kiddie Teenagers without much
technical expertise who use downloadable
software or other existing code to perform
malicious break-ins
o Hacktivist People who break into computer
system for politically or socially motivated
purposes.
o Black Hat Often professional criminals are
those who break into computer systems –
recently including smartphones and Twitter –
to steal or destroy information or to use it for
illegal profit.
o Cyberterrorist attack computer systems so as
to bring physical, political or financial harm to
groups, companies, or nations.
– Benign Hacker Also called thrill-seeker hackers
are hackers who illegally access computer
systems simply for the challenge of it, not to
damage or steal anything; their reward is the
achievement of breaking in.
– Benevolent Hacker also called ethical hackers,
also known as white-hat hackers, are usually
computer professionals who break into computer
systems and networks with the knowledge of
their owners to expose security flaws that can be
fixed.
 Thieves may be a company’s employees or
suppliers or professionals. (Hardware Thieves,
Employees, Con artists, scammers, & counterfeiters
Outside partners & suppliers).