Societal Impacts

What is digital footprint ?

Answer

Digital Footprints are the records and traces of individual's activities as they use the Internet. Digital Footprints are permanently stored.

What is IPR ?

Answer

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are the rights of the owner of information to decide how much information is to be exchanged, shared or distributed. Also it gives the owner a right to decide the price for doing (exchanging/sharing/distributing) so.

What is plagiarism ?

Answer

Plagiarism is stealing someone else's intellectual work and representing it as our own work without citing the source of information.

What is FOSS ?

Answer

FOSS stands for Free and Open Source Software. It refers to software that is both free to use and allows users to access its source code, modify it, and distribute it freely.

How is freeware different from free software ?

Answer

The term freeware is generally used for software, which is available free of cost and which allows copying and further distribution, but not modification and whose source code is not available. The right to use the software is limited to certain types of users for instance, for private and non-commercial purposes.

Free software means that the software is freely accessible and can be freely used, changed, improved, copied and distributed by all who wish to do so. No payments are needed to be made for free software.

What are open source licenses ?

Answer

Open source licenses are licenses that comply with the Open Source Definition - in brief, they allow software to be freely used, modified and shared.

What is hacking and spoofing ?

Answer

Hacking refers to gaining unauthorized access to a network or computer or digital files, with an intention to steal or manipulate data or information or to install malware.

Spoofing refers to as a fraudulent or malicious practice in which communication is sent from an unknown source disguised as a trusted source known to the receiver.

How is e-waste disposed and recycled ?

Answer

The e-waste disposal and recycling process includes the following unit operations:

1. Dismantling — Removal of parts containing dangerous substances (CFCs, Hg switches, PCB), removal of easily accessible parts containing valuable substances (cable containing copper, steel, iron, precious, metal containing parts).

2. Segregation of ferrous metal, non-ferrous metal and plastic — This separation is normally done in a shredder process.

3. Refurbishment and reuse — Refurbishment and reuse of e-waste has potential for those used electrical and electronic equipments which can be easily refurbished to put to its original use.

4. Recycling/recovery of valuable materials — Ferrous metals in electrical arc furnaces, non-ferrous metals in smelting plants, precious metals in separating works.

5. Treatment/disposal of dangerous materials and waste — Shredder light fraction is disposed off in landfill sites or sometimes incinerated (expensive), chlorofluoro-carbons (CFCs) are treated thermally, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is incinerated or disposed off in underground storages, mercury (Hg) is often recycled or disposed off in underground landfill sites.

Both email attachments and downloaded files can spread malware.

(a) True

(b) False

Answer

True, both email attachments and downloaded files can spread malware.

What is a firewall ?

(a) A wall that is reinforced and cannot catch on fire.

(b) A program that protects against viruses.

(c) A filter for an Internet connection that monitors outgoing and incoming activity.

Answer

A filter for an Internet connection that monitors outgoing and incoming activity.

Reason — A firewall is a network security system, either hardware or software-based, that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on set of rules.

A strong password should contain :

(a) Both uppercase and lowercase letters.

(b) A word that is easy to remember, such as the name of a pet.

(c) At least 8 characters, and a combination of letters, numbers, and characters.

Answer

At least 8 characters, and a combination of letters, numbers, and characters.

Reason — A strong password should be long and complex, making it difficult for attackers to guess or crack. Including a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters enhances the password's strength by increasing the number of possible combinations.

Which type of program can send out information about your web browsing activities or other personal details ?

(a) Cookies

(b) Spam

(c) Spyware

(d) Trojan.

Answer

Spyware

Reason — Spyware is a software which is mostly installed on our computer without our consent, to spy on our activities and report this data to people willing to pay for it.

............... operating system comes under FOSS.

1. Windows
2. Ubuntu
3. Mac
4. Oracle

Answer

Ubuntu

Reason — Ubuntu is an open-source operating system (OS) that falls under the category of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).

............... is not a FOSS tool.

1. Libre Office
2. Mozilla Firefox
3. Google Chrome
4. Python

Answer

Google Chrome

Reason — Google Chrome is not a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) tool. It is a web browser developed by Google, which means its source code is not openly available for users to view, modify, or distribute. In contrast, LibreOffice, Mozilla Firefox, and Python are all examples of FOSS tools with open-source code that can be freely used, modified, and distributed by anyone.

A software that can be freely accessed and modified is called ............... .

1. Synchronous Software
2. Package Software
3. Open Source Software
4. Middleware

Answer

Open Source Software

Reason — Open Source Software (OSS), refers to software whose source code is available to customers and it can be modified and redistributed without any limitation.

Data which has no restriction of usage and is freely available to everyone under Intellectual Property Rights is categorized as :

1. Open Source
2. Open Data
3. Open Content
4. Open Education

Answer

Open Data

Reason — Open Data refers to data that has no usage restrictions and is freely available to everyone under Intellectual Property Rights.

Technology not protected by copyright and available to everyone, is categorized as :

1. Proprietary
2. Open Source
3. Experimental
4. Shareware

Answer

Open Source

Reason — Technology that is not protected by copyright and is available to everyone is categorized as Open Source.

Which of the following is an advantage of 'open source' software ?

1. You can edit the source code to customize it.
2. You need to be an expert to edit code.
3. You have to pay.
4. Can sometimes be too generic for specialist purposes.

Answer

You can edit the source code to customize it.

Reason — The advantage of open-source software is that we can edit the source code to customize it according to our needs or preferences.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of 'open source' software ?

1. High quality software with lots of features
2. Not as customizable
3. May not have been tested as much as proprietary software, so might have bugs.
4. You can edit the source code to customize it

Answer

May not have been tested as much as proprietary software, so might have bugs.

Reason — The main disadvantage of open-source software is that it may not have been tested as extensively as proprietary software, so it might have bugs.

Which of the following is an advantage of 'proprietary' software ?

1. It is usually free.
2. Thoroughly tested because people are paying to use it.
3. Not as customizable
4. Can sometimes be too generic for specialist purposes

Answer

Thoroughly tested because people are paying to use it.

Reason — The advantage of proprietary software is that it is thoroughly tested because people pay to use it.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of 'proprietary' software ?

