Botnets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Botnets - Essay Example Botnets come under the category of such inventions and become a source of much distress for the computer user. Botnets pose different kinds of threats like denial of service, spamming, click fraud etc. Several techniques and mechanisms have been adapted to enhance the security measures of networks and avoid any damage by botnets. ‘Bot’ is defined as a single computer that possesses the malicious program to make it a part of a wider network of similar computer systems, which is known as ‘Botnet’. Botnets are defined as an autonomous set of programs that perform functions without the aid of any user. They are either controlled by one system or multiple systems, which are known as the botmaster. A distributed nature of botnets involves a set of distributed computers that communicate with each other over the internet and perform some tasks together (Banday et al, 2009). The communication between the bots and the botmaster can be a direct link but such communication can make the botmaster identifiable in the network. Therefore, such direct links are not used. On the contrary, command languages and control protocols (C&C) are used to manage the bots remotely (Banday et al, 2009). These set of programs were initially developed to automate tasks on a set of machines to minimize the need of the presence of a person and to enhance communication and resource sharing. But the concept of their usage changed drastically when they started being used for malicious purposes. Botnets started being developed for the purpose of financial gains and recognition. The hacker’s scale of goodness of a botnet is the degree of damage that it is able to cause. Intruders and spammers can install the software (required for intrusion) in a number of ways. The user might not even be aware of the vulnerability of his system and may become a bot in the network of similarly compromised computers. The first step in this unpleasant activity is the identification of a computer on the

USABILITY TESTING AND IMPLEMENTATION SLP 5 Essay

USABILITY TESTING AND IMPLEMENTATION SLP 5 - Essay Example The website’s navigation ease is also very important. This tool deals with the organization of the website, availability of search boxes and links, to assist in finding the appropriate webpages and the speed of accessing the webpages. Additional tools include the site’s accessibility which deals with its semantic HTML composition, choice of color and its cross platform compatibility. Website speed is critical to the process of usability and is measured through analyzing the website’s response time and its file size. The last tool is user experience and it deals with analyzing the website’s usefulness, enjoyment and fulfilment. Usability.gov rates highly in terms of task analysis. For users of the website, it is very informative since it provides information on visual design content, strategy and its simple web page outlay, leaves a lasting impression on the users. Additionally, the information conveyed is easy to read. The site can be used by any person due to the simple language used to convey specific information. It is also very easy to access information due to the presence of the search box at the edge of the website’s screen. In terms of the color choice of the webpage, the use of multiple color combinations gives the website a memorable and upbeat outlay that entices the user to revisit the website. Transparencynow.com also offers varying information ranging from comedies, art and film. It rates considerably high in the readability feature since the words are legible with a sizeable font coupled with pictures that help in conveying the information to the user. However, the organizational outlay of the website is not correctly structured and would benefit from a simpler organization with links to different features. Its choice of color is relatively dull but the application of images considerably improves its presentation. The website