ICT Unit-3 St.

Joseph`s Degree College, Kurnool

Unit-3
Overview of Internet security, E-mail threats and secure E-mail, Viruses and antivirus software,
Firewalls, Cryptography, Digital signatures, Copyright issues.

What are GOI digital initiatives in higher education? (SWAYAM, Swayam Prabha, National
Academic Depository, National Digital Library of India, E-Sodh-Sindhu, Virtual labs,
eacharya, e-Yantra and NPTEL).

Overview of Internet security

Security is simply the freedom from risk or danger. Internet security
refers to security designed to protect systems and the activities & also users while connected to
the internet, web browsers, web apps, websites, and networks. Internet security solutions protect
users and corporate assets from cybersecurity attacks and threats.

Components of Internet Security:

One can protect your organization against internet threats by combining email security,
firewalls, multi-factor authentication (MFA), browser selection, URL filtering, and data loss
prevention (DLP).

 Email security: The term "email security" refers to various processes and strategies for
defending email accounts, information, and communications from unwanted access,
theft, or compromise. Phishing, spam, and other types of attacks are frequently
disseminated through email, and email security prevents these kinds of attacks.
 Firewalls: Firewalls filter traffic coming in and going out of your network. To do this,
they inspect data packets, looking for information about where the data is coming from
and what it contains. If the firewall detects a threat, the data packet is discarded.
 Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Multi-factor authentication (MFA) involves
using multiple types of identification to verify the legitimacy of someone trying to log
in to a system. MFA frequently includes information the person knows (password or
PIN code), something the person has (flash drive or physical token), and a physical
attribute of the individual (fingerprint or face scan).

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 Browser selection: Not all browsers are created equally, and some do a better job of
protecting against threats than others. For example, safe browsers clear out cookies
after you visit websites so a hacker that steals your device cannot automatically log in
to your bank or tax preparation websites. Safe browsers also use SSL(secure sockets
layer) certificates to secure connections between users and the sites they visit.
 URL filtering: With URL filtering, a business can prevent employees from viewing
particular websites on machines owned by the organization. URL filtering, a kind of
web filtering, prohibits access to harmful websites, sites with offensive or illegal
content, and websites that can reduce employee productivity.
 Data loss prevention: Employees may unintentionally—or willfully—leak company
information via email by visiting malicious websites or by using insecure cloud
storage. Security software should scan internet traffic for sensitive and protected data
to stop it from being stolen or leaked to unauthorized parties.

The 5 Common Internet Security Problems:

1. Malware: Malware combines the words "malicious" and "software" and is a general term
that refers to worms, viruses, Trojans, and other dangerous software that cyber criminals use to
cause havoc and steal private data. Malware is any software created to harm a computer,
server, or network.
2. Phishing: Phishing is a cyberattack that uses phony emails. Hackers attempt to dupe email
recipients into thinking that an attachment or link in the message is legitimate and important,
such as a request from their bank or a note from a coworker. The intention is to trick
individuals into providing personal information or downloading malicious software.
3. Botnets: The term “botnet” comes from the word "robot network.” A botnet is a network of
computers that have been purposefully infected with malware to help a cyber criminal automate
certain actions without the consent or knowledge of the computer’s owner.
The same methods for infecting computers with malware—such as opening email
attachments that download malware or visiting malicious websites—are typically used to
infect computers with botnets. Botnets can also propagate over a network, moving from one
computer to another and using these computers' computational power to execute attacks.
4. Spam: Spam is a general term connoting any unwanted mail. Some spam may seem
innocent, irritating at worst. But spam messages often contain malware, which can be used to
infect computers, damage networks, and launch ransomware attacks.
Spam can also present significant problems for employees within your organization,
specifically because it can clog up their email inboxes with useless, space-consuming messages.
Then they have to waste time deleting hundreds or even thousands of junk emails.
5. Data loss: Organizations can lose data via various means. For example, a thief can steal it or
a hacker can damage a server or hard drive containing sensitive or important information.
So if a computer network is infected with ransomware, for example, completely
wiping one or more computers to regain control over your assets may be necessary. If the data
has no backup or if the latest backup is weeks or months old, serious operational interruptions
can ensue.

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Email Threats:
Email threats are constantly evolving. As email has become central to
business communications, attackers have continued to find new ways of using email to breach
(an act of breaking a law) corporate security.

Types of Email security threats:

As cybercriminals become more sophisticated in launching email attacks, we’ve
seen popular and damaging email threats rapidly evolve. The Common types of email threats
such as:

1) Malware: a broad category of email threats that comprises software designed to damage
systems or gain unauthorized access to mission critical systems.
2) Phishing emails: A form of email fraud where cybercriminals impersonate reputable
entities to gain access to sensitive information.
3) Ransomware: A type of email-borne threat which uses software to block access to files
usually containing important intellectual property. Access to infected files cannot be
accessed until a sum of money is paid to the anonymous cybercriminal. Spoiler, the sum of
money required is never cheap!
4) Email spoofing: A form of email threat where attackers fabricate email headers to give the
illusion they have originated from trusted sources. Individuals are tricked into divulging
sensitive information.
5) Spam: Irrelevant email messages sent on large scales to unexpecting recipients. Spam can
massively impact an organization’s productivity if left unchecked. Organizations large and
small rely on email spam filters.
6) Business Email Compromise (BEC): Here, attackers impersonate a high-ranking official
or a trusted partner in an organization to trick employees into transferring money or
sharing confidential information.

Preventing email attacks :

Always verify the sender's email address.
Be wary of unsolicited emails asking for sensitive information.
Never click on links or open attachments from unknown senders.
Maintain up-to-date antivirus software and an email client.
Use email filters to block spam and phishing attempts.
Regularly educate yourself and your team about the latest email scam tactics.

How to make Email More Secure?

You use your email address for a wide variety of things such as
when you’re shopping or setting up an online account. Because your email is linked to so many
different accounts, securing it is crucial to keeping your other accounts safe, since most
password resets are sent to your email address.