1. You need to be an expert to edit code.
2. You have to pay for this type of software.
3. It's licensed.
4. It is launched after proper testing.

Answer

You have to pay for this type of software.

Reason — The disadvantage of proprietary software is that users have to pay to access it.

The generally recognized term for the government protection afforded to intellectual property (written and electronic) is called ............... .

1. computer security law
2. aggregate information
3. copyright law
4. data security standards

Answer

copyright law

Reason — Copyright law is the generally recognized term for the government protection afforded to intellectual property, including written and electronic works. It grants the creator of original works exclusive rights to their use and distribution, protecting against unauthorized copying or use by others.

Which of the following would be a creative work protected by copyright ?

1. A list of all Indian President names
2. A portrait of your family
3. A song you wrote
4. The name of your pet dog

Answer

A song you wrote

Reason — A copyright is a legal term to describe the rights of the creator of an original creative work such as a literary work, an artistic work, a design, song, movie or software etc. Hence, a song written by us is a creative work that would be protected by copyright.

Which of the following is not a type of cyber crime ?

1. Data theft
2. Forgery
3. Damage to data and systems
4. Installing antivirus for protection

Answer

Installing antivirus for protection

Reason — Installing antivirus is not a type of cyber crime because it is a defensive measure taken by individuals or organizations to protect against cyber threats. Cyber crime refers to criminal activities conducted using computers or the Internet, such as data theft, forgery, hacking, phishing, and malware attacks.

Out of the following, which crime(s) will come under cyber crime category ?

1. Identify theft
2. Invasion of privacy
3. Online harassment
4. All of the above

Answer

All of the above

Reason — The term cyber crime is a general term that covers crime like phishing, credit card frauds, illegal downloading, industrial espionage, child pornography, cyber bullying, cyber stalking, cyber terrorism, creation and/or distribution of viruses, spam and so on.

Which of the following is not done by cyber criminals ?

1. Unauthorized account access
2. Mass attack using Trojans as botnets
3. Email spoofing and spamming
4. Report vulnerability in any system

Answer

Report vulnerability in any system

Reason — Cyber criminals don't report vulnerabilities because their intent is to exploit them for personal gain. Reporting would alert system owners, leading to fixes and preventing the criminals from benefiting from the weaknesses.

What is the name of the IT law that India is having in the Indian legislature ?

1. India's Technology (IT) Act, 2000
2. India's Digital Information Technology (DIT) Act, 2000
3. India's Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000
4. The Technology Act, 2008

Answer

India's Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000

Reason — The name of the IT law in the Indian legislature is the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act 2000).

Primary law in India for matters related to e-commerce and cyber crime is :

1. IT Act 1995
2. IT Act 2000
3. IT Act 1998
4. IT Act 2010

Answer

IT Act 2000

Reason — The primary law in India for matters related to e-commerce and cyber crime is the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act 2000).

What is meant by the term 'cyber-crime' ?

1. Any crime that uses computers to jeopardize or attempt to jeopardize national security
2. The use of computer networks to commit financial or identity fraud
3. The theft of digital information
4. Any crime that involves computers and networks

Answer

Any crime that involves computers and networks

Reason — Cyber crime is any criminal offense that is facilitated by, or involves the use of, electronic communications or information systems, including any electronic device, computer, or the Internet.

Which of the following is a type of cyber crime where objectionable and demeaning comments are posted on social media platform about a person, such that he/she is mentally harassed ?

1. Phishing
2. Hacking
3. Cyber bullying
4. Identity Theft

Answer

Cyber bullying

Reason — Cyber bullying involves posting objectionable and demeaning comments or messages on social media platforms with the intent to harass or harm a person mentally or emotionally.

What is an example of e-waste ?

1. a ripened banana
2. an old computer
3. old clothes
4. empty soda cans

Answer

an old computer

Reason — Electronic waste (e-waste) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices, such as old computers, mobile phones, television sets etc.

An organisation purchases new computers every year and dumps the old ones into the local dumping yard. Write the name of the most appropriate category of waste that the organisation is creating every year, out of the following options :

1. Solid Waste
2. Commercial Waste
3. E-Waste
4. Business Waste

Answer

E-Waste

Reason — The old computers being discarded by the organization fall under the category of electronic waste (e-waste) since they are discarded electronic devices.

E-waste is responsible for the degradation of our environment if not properly treated or disposed of. Some of the feasible methods of e-waste management are reduce, ............... and recycle.

1. reuse
2. recheck
3. resubmit
4. regular

Answer

reuse

Reason — The feasible methods of e-waste management are reducing, reusing, reselling, salvaging, recycling, and disposing.

When e-waste such as electronic circuit boards are burnt for disposal, the elements contained in them create a harmful chemical called ............... which causes skin diseases, allergies and an increased risk of lung cancer.

1. Hydrogen
2. Beryllium
3. Chlorine
4. Oxygen

Answer

Beryllium

Reason — When electronic circuit boards containing beryllium are burnt for disposal, they release beryllium oxide, a harmful chemical compound. Inhalation or skin contact with beryllium oxide can lead to skin diseases, allergies, and an increased risk of lung cancer.

A company buys old discarded laptops, smartphones, tablets etc. and extracts precious metals from these and recycles these. What type of material is the company recycling ?

1. Business Waste
2. Commercial Waste
3. Solid Waste
4. E-Waste

Answer

E-Waste

Reason — The company is recycling electronic waste (e-waste) by extracting precious metals from old laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. E-waste refers to discarded electrical and electronic devices that can be recycled to recover valuable materials such as metals, plastics, and glass.

You were not able to create the IP project, therefore you downloaded a project from the internet and submitted it to your teacher by your name. This wrong/unethical act is considered as ............... .

1. Copyright
2. Hacking
3. Plagiarism
4. Trademark

Answer

Plagiarism

Reason — Plagiarism is the act of stealing someone else's intellectual work and presenting it as our own without citing the original source of information. In this case, submitting a downloaded project from the Internet under my name is considered plagiarism, as it misrepresents the originality and authorship of the work.

The rights of the owner of information to decide how much information is to be shared/exchanged/distributed, are collectively known as ............... (IPR).

1. Intelligent Property Rights
2. Intellectual Property Rights
3. Interactive Property Rights
4. Instance Property Rights

Answer

Intellectual Property Rights

Reason — Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are the rights of the owner of information to decide how much information is to be exchanged, shared or distributed.

