13.6. INTERNET SECURITY
Description of the Internet
The Internet is a global wide-area network (WAN) consisting of millions of host computers that enable millions of local- and wide-area networks, mainframes, workstations, and personal computers located within governments, businesses, research agencies, educational institutions, and individual homes to share information utilizing various Internet services. The Internet provides a wide variety of benefits to individual users as well as organizations. These benefits include the rapid sharing, dissemination, and exchange of information and news as well as high-impact, low-cost marketing of products and services.
Computers communicating on the Internet can have any type of operating system, so long as it supports the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), which enables computers with different kinds of operating systems to communicate among themselves. (TCP/IP is explained further in the History section.) Some common Internet services include:
Electronic mail (e-mail) is a low-cost mode of communication that enables users to send and receive messages. Various types of data files can be attached to e-mail messages so users can access them. E-mail is perhaps the most popular Internet service. The main benefit of e-mail is that it enables people to communicate on personal as well as business issues with anyone on the Internet, anywhere in the world, at little or no cost, any time. E-mail is easier than writing a letter ...
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