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The steps to be followed to make your email more secure:

[Link] a Strong, Unique Password For Your Email Account:

The security of your email account starts with your password. The passwords you
use for different accounts should each be strong and unique. If they’re not, they’re more
vulnerable to being hacked. Strong passwords are both long and complex.
Your password should be at least 16 characters and contain upper and lowercase
letters, numbers and symbols and password should not contain any Personally Identifiable
Information (PII) such as birthdays, anniversaries, your mother’s maiden name and so on.

2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):

Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer or layers of security to your account.
In addition to your username and password, MFA requires that you also use one or more
additional authentication methods. Some common authentication methods include:
 Authenticator apps
 Biometric authentication
 Security keys
 Time-based One-Time Passwords (TOTP)
Most email services provide the option to add MFA to your account. For example, Gmail
allows you to enable 2-step verification. Along with 2-step verification, you can choose to add
more verification methods such as the use of a security key or authenticator app. The more
authentication methods you add to your account, the more secure it’ll be.

3. Add or Update Your Email Account Recovery Options:

Most email service providers allow you to set up a recovery option in case you
forget your login. It can also be used to block someone from accessing your account without
your permission or alert you if there’s any suspicious activity.
Account recovery options are most often phone numbers or other email
addresses that belong to you. You can add or update your account recovery options in your
email settings and change them whenever you need to.

4. Always Log Out of Your Email Account :

Whether you log into your email account from your own device or not, you
should always make sure to log out of your account. If you don’t log out, anyone with access
to your device will be able to see your email account, which contains sensitive information.
Logging out of your email account whenever you’re not using it will protect your account if
you use a device that doesn’t belong to you or lose your own device.
If you use a mobile app to check your email, logging out of your account may
not be convenient or necessary. If this is the case, make sure your phone is secure, has a
passcode and is not able to be accessed by anyone but you.

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5. Keep an Eye Out for Security Notifications:

Most email service providers will send you notifications if there are any
security events happening on your account. Security events include:
 Logging in from a different location or device
 A change in security settings
 Password changes
If you receive a security notification to your email address or recovery
options or if it’s a security notification about an unusual login, immediately changing your
password and adding an additional verification method will keep your account secure.

Virus in a Computer:
Virus stands for Vital Information Resources under Siege. A computer
virus is a type of malicious software, or malware, that infects computers and corrupts their data
and software & they are designed to replicate themselves by infecting other programs on a
computer. In 1949 John Von Neumann described how a computer program could be designed
to reproduce itself & for a self-reproducing computer program is considered the world's first
computer virus, and he is considered to be the theoretical "father" of computer virology.

The types of common computer viruses to be aware of:

1) Resident Virus: Resident viruses set up shop in your RAM and meddle with your
system operations. They’re so sneaky that they can even attach themselves to your anti-
virus software files.
2) Multipartite Virus: This virus infects the entire system – multipartite viruses spread by
performing unauthorized actions on your operating system, folders, and programs.
3) Direct Action: This virus targets a specific file type, most commonly executable files
(.exe), by replicating and infecting files. Due to its targeted nature, this virus type is one
of the easier ones to detect and remove.
4) Browser Hijacker: Easily detected, this virus type infects your browser and redirects
you to malicious websites.
5) Overwrite Virus: As the name implies, overwrite viruses overwrite file content to
infect entire folders, files, and programs.
6) Web Scripting Virus: This sneaky virus disguises itself in the coding of links, ads,
images, videos, and site code. It can infect systems when users download malicious files
or visit malicious websites.
7) File Infector: By targeting executable files (.exe), file infector viruses slow down
programs and damage system files when a user runs them.
8) Network Virus: Network viruses travel through network connections and replicate
themselves through shared resources.
9) Boot Sector Virus: The boot sector virus specifically targets the boot sector of a hard
drive, impairing the boot process. These viruses were once prevalent during the time
when computers were booted via floppy disks. Today, these viruses spread via physical
media such as external hard drives or USB flash drives.
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10) Trojan horse Virus : It is a type of program that pretends to be something it is not to
get onto a device and infect it with malware. Therefore, a Trojan horse virus is a virus
disguised to look like something it is not. For example, viruses can be hidden within
unofficial games, applications, file-sharing sites, and bootlegged movies.

Antivirus:
Antivirus is a kind of software used to prevent, scan, detect and delete viruses from a computer.
Once installed, most antivirus software runs automatically in the background to provide real-
time protection against virus attacks. E.g.: McAfee, Norton and Kaspersky.

Functions of an Antivirus Software:

Antivirus software keeps running as a background process. Furthermore, it keeps scanning the
device and servers for any malware threat. It performs the functions as follows:
 Scans the specific files and directories for malware patterns which can indicate any
malware.
 It allows the users to schedule scans according to them. Moreover, it then performs the
scan at the scheduled time.
 Users can also scan the system anytime they want.
 If it detects any malicious software, it removes it from the system. Furthermore, some
software does this itself in the background. On the other hand, some software asks
permission or inform the user before removing them.
 Thus, it makes sure that the system is always safe for work.

Advantages of antivirus software are as follows:

 It detects, blocks, and removes viruses and malware from the system.
 It warns about dangerous websites, attachments, links, advertisements, etc.
 Prevents identity threats & blocks phishing.
 Keeps the online activities and accounts protected.
 Protects the system from getting slow or corrupted.
 Protects the data and files from [Link], helps to run the computer system
smoothly.

Working of Antivirus Software :

If a virus enters a system it affects the working by making changes
in the files and directories. Moreover, it can also slow down the working of the system and
also delete important files. Whenever the antivirus detects any malware syntax or any such
activities, it tries to remove these files. Moreover, it alerts the user about the virus too.
The several ways of detecting the viruses are as follows:
Signature-Based or Virus Dictionary Detection :
In antivirus software, there are certain files, dictionaries, or databases present. These databases
have known virus signatures. Using these signatures antivirus easily detect these past viruses.

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But it is not able to detect new viruses. Or in other words, it can detect new viruses if the
definition file of the virus is present in the antivirus software.

Heuristic-Based Detection :
This is one of the most common techniques of virus detection. In this technique, the antivirus
uses an algorithm. Furthermore, this algorithm compares the signature of some known viruses
to the suspected threat. Besides, detecting past viruses it can also detect new viruses.
Moreover, it can also detect past viruses that have been modified or disguised.