Ramandeep is a young woman with great aspirations and has a good team of like-minded people. She along with her team members started a company to sell handicrafts online and also designed a logo for their company. What type of intellectual property does this logo represent ?

1. Patents
2. Copyright
3. Design
4. Trademark

Answer

Trademark

Reason — A logo designed for a company represents a form of intellectual property known as a trademark. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, sound, color and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the products and goods of one party from those of others.

Companies get their Trademark registered to project :

1. logos, names and brands
2. word, phrase, or symbol
3. slogans, stylized fonts, and colors
4. company furniture, worker, brands

Answer

word, phrase, or symbol

Reason — Companies register their trademarks to protect their words, phrases, and symbols from unauthorized use by others.

Rohit forgot his laptop in his car and when he came back he found his laptop was missing. That act is :

1. Cyber crime
2. Phishing
3. Theft
4. Plagiarism

Answer

Theft

Reason — The act of someone taking Rohit's laptop without his permission or authorization constitutes theft, as it involves the unlawful taking of someone else's property.

The following is automatically granted to the creator or owner of any invention :

1. Parent
2. Copyright
3. Trademark
4. License

Answer

Copyright

Reason — A copyright is a collection of rights automatically vested to someone who has created an original work.

Himanshi sets up her own company to sell her own range of clothes on instagram. What type of intellectual property can she use to show that the clothes are made by his company ?

1. Patents
2. Copyright
3. Design
4. Trademark

Answer

Trademark

Reason — Himanshi can use a trademark to indicate that the clothes are made by her company. A trademark is used to distinguish and identify the products and goods of one company from those of others.

Stealing someone else's intellectual work and representing it as own, is called ............... .

1. Intellectual steal
2. Pluckism
3. Plagiarism
4. Pickism

Answer

Plagiarism

Reason — Plagiarism is stealing someone else's intellectual work and representing it as our own work without citing the source of information.

The information/art/work that exists in digital form is called ............... .

1. e-work
2. e-asset
3. digital property
4. e-property

Answer

digital property

Reason — Digital property or digital assets refers to any information about us or created by us that exists in digital form, either online or an electronic storage device.

The digital footprint that we leave online unintentionally is called

1. Active digital footprint
2. Passive digital footprint
3. True digital footprint
4. False digital footprint

Answer

Passive digital footprint

Reason — A passive digital footprint gets created through our data trail that we unintentionally leave online.

Every activity you perform on the Internet is saved for how long ?

1. one month
2. one year
3. as per my setting
4. forever

Answer

forever

Reason — Every activity we perform on the Internet is saved forever unless we have specific settings or tools in place to delete or limit the retention of our data.

The digital trail which gets created as a person's Internet usage using computers, smartphones, gaming consoles etc. is called ............... .

1. Internet data
2. Internet trail
3. Digital footprint
4. e-footprint

Answer

Digital footprint

Reason — Digital footprints are the records and traces of individuals' activities as they use the Internet on various devices such as computers, smartphones, gaming consoles etc.

Gaining unauthorized access to a network or computer or digital files with malicious intentions, is called ............... .

1. Cracking
2. Hacking
3. Banging
4. Phishing

Answer

Hacking

Reason — Hacking refers to gaining unauthorized access to a network or computer or digital files, with an intention to steal or manipulate data or information or to install malware.

Legal term to describe the rights of a creator of original creative or artistic work is called ............... .

1. Copyright
2. Copyleft
3. GPL
4. None of these

Answer

Copyright

Reason — A copyright is a legal term to describe the rights of the creator of an original creative work such as a literary work, an artistic work, a design, song, movie or software etc.

Copyright, Patent and Trademark comes under :

1. Intellectual Property Right
2. Individual Property Right
3. Industrial Property Right
4. None of the above

Answer

Intellectual Property Right

Reason — Copyright, patent, and trademark are all forms of intellectual property rights.

Which attribute is not used with DataFrame ?

1. Size
2. Type
3. Empty
4. Columns

Answer

Type

Reason — The type attribute is not used with DataFrame.

............... is a non-profit organization that aims to build a publicly accessible global platform where a range of creative and academic work is shared freely.

1. Creative Cost
2. Critical Commons
3. Creative Commons
4. Creative Common

Answer

Creative Commons

Reason — Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that aims to build a publicly accessible global platform where a range of creative and academic work is shared freely.

GPL stands for :

1. Guided Public License
2. General Public License
3. Global Public License
4. General Public Letter

Answer

General Public License

Reason — GPL stands for General Public License.

E-waste is becoming one of the fastest growing environmental hazards in the world today. If it is not properly treated or disposed of it can cause serious health hazards, therefore the ............... has issued a formal set of guidelines for proper handling and disposal of e-waste.

1. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
2. Department of Information Technology (DIT)
3. Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE)
4. Information Communication Technology (ICT)

Answer

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

Reason — The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued formal guidelines for the proper handling and disposal of e-waste to address the growing environmental hazards associated with it.

A worm is ...............

1. A slimy pink thing that lives in dirt.
2. Pieces of malicious code that make copies of themselves and spread through computers without human interaction.
3. An unsolicited email message.

Answer

Pieces of malicious code that make copies of themselves and spread through computers without human interaction.

Reason — A worm is a self-replicating program which eats up the entire disk space or memory. A worm keeps on creating its copies until all the disk space or memory is filled.

If you receive an email claiming to need your username and/or password, what should you do ?

1. Report it as phishing/spam through your email provider
2. Delete the message
3. Reply to the message with your email and password

Answer

Report it as phishing/spam through your email provider

Reason — If we receive an email asking for our username and/or password, we should report it as phishing/spam through our email provider.

What should your response be if you receive an email stating that you have won a lottery or received some inheritance from an unknown person ?

1. Send them email asking for further procedure
2. Ignore it
3. Mark it as spam and block it

Answer

Mark it as spam and block it

Reason — Marking the email as spam and blocking the sender is the appropriate response when we receive an email stating that we have won a lottery or received some inheritance from an unknown person.

A computer ............... is a malicious code which self-replicates by copying itself to other programs.

