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Tech Topic Connection

 My chosen tech topic is phishing and email spam. Phishing and email spams connect to the fundamentals of information technology covered in this course. During week 4 we learned about network management and security and the various threats that computers can be attacked through and from. Phishing and email spams is one of the biggest cyber-attacks that happen very often. Phishing and email spam are directly related to the fields of information technology because they exploit the technology and systems that these fields have developed. In the early days of computers, the main function was to perform calculations and process data more efficiently than humans. Eventually technology advanced to the creation of networks and internet, this opened up possibilities for communication including email, which is a fundamental tool for personal and professional communication. Phishing and email spam exploit the major hardware components of a modern computer system. The. CPU, memory, storage, di...

Network Security

In the world of Information Technology, numerous cyber-attacks can occur. One method involves the use of ping commands, where attackers flood a network with an excessive number of pings. This flood of pings is intended to create network congestion, thereby blocking users from accessing the network. This tactic is commonly referred to as the "ping of death" or a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Ping of Death (PoD) is a popular type of DoS (Denial of Service) attack. The cybercriminal that initiates it aims to destabilize or completely crash the device, server, or service of the victim. To achieve that, the attacker sends malformed or oversized packets with the help of the Ping command. (Markova 2023).     Email spam & Phishing are other methods through which cybercriminals can launch attacks. These unsolicited and often annoying messages flood our inboxes, claiming everything from fake prizes to false device issues. While most email providers filter out such messages into a...

Computers in the workplace

  I work in healthcare as a Respiratory Therapist. Computers are essential for my work because they enable me to do the following: 1. Review results from tests like arterial blood gasses and pulmonary function tests. 2. Adjust ventilator settings for patients requiring ventilatory & respiratory support. 3. Create and track respiratory care plans. 4. Manage medication administration efficiently such as inhalers and nebulizer treatments. 5. Communicate with the healthcare team to coordinate treatment plans effectively.   In a general sense with healthcare, computers play a vital role in storing patient records, which include details about procedures, treatments, and progress notes. Computers allow us to communicate effectively with other healthcare members, allowing us to improve quality of patient care. Being competent in computers is crucial in healthcare because of the risks involved in managing sensitive patient information. The cybersecurity side of Information Tec...

Traveling through the network

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I had a very rough time doing the pings and trace-route on macOS through terminal; whenever I longed, it would be continuous and wouldn’t stop, and when I traced, it would go up to 64 hops and it wouldn’t tell me the trace was complete. I figured it was a hardware issue. I didn’t know how to fix it, so I did I the assignment on a windows laptop instead. Part 1: For the ping section, I pinged, Google.com, Google.so(Somalia), cam.ac.uk(university of Cambridge) & Instagram  Google yielded the fasted ping. Google Somalia round trip was 15ms and Google.com was 14ms. Instagram was at 44 ms and cam.ac.uk was the slowest at 108 ms. All four websites sent and received 4  packets.  Part 2: Trace-route: For the trace section I traced google.com, google.so, cam.ac.uk & Instagram  Google, google.so had 12 hops, cam.ac.uk had 21 hops and Instagram had 15 hops. Round-trip time (RTT) can absolutely be affected by geographic location. When comparing google with different geog...

Documenting a day

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Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and database each serve a purpose. Let me break down their differences and where they're most useful. Word processors, like Microsoft Word, are all about creating, storing, and printing documents. They're perfect for editing, copying, pasting, and inserting data. Think of them as your go-to for writing long pieces like journals or essays. If you've got an assignment that needs over 300 words, Word is your friend. It is the most commonly used word processor software. It is used to create professional quality documents, letters, reports, resumes, etc and also allows you to edit or modify your new or existing document. The only disadvantage can think of with word processor is time constraint, it is a lot easier and convenient to write down with pen and paper. That is what I do before using word document, I write down on paper then type it up on the computer. Microsoft word is the most common word processor software. It is used to create professional qu...

Programming languages

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Using Scratch to code took time and effort. At first, there was no plan for what to create or how to create a project. After going through the scratch software, I found that each code has a purpose. There is a code for motion, looks, sound, events, control, sense, operators, and variables. It is color-coded, which makes it easier for the coder.     The next step was putting it all together to create a project. I watched a tutorial on how to create a program on Scratch. I created one of my favorite mobile app games, Flappy Bird. It was quite a challenging time creating the game on Scratch. For instance, I had difficulty with the bird flying and going through moving blocks; it would just go up and disappear. I overcame this difficulty by adding more steps to the code. My experience with the textbook exercises was much better than programming on Scratch. With the textbook exercises, there were step-by-step instructions with examples & feedback. With programming on Scratch, I ...

Review of Scan Halal app

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  As a Muslim, it is important that we follow the rules of our faith, which include avoiding pork, pork-derived products, and alcohol, as these are considered Haram and therefore forbidden. To help with this, I use the app Scan Halal. It allows me to quickly determine if a product is permissible or prohibited by scanning it with my phone. The following screenshots are from earlier today when I went to a gas station and I used the app to scan a Rice Krispies treat and a sweet tea. From the screenshots, you can see that permissible items are marked in green and prohibited ones in red. While we can check ingredient lists ourselves, the app makes it much more convenient by providing an instant answer. This feature is especially useful for non-English-speaking Muslims who might struggle to understand ingredient lists. The color-coded system can be easily explained to them.  The app itself is very user-friendly. You scan the barcode into the app; if it doesn't scan, you manually ent...