Behavior-Based Detection :
If a virus becomes successful in hiding from the above detection techniques. In that case, an
antivirus checks the behavior of the programs. If it detects any strange or unwanted activities it
warns the user. There can be several such activities such as:

[Link] connections to computers:

Deleting or modifying files themselves. Moreover, if changes in files are
occurring in a large number or changing various other settings of the system. It is a good
technique to detect viruses that try to steal information from the computer system.
[Link] Detection:
In this technique, if there is any suspicious program, it is run in an
artificial virtual environment. Furthermore, this environment is created by the antivirus to trick
the malware software. It is not the real system environment. Then, the software runs in this
environment and its activities are recorded. If in case, the antivirus finds any harm or unwanted
activity it warns the user. Otherwise, it allows the software to run in the real environment.
This method is heavy and slow. Therefore, it is not used in normal
antivirus software. But, this antivirus for corporate and network systems uses this technique.
[Link] Mining:
It is a recent technique in the field of viruses and malware detection.
Moreover, it works on viruses that are new and more recent. In this technique, data mining and
machine learning algorithms are used to detect viruses in files.
Types of Scan
Besides, the detection techniques the scanning also plays an important
role. There are several ways of scanning the system for threats. They are as follows:
 On-demand Scan:
As the name suggests, this scan occurs when the user itself wants
to scan the system for malware. Or in the other case, if the user schedules the scan to
occur at a specified time. It searches the content of disks, directories, files, boot sectors,
and system components.
 Real-Time Protection:
This is a type of automatic protection that keeps running in the
background. Due to this, the antivirus catches the malware before it does any damage.
Hence, we can also call them a background guard. It scans the system when any new
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program or device is freshly loaded in the memory. For example, inserting a new USB.
 Smart Scans:
In this, the software scans for files that are more suspicious of catching
the malware. Therefore, this method saves time and resources.

Firewall:
 Firewall is a network security device that observes and filters incoming and outgoing
network traffic, adhering to the security policies defined by an organization.
Essentially, it acts as a protective wall between a private internal network and the
public Internet.

 It can be a hardware or software unit that filters the incoming and outgoing traffic
within a private network, according to a set of rules to spot and prevent cyber-attacks.

 Firewalls are used to secure a computer network. Firewalls are network security
systems that prevent unauthorized access to a network.

 Firewalls are used in enterprise and personal settings. They are a vital component of
network security. Most operating systems have a basic built-in firewall. However,
using athird-party firewall application provides better protection.

Types of Firewalls:
There are multiple types of firewalls based on their traffic filtering
methods, structure, and functionality. A few of the types of firewalls are:

1) Packet Filtering: A packet filtering firewall controls data flow to and from a network.
It allows or blocks the data transfer based on the packet's source address, the
destination address of the packet, the application protocols to transfer the data, and so
on.
2) Proxy Service Firewall: This type of firewall protects the network by filtering
messages at the application layer. For a specific application, a proxy firewall serves as
the gateway from one network to another.
3) Stateful Inspection: Such a firewall permits or blocks network traffic based on state,
port, and protocol. Here, it decides filtering based on administrator-defined rules and
context.
4) Next-Generation Firewall: According to Gartner, Inc.‘s definition, the next-
generation firewall is a deep-packet inspection firewall that adds application-level
inspection, intrusion prevention, and information from outside the firewall to go
beyond port/protocol inspection and blocking.
5) Unified Threat Management (UTM) Firewall: A UTM device generally integrates
the capabilities of a stateful inspection firewall, intrusion prevention, and antivirus in a
loosely linked manner. It may include additional services and, in many cases, cloud
management. UTMs are designed to be simple and easy to use.
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6) Threat-Focused NGFW: These firewalls provide advanced threat detection and

mitigation. With network and endpoint event correlation, they may detect evasive or
suspicious behavior.

Cryptography
Cryptography is a technique of securing communication by converting plain text into
ciphertext. It involves various algorithms and protocols to ensure data confidentiality, integrity,
authentication.
The prefix “crypt” means “hidden” and the suffix “graphy” means “writing”. In
Cryptography, the techniques that are used to protect information are obtained from
mathematical concepts and a set of rule-based calculations known as algorithms to convert
messages & hard to decode them. These algorithms are used for cryptographic key generation,
digital signing, and verification to protect data privacy, web browsing on the internet and to
protect confidential transactions such as credit card and debit card transactions.

Features Of Cryptography:

Confidentiality: Information can only be accessed by the person for whom it is

intended and no other person except him can access it.
Integrity: Information cannot be modified in storage or transition between sender and
intended receiver without any addition to information being detected.
Authentication: The identities of the sender and receiver are confirmed. As well
destination/origin of the information is confirmed.
Adaptability: Cryptography continuously evolves to stay ahead of security threats and
technological advancements.

Advantages of Cryptography:

Access Control: Cryptography can be used for access control to ensure that only
parties with the proper permissions have access to a resource. Only those with the
correct decryption key can access the resource thanks to encryption.
Secure Communication: For secure online communication, cryptography is crucial. It
offers secure mechanisms for transmitting private information like passwords, bank
account numbers, and other sensitive data over the Internet.

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Protection against attacks: Cryptography aids in the defense against various types of
assaults, including replay and man-in-the-middle attacks. It offers strategies for
spotting and stopping these assaults.
Compliance with legal requirements: Cryptography can assist firms in meeting a
variety of legal requirements, including data protection and privacy legislation.