1. program
2. virus
3. application
4. worm

Answer

worm

Reason — A computer worm is a type of malicious code that self-replicates by copying itself to other programs, allowing it to spread throughout a computer system or network.

Which of the following is a type of program that either pretends to have, or is described as having, a set of useful or desirable features but actually contains a damaging code.

1. Trojans
2. Viruses
3. Worm
4. Adware

Answer

Trojans

Reason — A Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but actually performs malicious functions such as deleting or damaging files.

Which of the following is the type of software that has self-replicating software that causes damage to files and system ?

1. Trojans
2. Viruses
3. Worm
4. Adware

Answer

Worm

Reason — A worm is a self-replicating program and can cause damage to files and systems as it spreads through networks or systems.

Which of the following tracks your internet browsing habits and sends you popups containing advertisements related to the sites and topics you've visited ?

1. Trojans
2. Viruses
3. Worm
4. Adware

Answer

Adware

Reason — Adware is the type of software that tracks our internet browsing habits and displays pop-up advertisements related to the sites and topics we've visited.

What is the broad term covering computer viruses, worms, trojan, adware, etc. ?

1. Malware
2. Spyware
3. Worm
4. Adware

Answer

Malware

Reason — Malware is a broad term covering computer viruses, worms, trojans, adware, spyware, etc.

The attack that focuses on capturing small packets from the network transmitted by other computers and reading the data content in search of any type of information is ............... .

1. Phishing
2. Eavesdropping
3. Scams
4. PC intrusion

Answer

Eavesdropping

Reason — Eavesdropping is the attack that focuses on capturing small packets from the network transmitted by other computers and reading the data content in search of any type of information.

Which of the following is/are source of spreading viruses from one computer to another ?

1. Email
2. Infected data
3. Infected programs
4. All of these

Answer

All of these

Reason — The sources of spreading viruses from one computer to another include email, infected data, and infected programs.

............... are the attempts by individuals to obtain confidential information from you through an original looking site and URL.

1. Phishing scams
2. Spoofing
3. Eavesdropping
4. Pharming

Answer

Phishing scams

Reason — Phishing scams involve attempts by individuals to obtain confidential information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, from us by using an original-looking site and URL to deceive.

............... is an attempt where a hacker tries to divert network traffic to a bogus site.

1. Phishing scams
2. Spoofing
3. Eavesdropping
4. Pharming attack

Answer

Pharming attack

Reason — Pharming attack is an attempt where a hacker tries to divert network traffic to a bogus site without our knowledge or consent.

A research student is expected to write a thesis on a topic. The student browses Internet for the topic and luckily finds it on the Internet. He copies and submits the entire thesis as his own research work. Which of the following activities appropriately categorises the act of the writer ?

1. Spamming
2. Phishing
3. Plagiarism
4. Trojan

Answer

Plagiarism

Reason — Plagiarism is the act of stealing someone else's intellectual work and presenting it as our own without citing the original source of information. In this case, the student copied the entire thesis from the internet and claimed it as his own research work, which is a case of plagiarism.

OSS stands for Open Source Software.

Any fraudulent business practice that extracts money from an unsuspecting, ignorant person is called a scam.

Plagiarism is stealing someone else's intellectual work and representing it as your own without giving credit.

Any work/information that exists in digital form either on Internet or on an electronic device, is known as digital property.

Discarded electrical or electronic devices are known as e-waste.

The least restrictive open source license is MIT license.

The original code written by programmers for a software is known as source code.

Freeware means no price is to be paid for the software.

Free Software means freedom to use the software.

IAD means Internet Addiction Disorder.

The Digital Footprint is the digital trail of your activity on the Internet.

The licenses are the permissions given to use a product or someone's creation by the copyright holder.

Copyleft is a license that gives rights opposite to copyright.

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own is known as Plagiarism.

A Repetitive Strain Injury is an injury or disorder of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments and joints.

Computer Vision Syndrome is a technology related health condition affecting eyesight.

Malware is a general term used to refer to viruses, worms, spyware, adware etc.

A worm is a self-replicating program which eats up the entire disk space or memory.

Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless (such as a text editor or a utility program) but actually performs malicious functions.

Spyware is a software which is installed on your computer to spy on your activities and report this data to people willing to pay for it.

Spamming refers to the sending of bulk-mail by an identified or unidentified source.

Unauthorised monitoring of other people's communications is called eavesdropping.

A cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user's web browser (in a text file) while a user is browsing a website.

Firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network.

A mail or message sent to a large number of people indiscriminately without their consent is called spam.

Receiving irrelevant and unwanted emails repeatedly is an example of spam.

Open Source Software can be used for commercial purposes.

Answer

True

Reason — Open source software, being freely available and allowing modification and redistribution without limitations, can be used for commercial purposes.

It is okay to copy and paste information from the Internet into your report then organize it.

Answer

False

Reason — Copying and pasting information from the internet into our report without proper citation or attribution is considered plagiarism.

Shareware software allows you to try the software before you buy it.

Answer

True

Reason — Shareware software allows users to try the software before purchasing it.

Freeware is copyrighted software that is freely available to use.

Answer

True

Reason — Freeware is copyrighted software that is available free of cost and allows copying and further distribution, but not modification, and whose source code is not available.

Cyber-laws are incorporated for punishing all types of criminals only.

Answer

False

Reason — Cyber law is a generic term which refers to all the legal and regulatory aspects of Internet and the World Wide Web.

Deceptively attempting to acquire sensitive information of someone else using online means, is a cyber crime.

Answer

True

Reason — The practice of attempting to acquire sensitive information from individuals over the Internet, by means of deception, known as phishing, is considered a cyber crime.

Freeware and free software mean the same thing.

Answer

False

Reason — Freeware is a type of software available free of cost, permitting copying and distribution but not modification, with its source code not available. On the other hand, free software, or open-source software, can be freely used, modified, improved, copied, and distributed without any payment required.

Excessive use of Internet and social media is termed as a disorder.

Answer

True

Reason — Excessive use of the internet and social media can be considered a disorder, such as internet addiction disorder.

Digital footprint can be deleted.

Answer

False

Reason — Digital footprints are permanently stored.

Digital footprint remains forever.

