Chapter 6 Summary
Before I read all the information in module six I didn't really pay much attention to the safety of my personal data and never really thought about the specific processes that protect my information online. It was fascinating to learn about cryptography, which is the study of ways to secure information. I wasn't aware that encryption is specifically the process of coding information using an algorithm to produce an unreadable string of characters it was also cool to see the clear difference between private-key encryption also called symmetric encryption which uses a common key known by both the sender and receiver, and public-key encryption. I learned that with public-key encryption, or asymmetric encryption, a person has a secret key known only to one party and a public key known to everyone. Understanding how these methods function really changed my perspective on the complex systems working behind the scenes to keep my communication secure.
What I found most interesting in the module, though, was the section under the title Phishing Attacks, which broke down how these attacks actually work. I've never thought I'd fall for any online scams, but I never really understood how these attacks worked in the background and how people are tricked by them so easily. I saw that a tacting called spoofing involves an email that includes the name of someone you know in the messages from the line. It is really interesting to see how often these spoofed emails appear to come from trusted sources like online banks or credit card companies. I wasn't fully aware that when individuals open the email and follow a hyperline , they are taken to a form that illicitly collects personal information. From now on whenever I see an email asking for details, I’ll know to double-check the sender so I don't fall victim to these attacks.
It is much easier to read on a screen if you keep the paragraphs somewhat short!