Applications of Cryptography:

Computer passwords: Cryptography is widely utilized in computer security,

particularly when creating and maintaining passwords. When a user logs in, their
password is hashed and compared to the hash that was previously stored. Passwords are
hashed and encrypted before being stored. In this technique, the passwords are
encrypted so that even if a hacker gains access to the password database, they cannot
read the passwords.
End-to-end Internet Encryption: End-to-end encryption is used to protect two-way
communications like video conversations, instant messages, and email. Even if the
message is encrypted, it assures that only the intended receivers can read the message.
End-to-end encryption is widely used in communication apps like WhatsApp and
Signal, and it provides a high level of security and privacy for users.
Authentication: Cryptography is used for authentication in many different situations,
such as when accessing a bank account, logging into a computer, or using a secure
network. Cryptographic methods confirm the user’s identity and provides access to the
resource.
Digital Currencies: To protect transactions and prevent fraud, digital currencies like
Bitcoin also use cryptography. Complex algorithms and cryptographic keys are used to
safeguard transactions, making it nearly hard to tamper with or forge the transactions.
Secure web browsing: Online browsing security is provided by the use of
cryptography, which shields users from eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle assaults.
Public key cryptography is used by the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport
Layer Security (TLS) protocols to encrypt data sent between the web server and the
client, establishing a secure channel for communication.
Cryptocurrencies: Cryptography is heavily used by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and
Ethereum to protect transactions, thwart fraud, and maintain the network’s integrity.
Complex algorithms and cryptographic keys are used to safeguard transactions.

Types Of Cryptography

1. Symmetric Key Cryptography: It is an encryption system where the sender and receiver
of a message use a single common key to encrypt and decrypt messages. It is faster and
simpler but the problem is that the sender and receiver have to somehow exchange keys
securely. The most popular symmetric key cryptography systems are Data Encryption Systems
(DES) and Advanced Encryption Systems (AES).

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2. Hash Functions: There is no usage of any key in this algorithm. A hash value with a fixed
length is calculated as per the plain text which makes it impossible for the contents of plain
text to be recovered. Many operating systems use hash functions to encrypt passwords.

3. Asymmetric Key Cryptography: In Asymmetric Key Cryptography, a pair of keys is used

to encrypt and decrypt information. A receiver’s public key is used for encryption and a
receiver’s private key is used for decryption. Public keys and Private keys are different. Even
if the public key is known by everyone the intended receiver can only decode it because he
alone knows his private key. The most popular asymmetric key cryptography algorithm is the
RSA algorithm.

Types of Cryptography Algorithm

 Advanced Encryption Standard (AES): AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a
popular encryption algorithm which uses the same key for encryption and decryption It
is a symmetric block cipher algorithm with block size of 128 bits, 192 bits or 256 bits.
 Data Encryption Standard (DES): DES (Data encryption standard) is an older
encryption algorithm that is used to convert 64-bit plaintext data into 48-bit encrypted
ciphertext. It uses symmetric keys (which means same key for encryption and
decryption).
 RSA: RSA is a basic asymmetric cryptographic algorithm which uses two different
keys for encryption. The RSA algorithm works on a block cipher concept that converts
plain text into cipher text and vice versa.
 Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA): SHA is used to generate unique fixed-length digital
fingerprints of input data known as hashes. SHA variations such as SHA-2 and SHA-3
are commonly used to ensure data integrity and authenticity.
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Digital Signature
A digital signature a type of electronic signature. It is a mathematical
algorithm routinely used to validate the authenticity and integrity of a message (e.g., an email, a
credit card transaction, or a digital document).
Digital signatures create a virtual fingerprint that is unique to a person or
entity and are used to identify users and protect information in digital messages or documents.
In emails, the email content itself becomes part of the digital signature. Digital signatures are
significantly more secure than other forms of electronic signatures.

Advantages of Digital Signature:

1) Higher security: Digital signatures are built on PKI technology, a form of encryption
through which the signature becomes part of the final document and cannot be modified
or removed. When signing digitally, the signers identify themselves via national
electronic IDs.
eIDs are more and more used to access public and private services
online. Moreover, when someone creates a digital signature, the time and IP location are
recorded in an audit trail embedded within the document.
2) Time savings: Digital signing processes automate manual work and reduce paper-based
document transactions. Organizations can focus on servicing our customers and tenants
instead of spending time on, for example, packing, drafting, printing.
3) Happier end-users: Digital signatures also benefit your clients, partners, and
stakeholders. Instead of physically visiting your branch, office, or store, they can sign
from anywhere, on any device, and at their own pace and besides resulting in faster
turnarounds, this better experience translates into higher satisfaction and customer
retention.
4) Workflow automation: Paper processes require coordination, accuracy, and manual
tracking. Especially when you need to ensure that the documents are signed in a certain
order and data confidentiality is protected.
When people manage paperwork, errors can occur. Delays,
mistakes, and the risk of violating policies are a natural part of the process. But they are
cut out when using a digital tool that makes the workflow standardized, consistent, and
error-free.
How to Create a Digital Signature?
Digital Signature is based on Public Key Cryptography. Below image illustrates how a Digital
Signature is created:

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People who adopt the Digital Signature scheme have a public-private key pair.
The pairs for encryption/decryption and signing/verifying are usually different. The
signature key is the private key that is used for signing and the verification key is the
private key.
The signer feeds all data to the hashing function and in turn, generates a hash of data.
The signature key and hash value are fed into the signature algorithm to help produce a
Digital Signature on the given hash. Once the signature is appended to the data, both
are sent forward to the verifier.
The verifier will then feed the Digital Signature and the verification key into the
verification algorithm. The verification algorithm will generate an output value.
Verifier is also responsible for running some hashing functions on the data received so
it can generate a hash value.
Verification is processed by comparing the hash value generated by the verifier and the
output of the verification algorithm. The result of this comparison helps the verifier
decide if the Digital Signature is valid or not.
Nobody else has access to the private key of the signer and the Digital Signature is
created using this key, so the signer cannot reject signing the document in the future.

Types of Digital Signature:

There are three types of Digital Signatures based on the technology
they use: Simple, Basic, Advanced & Qualified.

 Simple Digital Signature:

Simple Digital Signatures aren’t protected by any encryption
methods. The email signature we add at the end of our emails is an example of Simple Digital
Signatures. Since there is no encryption involved, the signer’s identity cannot be traced nor the
changes made in the document after being signed. Simple Digital Signatures are very easy to
replicate and don’t hold any legal power.