Answer

True

Reason — Once we post anything online, it stays forever and cannot be undone, and hence, digital footprints remain forever.

It is safe to make all one posts public on social media.

Answer

False

Reason — Making all posts public on social media can pose various risks. Therefore, we should be selective about who we authorize to access our information, limiting it to our known circle or people we trust.

Hacking is performed to help find the security loopholes.

Answer

False

Reason — Hacking is performed to exploit computer/network security and employ techniques like spoofing, phishing, social engineering, etc., to capture users personal or financial details.

If you post something mean about someone, you can just delete it and your activity will be undone.

Answer

False

Reason — No, deleting a post does not undo the activity because the post might already have been seen, shared, or saved by others.

Hacking is a cyber crime.

Answer

True

Reason — Hacking refers to gaining unauthorized access to a network, computer, or digital files with the intention to steal or manipulate data or information or to install malware, making it a form of cyber crime.

Copyright is the right of the creator of creative/artistic work.

Answer

True

Reason — A copyright is the rights of the creator of an original creative work such as a literary work, an artistic work, a design, song, movie or software etc.

Computer viruses are healthy codes/programs written to test the security health of a system.

Answer

False

Reason — Computer viruses are malicious codes/programs that cause damage to data and files on a system.

A worm is a self-replicating program.

Answer

True

Reason — A worm is a self-replicating program which eats up the entire disk space or memory.

A trojan horse is a utility program that does harm when its date gets expired.

Answer

False

Reason — A Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but actually performs malicious functions such as deleting or damaging files.

Spyware is healthy software which keeps an eye on activities happening on your computer.

Answer

False

Reason — Spyware is a software which is mostly installed on our computer without our consent, to spy on our activities and report this data to people willing to pay for it.

Adware are the programs that deliver unwanted ads to your computer.

Answer

True

Reason — Adware are the programs that deliver unwanted ads to our computer.

Malware is a special type of virus.

Answer

False

Reason — Malware is a general term used to refer to viruses, worms, spyware, adware etc. In the other words, it is unwanted software that someone else wants to run on our computer.

Spamming refers to the sending of bulk-mail by an identified or unidentified source.

Answer

True

Reason — Spamming refers to the sending of bulk-mail by an identified or unidentified source.

Phishing involves authentic looking sites trying to collect your sensitive transactional and identity information.

Answer

True

Reason — In phishing, an imposter uses an authentic-looking email or website to trick recipients into giving out sensitive transactional and identity information.

To keep a computer protected, one should use updated software, be cautious while handling mails and surfing Internet, scanning computer regularly etc.

Answer

True

Reason — Keeping a computer protected involves using updated software, being cautious while handling emails and surfing the internet, regularly scanning the computer for malware or viruses, using strong passwords, and practicing safe browsing habits.

Firewall can be implemented in software as well as in hardware.

Answer

True

Reason — A firewall is a network security system, which can be implemented in software as well as in hardware, that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of rules.

Assertion. The trail of online activity is called Digital Footprint.

Reason. Digital footprints are the records of online activities of an individual.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
The trail of online activity, known as a Digital Footprint, refers to the records and traces of an individual's activities as they use the Internet.

Assertion. Copyright, Patents and Trademarks are Intellectual Property Rights.

Reason. Intellectual Property Rights are the rights of the owner of information to decide how and how much the creation can be used.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Intellectual Property Rights are the rights of the owner of information to decide how much information is to be exchanged, shared, or distributed and the price of their intellectual property. These rights also encompass the ability to protect one's creations through copyrights, patents, or trademarks. Therefore, Copyrights, Patents, and Trademarks are examples of Intellectual Property Rights.

Assertion. The patents are available online.

Reason. Patents are the grant of exclusive right(s) of an invention.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

A is false but R is true.

Explanation
While some patent information may be available online, not all patents are publicly available online. Patent applications and granted patents may contain confidential or proprietary information, and therefore, may not be publicly disclosed. A patent is a grant of exclusive right to the inventor by the government.

Assertion. Anything available online does not mean it is free and freely available to use.

Reason. IPRs do not apply on the online content.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

A is true but R is false.

Explanation
Many online materials are protected by copyright laws, and using them without permission may infringe on the rights of the copyright holder. Just because content is available online does not mean it is free from copyright or other intellectual property rights (IPRs). Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) do apply to online content. Copyright, trademarks, patents, and other forms of IPRs protect various types of content on the Internet, just as they protect content in the offline world.

Assertion. Plagiarism is an offense.

Reason. Stealing someone's work and showing it as own work is the violation of Intellectual Property Rights.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Plagiarism is considered an offense because it is the act of stealing someone else's intellectual work and presenting it as our own work without citing the source of information, which is a violation of Intellectual Property Rights.

Assertion. Open Source Software makes available the source code of the software.

Reason. Open source software and free software are the same.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

A is true but R is false.

Explanation
Open Source Software makes the source code of the software available to customers, and it can be modified and redistributed without limitations. It may be available for free or for a nominal charge. In contrast, free software is freely accessible and can be used, changed, improved, copied, and distributed by anyone without any restrictions or payments. Therefore, open-source software and free software are not the same.

Assertion. Open Source Software and Freeware may come free of cost but they are not the same.

Reason. Open Source Software gives source code with freedom to-use while freeware comes at free-of-cost.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Open Source Software and Freeware may come free of cost, but they are not the same. Open Source Software is a software that is available free of cost to customers and can be modified and redistributed without limitations. It makes the source code of the software available to customers. On the other hand, Freeware is also available free of cost, but it does not allow modification of the software and does not make the source code available to customers.

Assertion. Freeware and Free software mean the same.

Reason. Free software may be chargeable.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

A is false but R is true.

Explanation
Freeware is software that is available free of cost and allows copying and further distribution, but not modification, and whose source code is not available. Free software, on the other hand, is freely accessible and can be used, changed, improved, copied, and distributed by anyone without any restrictions or payments. While free software is often available at no cost, it's possible for developers to charge for services, support, or proprietary features related to the software.

Assertion. Freeware and free software are different.

Reason. Freeware means no cost for the software, while free software means source code available with a freedom to use it.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Freeware is software that is available free of cost and allows copying and further distribution. However, freeware does not allow modification, and its source code is not available. Free software, on the other hand, is freely accessible and comes with source code available with a freedom to use it, allowing users to use, change, improve, copy, and distribute the software without any restrictions or payments.