 Basic Digital Signature:

Basic Digital Signatures are not much different than Simple Digital
Signatures. The fact that they can show the changes in the document after it was signed. This
signature cannot refer to a verified identity and hence, it cannot guarantee identity security.
The documents with Basic Digital Signatures do not hold any legal power.
 Advanced & Qualified Digital Signature:
Advanced & Qualified Digital Signatures are the safest Digital
Signatures. They hold as much legal power as a signature on paper. These are created with
asymmetric cryptography and public key infrastructure. They show where, when, and what
devices should be used during the signing process and show all the changes made to the
document post-signing.
Advanced & Qualified Digital Signatures are required to impose a
two-factor authentication before the signing. These could be OTPs, biometric scans using
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mobiles, etc. The signatories have a unique electronic certificate attached to their identities.

E.g.:

Send
via
internet

1) The first step would be for you to type the message or ready the file you want to send.
Your private key would work as the stamp for this file. It could be a code or a password.
Then you press send and the email reaches ABC Office via the internet.
2) In the second step, the ABC Office would receive your file and verify your signature
using your public key. They will then be able to access the encrypted file.
3) The final step would require the ABC Office to use the private key that you’ve shared,
to reveal whatever file you’ve mailed them. If the recipient doesn’t have your private
key, they won’t be able to access the information in the document.

Importance of Digital Signature:

Digital Signatures are a very important tool in cryptography.
 Message Authentication: The private key is only known to the sender. The verifier can
use the public key of the sender to validate that the Digital Signature was created by the
sender.

 Data Integrity: If at any time the data is attacked, there will be a discrepancy in the
hash value and the verification algorithm as they won’t match. Due to this, the receiver
will end up rejecting the message and declaring a data breach.

 Non-repudiation: The signer is the only one who is aware of the signature key so,
naturally, they are the only ones who can create a specific signature. Whenever there is a
dispute, the data along with the Digital Signature can be presented as evidence. Privacy,
Integrity, Non-Repudiation, and Authentication can be provided as part of a
cryptosystem if public-key encryption is added to the Digital Signature Scheme.

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Copyright issues:
Internet copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of copyrighted
material on the Internet. This includes downloading, copying, distributing, posting, or otherwise
using someone else's copyrighted works without their permission. It can include text, images,
videos, music, and software.

1) Plagiarism (This is the ultimate nightmare when someone steals your ideas, writing,
music or other. Intellectual property and pretends that it’s theirs.)
2) Ownership, Length of copyright
3) Website Copyright, Creative comments
4) Copyright law protects creators of original material from unauthorized duplication
or use.
5) In the United States, the work of a creator is usually protected by copyright laws
until 70 years after their death.

The GOI digital initiatives in higher education:

Education is crucial for a country’s economical and social progress. The
Govt of India has taken Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (Right to Education Act) and the
National Education Policy (NEP). The Ministry of Education, formerly the MHRD (Ministry of
Human Resource Development), is responsible for the overall development of infrastructure
required in the higher education sector.

In the 21st century world, where access to the internet and electronic
media has become comparatively easier, the Govt has launched various digital initiatives to

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improve education. The knowledge of such digital initiatives is required especially for cracking
competitive exams.

What is SWAYAM?
SWAYAM stands for Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds. It
is a government initiative. It is aimed at offering free and high-quality e-learning education to
students ranging from Class 9th to post-graduation. This platform uses audio-visual and
multimedia tools to deliver courses.
It covers a wide range of subjects in higher education and provides skill
development courses for the skill sector. As of December 2022, there are over 2000 courses
available on the platform, all taught by experienced instructors. These courses are carefully
curated, produced, and delivered by nine National Coordinators.
It includes NPTEL, AICTE, UGC, NCERT, NIOS, IGNOU, IIM-B, CEC, and
NITTTR. Accessing SWAYAM MOOC courses for learning is completely free of charge,
without any fees. Moreover, upon completing the course and passing the exam at designated
centers, participants can obtain a SWAYAM certificate. A nominal exam fee is required to
enroll in the exam.

Objectives of SWAYAM
 The objective of the SWAYAM initiative is to make top-quality educational resources
accessible to everyone, especially those who have been underserved.
 This includes: Offering a comprehensive web and mobile platform with interactive e-
content for all educational levels, from High School to University.
 Delivering a high-quality learning experience through multimedia, available at any time
and from anywhere. Establishing an advanced system for easy access, monitoring, and
certification.
 Creating opportunities for peer interaction and discussion forums to address questions
and concerns.

Features of SWAYAM:
Some of the important features of the SWAYAM platform are given below –
a) Accessible Mobile learning: Mobile learning means learning which can be easily
accessible from anywhere through any device connected to the internet. SWAYAM is a
hub for interactive e-content.
b) Audio-Visual Content: The courses on the platform are available in the audio-visual
multimedia format. It would be easily accessible to learners and would enhance their
learning.
c) Certificate Courses: It will keep track of the progress and issue a certificate for the
students after an online exam.
d) Doubt Solving: It also has the feature of an Interaction forum where learners can clear
up any doubts.

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e) Proctored Platform: The SWAYAM platform provides the certificate after

completing the course. The exam for the certificate is conducted in a proctoring manner
to stop any malpractice and to maintain the integrity of the exam.
f) Free of Cost: All the courses on the SWAYAM platform are available free of cost
with no hidden charges.
g) Transfer of Credit: The UGC has notified the UGC (credit framework for online
learning courses through SWAYAM) Regulation 2016 to allow the transfer of credits
earned from SWAYAM courses into the student's academic record in their parent
institutions or universities.

Approach of SWAYAM:
The SWAYAM portal implements a four-quadrant-based approach for the betterment of the
children and students. The four quadrants of SWAYAM are –

 Video lectures: Under this initiative, the government targets to deliver free education to
all individuals who require it through interactive video lectures. Expert mentors will
deliver these lectures, and they will be of high quality.
 Specially prepared reading material: The easily downloadable and printable e-
material through pdf, ppt, etc. will be provided. It will help in learning and revision
through self-reading.
 Self-assessment tests: The portal will also hold regular tests and quizzes to assess
learning properly and to check performance.
Online discussion forum – Learning becomes complete by clearing all subject-related
doubts. So, there will be discussion forums that will solve the doubts of the learners.

SWAYAM – MOOC:

 The full form of MOOC is Massive open online courses.