Assertion. Viruses, worms, trojans, adware, spyware are all Malware.

Reason. Malware is a general term to represent data threat software.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Malware is an umbrella term for any piece of software that has malicious intent. Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Adware, Spyware are all types of malware.

Assertion. Spyware are not harmful as they do not damage data.

Reason. Spyware track data about user and sell it to others hampering your data privacy.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Spyware are the software that stealthily attach with computer software such as a web browser and stealthily collect information about user's activities such as passwords, pins, banking information etc. Hence, spyware may not directly damage data, but they track data about user and sell it to others hampering user's data privacy.

Assertion. Phishing is fraudulently taking a user to an authentic looking site and stealing user information.

Reason. Pharming is fraudulently redirecting a website's traffic to another to steal information.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of taking a user to an authentic looking site and attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card information etc. While pharming is fraudulently redirecting a website's traffic to bogus site without user's knowledge or consent to steal information.

Assertion. One should share information only on encrypted connections and protocols.

Reason. HTTPS is a protocol that ensures exchange of information in encrypted form.

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.

Answer

Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Explanation
One should share information only on encrypted connections and protocols to ensure the security and confidentiality of data. This can be achieved using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), a protocol that provides end-to-end encryption, ensuring the secure exchange of information.

The trail that is automatically created when a person uses the internet on any digital devices like Laptops, smart phones, tablets etc. is called :

(a) Cyber bullying

(b) Phishing

(c) Digital Footprint

(d) Digital Activity

Answer

Digital Footprint

The trail of data that is automatically created when a person uses any digital device like laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc., is called a digital footprint.

What is digital footprint ?

Answer

Digital Footprints are the records and traces of individual's activities as they use the Internet. Digital Footprints are permanently stored.

Why is it so important to carefully think of digital footprint ?

Answer

It is important to think carefully of digital footprint because:

1. It gives us a digital persona by defining our online behavior.
2. The digital footprint is often used by universities before approving admissions to a student.
3. The digital footprint is also used by future employers, and law enforcement offices, to find people with positive and clean digital footprint.
4. The digital footprint should not provide personal information as it could be misinterpreted or misused for theft or identity.

What is intellectual property ? What do you understand by intellectual property rights ?

Answer

Any piece of information is produced or created with a lot of efforts and it consumes a lot of time. Creative creations of mind such as patents, literary and creative arts, copyrights, trademarks etc. are known as intellectual property.

Intellectual property rights are the rights of the owner of information to decide how much information is to be exchanged, shared or distributed. Also it gives the owner a right to decide the price for doing so.

Explain plagiarism with an example.

Answer

Plagiarism is stealing someone else's intellectual work and representing it as our own work without giving credit to creator or without citing the source of information.

For example, a student copies a paragraph from a website and includes it in his/her essay without citing the source, it is considered as plagiarism.

How can you avoid plagiarism while referring to someone's else's creation ?

Answer

To avoid plagiarism while referring to someone else's creation, we must give credit whenever we use:

1. Another person's idea, opinion, or theory;
2. Quotations of another person's actual spoken or written words; or
3. Paraphrase of another person's spoken or written words

What is digital property ?

Answer

Digital property (or digital assets) refers to any information about us or created by us that exists in digital form, either online or on an electronic storage device.

What are the threats to digital properties ?

Answer

The common threats to digital properties are as follows:

1. Digital software penetration tools — There are many software penetration tools such as cracks and keygens which enable unauthorized users to freely access a software without actually paying for it.
2. Stealing and plagiarizing codes of digital properties — Other developers may steal a software's source code and use it to build their own versions of it, and then sell it under their own company name.

How can you protect your digital properties ?

Answer

The following ways to ensure protection of your digital properties:

1. Anti-Tamper Solutions — They use a host of advanced technologies to prevent hacking, reverse-engineering or manipulating digital properties such as utility tools, software, apps, video games and so forth.
2. Legal Clauses — There must be a transparent clause in the software's Terms of Service that prohibits the scraping of the software's source code for reuse.
3. Limit the sharing of software code — One should share software code only with trusted individuals who are part of development team. Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution can protect a software from being scraped for source code using decompilers etc.

Expand the terms :

1. OSI
2. FLOSS
3. FSF
4. GNU
5. GPL
6. W3C
7. OSS

Answer

1. OSI — Open Source Initiative.
2. FLOSS — Free Libre/Livre and Open Source Software.
3. FSF — Free Software Foundation.
4. GNU — GNU is Not Unix.
5. GPL — General Public License.
6. W3C — World Wide Web Consortium.
7. OSS — Open Source Software.

What is open source software ? Write the names of any two software which can be categorized as Open Source.

Answer

Open source software is the software, whose source code is freely available and which can be copied, modified and redistributed without any limitation.

Two open-source softwares are Linux and Mozilla Firefox.

Compare and Contrast : Free software and Open source software.

Answer

Free software is the software which is free of cost, which can be copied, modified and redistributed as well and whose source code is available. No charges are payable for free software.

Open source software, on the other hand, is the software, whose source code is available and which can be copied, modified and redistributed as well. There may or may not be charges payable for open source software.

Compare and Contrast : OSS and FLOSS.

Answer

OSS refers to Open Source Software whose source code is made available to the public, allowing anyone to view, modify, and distribute the code. However, OSS does not necessarily mean that the software is completely free of charge. It only means that the source code is available for others to access and modify.

FLOSS refers to Free Libre/Livre and Open Source Software. The term FLOSS is used to refer to a software which is both free software as well as open source software. In addition to being Open Source, FLOSS also emphasises that no charges are applicable to the user for using and distributing the software.

Compare and Contrast : Proprietary software and Free software.

Answer

Proprietary software is the software that is neither open nor freely available. Its use is regulated and further distribution and modification is either forbidden or requires special permission by the supplier or vendor. Source code of proprietary software is normally not available. These softwares need to be purchased before they can be used.

Free software means that the software is freely accessible and can be freely used, changed, improved, copied and distributed by all who wish to do so. No payments are needed to be made for free software.

Compare and Contrast : Freeware and Shareware.