 The term ‘MOOC’ was coined by Dave Cormier in [Link] has two major public
MOOC platforms – NPTEL and SWAYAM.
 The SWAYAM MOOC Platform was developed indigenously by the All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2016 to facilitate the hosting of online learning
courses.
 These courses can be accessed by anyone from any place and at any [Link]
SWAYAM MOOC courses are free of cost for everyone.
 The MOOC platform of SWAYAM is among the world’s largest platforms. Some
famous worldwide MOOC platforms are – Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, etc.

Swayam – National Coordinators: There are 9 national coordinators for various courses and
educational levels.

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National Coordinator Courses and Education Level

AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) Self-paced and international
courses
NPTEL (National Program on Technology Enhanced Engineering
Learning)
UGC (University Grants Commission) Non-technical post-graduation
education
CEC (Consortium for Educational Communication) Undergraduate education
NCERT (National Council for Educational Research School education
Training)
NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) School education
IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) Out of school students
IIM B (Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore) Management studies
NITTTR (National Institute of Technical Teachers Training Teacher Training Program
& Research)

SWAYAM Prabha:

 The SWAYAM PRABHA is a group of educational DTH (Direct To Home Example)

channels started in 2017.
 As of December 2022, there are 34 channels under the SWAYAM Prabha initiative.
 GSAT-15 satellite of ISRO facilitates the telecast of the SWAYAM Prabha app and
channels with high-quality educational programs on a 24X7 basis.
 The content and programs on these channels are prepared by NPTEL, IITs, UGC, CEC,
IGNOU, NCERT, and NIOS.
 The learners can watch the SWAYAM Prabha tv channels on free or paid dish service,
SWAYAM Prabha app. These SWAYAM Prabha channels provide curriculum-based
course content for school education, professional courses, and college education.
 They cover programs in multiple languages such as English, Hindi, Urdu, French,
German, Russian, Spanish, and other major foreign languages.

The DTH Channels covers the following:

 Higher Education: Curriculum-based course contents at post-graduate and under-

graduate level covering diverse disciplines such as arts, science, commerce, performing
arts, social sciences and humanities, engineering, technology, law, medicine,
agriculture, etc. All courses would be certification-ready in their detailed offering
through SWAYAM, the platform being developed for offering MOOCs courses.
 School education (9-12 levels): modules for teacher's training as well as teaching and
learning aids for children of India to help them understand the subjects better and also
help them in preparing for competitive examinations for admissions to professional
degree programs.

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 Curriculum-based: The courses that can meet the needs of life-long learners of Indian
citizens in India and abroad.
 Assist students (class 11th & 12th) in preparing for competitive exams.

Purpose of Swayam Prabha website/portal: The dedicated portal for Swayam Prabha
([Link] provides:

 Programme schedule (current, upcoming and archival) for all channels.

 Access of archival videos which have already been telecasted.
 Search-Browse interface for video content for all channels.

National Academic Depository (NAD):

National Academic Depository is an initiative of government of

India under the Ministry of Education, formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
It aims at ensuring a credible and convenient mechanism for online lodging, verification and
authentication of the academic awards issued by various educational institutions. NAD not
only ensures easy access to and retrieval of an academic award but also validates and
guarantees its authenticity and safe storage.

Features of NAD:

 Large User Base: NAD has millions of registered users benefiting from its services.
 Legally Valid Documents: The documents lodged in NAD hold legal validity,
ensuring their authenticity and acceptance.
 Quick Verification: NAD enables instant verification of academic awards, saving time
and effort.
 Global Recognition: The documents stored in NAD are widely accepted and
recognized internationally.

What are the services offered by the NAD?

 Registration of Academic Institutions/Boards/Eligibility Assessment bodies.
 Registration of students based on Aadhaar, Mobile Number.
 Registration of verifying entities.
 Enable Academic Institutions/Boards/Eligibility Assessment bodies to upload
academic awards.
 Allow mapping/linking of academic awards to students’ NAD accounts.
 Enable students to view their linked academic awards.
 Permit Download / Print of authorized academic awards to students. Enable verifying
users to verify the authenticity of academic awards (with prior student consent)

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Benefits of NAD:

1) Convenience and Accessibility:

One of the key advantages of NAD is its ability to provide 24X7 online access to academic
awards. Students and professionals can now easily retrieve their certificates and other
important documents from anywhere at any time, eliminating the need for physical storage or
lengthy administrative procedures. This convenience not only saves time but also reduces the
risk of misplacing or damaging valuable documents.
2) Digitization and Authenticity:
NAD ensures that all academic awards are duly digitized, making them easily searchable and
shareable. By leveraging technology, NAD also guarantees the authenticity of these documents
for the educational institutions. This verification process adds an extra layer of security and
credibility to the stored documents, safeguarding against fraud and misrepresentation.
3) Safe Storage:
By digitizing academic awards, NAD offers a secure and reliable storage solution. The risk of
losing or damaging important certificates is significantly reduced, as the digital copies are
safely stored in the depository. It ensures that the documents remain accessible even if the
original issuing institution faces unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters or closures.
4) Simplifying Verification:
Prior to the existence of NAD, verifying the authenticity of academic awards often involved
some process of contacting various institutions and cross-referencing records. NAD simplifies
this process by providing a centralized repository of digitized documents that can be easily
accessed and verified. Institutions and employers can now authenticate academic awards
quickly and reliably, streamlining the verification process.

Roles and Responsibilities of Students:

 Register on NAD Digi locker by providing Aadhar details
 Avails unique NAD Id, in case of non-availability of Aadhar.
 Submits Aadhar/unique NAD id to AI for verification and seeding into award data.
 Views and Access all awards online at any time in single account.

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 Students can- view/download digitally signed awards, Request printed copy of the
certificate, Approve/Reject request of any verifier for access to his/her certificate, Send
a copy of certificate to any verifier.

Which Academic Institutions come under NAD?

The Academic Institutions covered under NAD are those specifically listed by name and
approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) from the following categories:
Central and State Universities.
Private and deemed to be Universities.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) approved institutes.
All types of School Boards along with the Central Board of Secondary Education.
Eligibility test conducting bodies. E.g. – National Eligibility Test (NET) and CBSE for Teacher
Eligibility Test (TET).