Answer

The term freeware is generally used for software, which is available free of cost and which allows copying and further distribution, but not modification and whose source code is not available. The right to use the software is limited to certain types of users for instance, for private and non-commercial purposes.

Shareware is a software which is made available with the right to redistribute copies, but it is stipulated that if one intends to use the software, often after a certain period of time then a license fee should be paid. The source code of shareware is not available and modifications to the software are not allowed.

Compare and Contrast : Freeware and Free software.

Answer

The term freeware is generally used for software, which is available free of cost and which allows copying and further distribution, but not modification and whose source code is not available. The right to use the software is limited to certain types of users for instance, for private and non-commercial purposes.

Free software means that the software is freely accessible and can be freely used, changed, improved, copied and distributed by all who wish to do so. No payments are needed to be made for free software.

Consider the following scenario and answer the questions which follow :

"A student is expected to write a research paper on a topic. The student had a friend who took a similar class five years ago. The student asks his older friend for a copy of his paper and then takes the paper and then submits the entire paper as his own research work".

(i) Which of the following activities appropriately categorizes the act of the writer ?

1. Plagiarism
2. Spamming
3. Virus
4. Phishing

(ii) Which kind of offense out of the following is made by the student ?

1. Cyber Crime
2. Civil Crime
3. Violation of Intellectual Property Rights

Answer

(i) Plagiarism

Reason — Submitting his friend's work as his own research work without proper attribution or permission is considered plagiarism.

(ii) Violation of Intellectual Property Rights

Reason — Plagiarism is a violation of intellectual property rights, as it involves using another person's intellectual creation without authorization or acknowledgment.

Indian law to deal with cyber crime is :

1. Cyber Act (CA)
2. Internet Act (IA)
3. IT Act (ITA)
4. WWW Act (WWWA)

Answer

IT Act (ITA)

Reason — In India, cyber laws are enforced through Information Technology Act, 2000.

E-waste is harmful to the environment and human health if not properly treated or disposed of, therefore they must be handled with care. What are the health hazard which can be caused by E-waste ?

1. Lung cancer
2. DNA damage
3. Brain damage
4. All of the above

Answer

All of the above

Reason — E-waste contains hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic etc. Improper handling or disposal of e-waste can release these toxic substances into the environment, leading to various health hazards including lung cancer, DNA damage, and brain damage.

What is public domain software ? Name some common public domain software licenses.

Answer

Public-domain software is free and can be used without restrictions. It is, by its very nature, outside the scope of copyright and licensing.

Some open source licenses are Creative Commons License, General Public License and Apache License.

What is GPL software license ? How is it different from LGPL software license ?

Answer

General Public License (GPL) grants and guarantees a wide range of rights to developers who work on open-source projects. With GPL, users can do the following:

1. Copy the software as many times as needed.
2. Distribute the software in any way
3. Charge a fee to distribute the software after modifying it but the software should still be under GNU GPL.
4. Make any type of modifications to the software

The LGPL and GPL licenses differ with one major exception. With LGPL the requirement that you have to release software extensions in open GPL has been removed.

These days it is equally important to safeguard digital properties :

(a) What are digital properties ?

(b) Why is above given statement/fact important ?

(c) What are possible threats to digital properties ?

(d) How can digital properties be safeguarded ?

Answer

(a) Digital property (or digital assets) refers to any information about us or created by us that exists in digital form, either online or on an electronic storage device.

For example, any online personal accounts such as email, personal websites and blogs, domain names registered in our name, intellectual properties etc.

(b) Digital property rights lie with the owner. Legally a person who has created it or the owner who has got it developed by paying legally is the legal owner of a digital property. Only the owner can use and decide who all and in what form can his/her digital asset may be used by others, whether by making payments or by buying it or by obtaining its license or usage rights etc. Thus, it is important to safeguard digital properties.

(c) The common threats to digital properties are as follows:

1. Digital software penetration tools — There are many software penetration tools such as cracks and keygens which enable unauthorized users to freely access a software without actually paying for it.
2. Stealing and plagiarizing codes of digital properties — Other developers may steal a software's source code and use it to build their own versions of it, and then sell it under their own company name.

(d) The following are the ways to ensure protection of digital properties:

1. Anti-Tamper Solutions — They use a host of advanced technologies to prevent hacking, reverse-engineering or manipulating digital properties such as utility tools, software, apps, video games and so forth.
2. Legal Clauses — There must be a transparent clause in the software's Terms of Service that prohibits the scraping of the software's source code for reuse.
3. Limit the sharing of software code — One should share software code only with trusted individuals who are part of development team. Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution can protect a software from being scraped for source code using decompilers etc.

Define Phishing.

Answer

Phishing is the practice of attempting to acquire sensitive information from individuals over the internet, by means of deception.

Define Scam.

Answer

Any fraudulent business practice that extracts money from an unsuspecting, ignorant person is called a scam.

Define Hacking.

Answer

Hacking refers to gaining unauthorized access to a network or computer or digital files, with an intention to steal or manipulate data or information or to install malware.

Define Spoofing.

Answer

Spoofing refers to as a fraudulent or malicious practice in which communication is sent from an unknown source disguised as a trusted source known to the receiver.

What is cyber crime ? Give examples.

Answer

Cyber crime is any criminal offense that is facilitated by, or involves the use of, electronic communications or information systems, including any electronic device, computer, or the Internet.

Examples: Hacking, Spoofing, Phishing etc.

Can you give an example of crime which is not cyber crime ?

Answer

A person breaks into a house and steals jewellery and cash. This crime involves the unlawful taking of someone else's property and is not classified as a cyber crime.

What is Internet addiction ? What are some symptoms of the Internet addiction ?

Answer

When a person can't find a balance between their time online and their time offline, it considerably affects their mental health, this condition is called Internet addiction.

Symptoms of Internet addiction are as follows:

1. Excessive social networking
2. Playing online games
3. Excessive blogging
4. Compulsive online gambling
5. Excessive online Shopping
6. Compulsive watching of Internet videos and pornography

What is cyber bullying ?

Answer

Harassing, demeaning, embarrassing, defaming or intimidating someone using modern technologies like Internet, cell phones, instant messengers, social networks etc, is called Cyber Bullying.

What is copyright ?

Answer

A copyright is a legal term to describe the rights of the creator of an original creative work such as a literary work, an artistic work, a design, song, movie or software etc.

What are some types of software licenses ?

Answer

The types of software licenses are as follows:

1. GNU General Public License (GPL)
2. GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)
3. BSD License
4. MIT License
5. Apache License

What are some common net etiquettes ?

Answer

The list of net etiquettes are as follows:

1. Refrain from personal abuse.
2. Never spam.
3. Write clearly and concisely.
4. Always post correct content in respectful language.
5. In a discussion forum, stick to the topic.
6. Never expect other people to do our homework.
7. Do not post copyrighted material for which we do not own the rights.

What do you understand by Net Etiquettes ? Explain any two such etiquettes.

Answer

Net Etiquettes refers to online manners while using Internet or working online. While online, we should be courteous, truthful and respectful of others.

The two netiquettes are as follows:

1. Refrain from personal abuse — If we disagree to something, we may express robust disagreement, but never call them names or threaten them with personal violence.

2. Never spam — We should not repeatedly post the same advertisement for products or services.

Nowadays all of us frequently use social media to connect with our friends. Give any two netiquettes that we should follow while communicating on social media.

Answer

The two netiquettes that we should follow while communicating on social media are as follows:

1. Always post correct content in respectful language.
2. Do not post copyrighted material to which we do not own the rights.

What is hacking ? Who is a hacker ?

Answer

Hacking refers to gaining unauthorized access to a network or computer or digital files, with an intention to steal or manipulate data or information or to install malware.

A hacker is someone who gains unauthorized access to our network or computer or digital files, with an intention to steal or manipulate data or information or to install malware.

List any two health hazards related to excessive use of Technology.

Answer

The two health hazards related to excessive use of technology are as follows:

1. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) — It is an injury or disorder of the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments and Joints.

2. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) — It is a technology related health condition affecting eyesight.

How does excessive use of technology impact the mental health of a user ?

Answer

Excessive use of technology leads to isolation, as people don't get time to physically socialize. It sometimes also leads to anxiety and depression, as people often tend to think that their "connections" have "perfect rosy lives" while they do not. Additionally, it can lead to Internet addiction. People may obsessively look through emails and messages, feeling stressed if they don't receive likes or replies on their posts, etc. This problem is formally termed Internet addiction disorder.

How does excessive use of technology impact the physical health of a user ?

Answer

Excessive use of technology can have several impacts on physical health:

1. Impact on Hearing — Listening to loud music for over 15 minutes can cause hearing damage. Using headphones for long periods increases bacteria in the ears by over 700 times.

2. Impact on Bones and Joints — Technology affects posture due to prolonged sitting and repetitive movements, leading to muscle and joint strain. Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs) affect muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and joints.

3. Eye Problems — Constant screen exposure from smartphones, laptops, and computers can damage vision, especially due to blue light, leading to potential vision loss. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a related eye condition.

4. Sleep Issues — Excessive device use disrupts sleep due to bright screen light suppressing melatonin production. Poor sleep impacts cognitive function, memory, and attention span.

What is a virus ? What is anti-virus software ?

Answer

A virus is a malicious codes/programs that cause damage to data and files on a system. Viruses can attack any part of a computer's software such as boot block, operating system, system areas, files and application-program-macros etc.

Anti-virus software is designed to detect and block attacks from malware. This software when loaded, resides in memory and checks every operation if it is malicious or not. If it finds any suspicious activity, it blocks that operation and saves our computer.

What is a computer virus ? How can it affect your computer ?

Answer

A computer virus is a computer program that can infect other computer programs by modifying them in such a way as to include a copy of itself.

Viruses can alter, corrupt and delete files, freeze the computer, flash unknown or unasked messages or display unwanted graphics on the computer screen, play unwanted music and interfere with the computer operation.

What type of damages can be caused by viruses to your computer ?

Answer

A virus can damage our computer in the following ways:

1. Some viruses may delete or damage random documents or specific files that are crucial to the operating system.
2. Viruses can run in the background, without being seen, and may cause the computer to run extremely slow.
3. Some forms of viruses may infect the email program and spread themselves to the contacts in the address book.

What are Malware ? What type of damages can they cause to your computer ?

Answer

Malware is a general term used to refer to viruses, worms, spyware, adware etc. It is unwanted software that someone else wants to run on our computer. Malware infects our computer, making it behave in a way, which we do not approve of.

Malware can damage our computer in the following ways:

1. Some viruses may delete or damage random documents or specific files that are crucial to the operating system.
2. Viruses can run in the background, without being seen, and may cause our computer to run extremely slow.
3. Some forms of viruses may infect the email program and spread themselves to the contacts in the address book.
4. Spyware can monitor information about our computing habits which in the end can lead to identity theft.
5. Some forms of spyware can also alter computer settings like our web browser home page setting or the placement of our desktop icons.
6. Spyware can rob our PC or system speed and Internet access efficiency.
7. Adware tracks information about our data and computing habits to produce targeted advertising, such as pop-up ads, on your computer screen.
8. When infected with adware, we will likely see frequent pop-up ads appear out of nowhere.

What is a Spam ? Why has it become a big Internet issue ?

Answer

Spam refers to electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings, as well as unsolicited, usually commercial email sent to a large number of addresses.

Spam has become a significant Internet issue because:

1. It reduces productivity — The billions of spam messages circulating across the Internet can disrupt email delivery, degrade system performance, and reduce overall productivity.

2. It consumes time — While deleting spam emails might seem like a simple solution, it consumes a significant amount of time and hampers productivity.

3. It can lead to worse things — Spam messages may contain offensive or fraudulent material and can even be used to spread viruses.

What is phishing ?

Answer

Phishing is the act of illegally acquiring personal and sensitive information such as, online banking details, credit card details, and other login details, of an individual by sending malicious e-mails or by creating web pages that can collect this information as they appear to come from very famous organizations.

What is the significance of a firewall in a computer's security scheme ?

Answer

A firewall secures the computer such that only authentic users can connect to it. The significance of firewall lies in its ability to monitor, filter, and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined security rules. This helps prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious attacks, such as viruses, malware, and hacking attempts, from reaching the protected computer system.