What type of Academic Awards comes under NAD?

The academic awards eligible for coverage under NAD are determined by the University Grants
Commission and fall within the following categories:
As per policy any certificate, diploma, with mark sheets.
Transcripts, and provisional certificates granted by HEIs.
Skill development course related certificate, degree, and diploma.
All certifications by National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF)
Short Term / Long Term Training or courses approved by the Ministry of Skill
Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
Mark sheets, and certificates issued by the school boards. Certificates issued by
eligibility test conducting bodies.

Roles and Responsibilities of Digilocker for NAD implementation:

 Create Digi locker NAD portal for academic institutions
 Facilitate the students to create a digilocker id & provide a mechanism to AIs
(Academic Institutions) to create Digi locker id for students.
 To provide technical support to AIs for lodging of academic awards.
 Develop common file input formats & certificates, templates for AI’s.
 Provide academic awards in machine readable data formats to verifiers.
 Provide online helpdesk ticketing system for support and grievance handling.

Scope of Work for Academic Institutions (AIs):

 Register Institutions: AIs can register themselves in NAD portals.
 Upload Data: AIs can upload academic records in given format.
 Choose Certificate template: Template of educational awards can be chosen from
options available as per convenience and suitability.

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 Publish Result: Academic Institutions can publish results on their own without any
problems.

Roles and Responsibilities of AIs (Academic Institutions):

 The AIs provide certificate templates to the depository.
 They provide data who are eligible for lodging the academic awards on NAD.
 They are responsible for accuracy of data of academic awards.
 The AIs update Aadhaar/unique NAD ID in a certificate record.

National Digital Library of India:

The NDLI provides free of cost access to many books and designed to hold content
of any languages and provides interface support for 10 most widely used Indian languages. It is
developed, operated and maintained by the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

Benefits of NADLI:

1) Make a Wide Variety of Content Access: The digital libraries store a wide range of
content – eBooks, magazines, articles, blogs, papers, videos, podcasts, and audiobooks
– in a virtual environment. The sophisticated digital libraries these days store the
resources in the cloud to make the content available for their users anytime and
anywhere.
2) Latest and updated: Unlike large universities and libraries, small libraries often lack
adequate resources to purchase new books, magazines, and other content resources.
Many publishers these days allow digital libraries to make the latest editions and
magazines accessible to the readers based on the pay-as-you-read model. Hence, your
digital library will engage readers by providing access to the latest publications.
3) Allow Readers to Access Materials on Demand: The physical books are still more
popular than eBooks. But the number of people reading books the digital format has
been increasing consistently. The younger readers opt for digital versions of books to
read the content anytime and anywhere using their mobile devices or tablets.
4) Make Readers Find Resources Instantly: While visiting a conventional library,
readers have to put both time and effort to find the right book. Also, fetching relevant
information from the physical book takes time. But the digital libraries are designed
with built-in search options. Many digital libraries even speed up the content search by
popular search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo and can use the search option to
find and sort digital resources by simply entering relevant words and phrases.
5) No Opening or Closing Hours: To visit a conventional library, the readers have to
check the opening and closing hours and then plan accordingly. They lack the option to
access library resources at their convenience. But the digital libraries enable readers to
read eBooks, listen to audiobooks, and watch videos 24 hours a day. The readers can
access and read the library materials in digital format anytime and anywhere using their

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preferred devices.
6) Multiple and Simultaneous Access: While visiting a conventional library, multiple
readers cannot read the same book simultaneously. They have to wait for the other
reader to return the book. But multiple readers can access the same books, videos, and
audiobooks simultaneously in a digital environment from various locations.
7) Real-Time Interactions: The new-age library management software these days comes
with features to facilitate interaction between readers and administrators. Also, many
software solutions facilitate reader interaction by setting up online communities. The
dynamic and real-time interaction makes many readers switch from conventional
libraries to digital libraries.

e-ShodhSindhu:
e-ShodhSindhu (also known as e-ShodhSindhu Consortium for Higher Education
Electronics) is a program initiated by India's Ministry of Education aimed at granting
academic institutions affordable access to high-quality electronic resources, including full-text
documents, bibliographic databases, and factual databases to academic institutions at a
lower rate of subscription. It was established in December 2015 through the merger of three
consortia-
 The UGC INFONET Digital Library Consortium is major initiative of University Grants
Commission (UGC) to bring qualitative change in academic libraries in India.
 N-LIST (National Library and Information Services Infrastructure for Scholarly
Content)
 INDEST-AICTE Consortium (Indian National Digital Library in Engineering Sciences
and Technology - All India Council for Technical Education)

Aims and Objectives of e-ShodhSindhu:

The major aims and objectives of the e-ShodhSindhu are as follows:

 Setting up e-ShodhSindhu- Consortia for Higher Education E-Resources by

augmenting and strengthening activities and services offered by three MHRD
(MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT) funded Consortia.
 Develop a formidable collection of e-journals, e-journal archives and e-books on
perpetual access basis.
 Monitor and promote usage of e-resources in member universities, colleges and
technical institutions in India through awareness and training programs.
 Provide access to subscription-based scholarly information (e-books and e-journals) to
all educational institutions.
 Provide access to scholarly content available in open access through subject portals and
subject gateways.
 Provide access to selected e-resources to additional institutions including open universities and
MHRD funded institutions that are not covered under existing consortia.
 Take-up additional activities and services that require collaborative platform and are

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not being performed by existing Consortia and moving towards developing a National
Electronic Library with electronic journals and electronic books as its major building
blocks.

Virtual labs:
Virtual Labs is a project initiated by the Ministry of Education, Government
of India, under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication
Technology.
These Labs have been designed to provide remote access to labs for the
undergraduate level, postgraduate level, research scholars in various disciplines of Science and
Engineering, Electronics & Communications, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering,
Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering,
Physical Sciences, and Chemical Sciences broad areas of engineering .These Labs enable the
students to learn at their own place and enthuse them to conduct experiments and avail various
tools for learning, including additional web resources, video lectures, animated demonstration,
and self-evaluation. Virtual.
The project is coordinated by IIT Delhi and there are a total of 11
participating institutes in the consortium. IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur,
IIT Roorkee, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kharagpur, IIIT Hyderabad), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Coimbatore, Dayalbagh Educational Institute Agra, NITK Surathkal, and College of
Engineering Pune are the institutions participating in the project. Ranjan Bose is the National
Coordinator for the project.

Benefits of Virtual Labs:

 Virtual Labs do not require any additional infrastructural setup for conducting
experiments at user premises. One computer terminal with broadband Internet
connectivity is all that is needed to perform the experiments remotely.
 Specifically, this project provides access to quality simulation-based labs to those
engineering colleges that lack these lab facilities. Virtual labs motivate students to
conduct laboratory experiments.
 Increase the understanding of scientific courses in physics, chemistry and biology; and
Increase student achievement.
 Students will be able to use the scientific method of problem-solving.
 Enable students and teachers to study and prepare their experiments from any place and
at any time with 24/7 unlimited accessibility.
 Developing teaching and learning methods that will lead to the effectiveness of the
educational process.
 They provide facility to High‐school students, whose inquisitiveness will be triggered,
possibly motivating them to take up higher studies, researchers in different institutes
who can collaborate/share equipment and resources and different engineering colleges,
who can benefit from the content and related teaching resources.
 Increased communication between students and each other on the Internet, which helps

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with the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Categories of virtual laboratories: There are three kinds of virtual labs:

1) Remote Triggered Labs: Remote laboratory (also known as online laboratory or

remote workbench) is the use of telecommunications to remotely conduct real (as
opposed to virtual) experiments, at the physical location of the operating technology,
whilst the scientist is utilizing technology from a separate geographical location.

2) Measurement Based Labs: An Open Platform for Researchers, M-Lab assists

scientific research by providing widely distributed servers and ample connectivity for
researchers' use. Each researcher-developed test is allocated dedicated resources on the
M-Lab platform to facilitate accurate measurements.

3) Simulation/ Modeling Based Labs: Simulation modeling is the process of creating,

implementing and analyzing a digital prototype of a physical model to predict its
performance in the real world. Simulation modeling is used to help designers and
engineers understand whether, under what conditions, and in which ways a part could
fail and what loads it can withstand.

Eacharya:
e-Acharya is an integrated e-content portal or an online program developed
under National Mission for Education through ICT (NME-ICT). The portal provides facility to
education in Rural India, search and browse the learners all learning materials includes audio,
video, textual materials, etc.
Its goal is to teach mainly science concepts to Middle School and High School
students using application-based methods such as simulations and virtual labs through a single
interface. This digital initiative is a robust 24×7 Data Centre.
The portal cover quality learning resources from top institutions in the
country in eight subject categories - Agriculture Science, Biological Science, Chemical
Science, Physical Science, Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social
Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. You can start your search from the home page using free
text search and exact search options.
For example: Search using the keyword 'Nano Science' a total of 1118 records will be
displayed, 100 on each page. Each record will contain the title, project name, course, subject,
contributor, institution.
On the right side of the record there is option to refine your search.
You can narrow your search by content type, by subjects, by institute and by project name,
title and open it. You can browse by other access points from the record window and can also
store e-text and videos.
Anyone can register to the portal for free by adding name, email id

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and category in which belong. It will help to create a profile and manage the portal in the
personalized way. You can manage number of collections in your profile, number of visits on
the websites, last login time, and login count.

e-Yantra:
E-Yantra (stylized as e-Yantra) stands as a robotics-focused education
funded by the Ministry of Education and hosted from the Department of Computer Science
and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay. The goal is to harness
the talent of young engineers to solve problems using technology across a variety of domains
such as: agriculture, manufacturing, defence, home, smart-city maintenance and service
industries.

How to Register to e-Yantra?

The following is the procedure to get register for e-Yantra..

Benefits of e-Yantra Robotics lab to students:

 Provides awareness of embedded systems, robotics technology and mechatronics.
 It provides platform to design, develop, program and test of robots to various
applications.
 Students can participate in national and international robotics competitions.
 Improve projects with help of e-Yantra open-source community which helps students
to exposure to job opportunities in robotics.

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Initiative Setup of Robotics Labs as follows:

1) eLSI: e-Yantra Lab Setup Initiative is a college level program under which colleges are
encouraged to setup robotics labs which provides guidance, support to students for
efficient education.
2) eYS: e-Yantra Symposium is an annual event at IIT Bombay to bring together colleges
which has setup robotics labs through e-Yantra. The goal is to share projects and new
ideas in developing robots with new technologies. It involve in showcasing selected
projects from the e-Yantra labs through the eYIC (e-Yantra Ideas Competition) .
3) eYRDC: e-Yantra Resource Development Center is a portal design for eLSI colleges
through which we share resources for teachers to help them use their e-Yantra labs in an
effective manner.
4) eFSI(e-Farm Setup Initiative): K-Yantra project develops a know how for setting up
an automated agriculture project like creation of beds for growing plants, test-bed for
addressing real world problem and hands-on learning for students on application of what
they learnt in theory

NPTEL:
NPTEL is an acronym for National Program on Technology Enhanced
Learning which is an initiative by seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Bombay, Delhi,
Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for
creating course contents in engineering and science.
The project's central idea is to put recorded lectures taught by its member institutes
online for open access. It operates an educational YouTube channel covering engineering, basic
sciences, and some humanities and social science subjects. Popular NPTEL courses are being
translated into popular local languages.

Why should a learner do NPTEL online certification courses?

Enables the student to directly engage and learn from the best faculty in the country in
that particular subject. This strengthens the fundamentals of the student.
NPTEL gives the students the opportunities to explore new areas of interest – which
are not possible in a regular college environment. Faculty can use these for career
progression.
These courses also bring out the self-learning initiative of the students – where their
own motivation is what drives them to complete the course and not external
compulsions. This fosters the habit of keeping oneself updated always by means of
self-study.
The certificates issued bear the stamp of the institute offering the course and hence are
valuable additions when the students apply for jobs.
Companies can also recruit from this pool of candidates with specialized skills.

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