Cyber Security Questions

• Review your Google Dashboard – provide a ten sentence synopsis with the number of searches and information captured based on your user activity (5 pts)
• Try out selected Plugin’s List from Slide 18 and complete the attached spreadsheet to identify how each impacted your browsing experience. If the page fails to load, disable one plugin at a time until the page loads to determine the source of the failure (10 pts)
• Reflect: In 15 sentences, what are you giving, in return for what is being blocked?  AND if the plugin does not block anything, how is the plugin beneficial? (5 pts)
• Identify a plugin that was not listed that you currently use that would improve the quality of life of other students? Provide the name, download link, and a three sentence overview explaining the benefits? (2 pts)
• Give 5 examples of personal data that is collected about consumers and how it is used for the benefit of the user (5 pts)
• What information, not being stored now, would improve your current digital life? Provide two examples with a three sentence explanation of each. (3 pts)

  Solution

• Review your Google Dashboard – provide a ten sentence synopsis with the number of searches and information captured based on your user activity (5 pts)
• Google dashboard allows users to collect and manage personal information about them collected by Google Inc. When a person is logged in to a Google account; this information is being tracked. My history on Google contains data up to 600 mbs.
• Today I visited the Google chrome for 32 times.
• I logged in my Email account on Gmail in the morning. There I received 10 emails. 6 of them were focused while others were not as useful like job ads. In total my account have 250 emails in the inbox, 150 in the sent box, 5 in the junk items and more than 300 in the deleted items.
• I visited the Google map service two times to locate a place where I had to go.
• I visited youtube.com and synced 12 videos today related to my work. Overall I have downloaded 46 YouTube videos.
• For making assignments I searched for material on Google chrome and visited different pages in this
• I checked my work with Grammarly app online.
• I downloaded 4 apps from Google play store including candy camera, music app, Microsoft excel and subway surfers’ game. In addition I have downloaded more than 40 apps from play store as shown in overall history.
• I logged in to accounts like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat more than 15 times a day.
• I uploaded 2 videos on Facebook and YouTube.

2. Try out selected Plug in List from Slide 18 and complete the attached spreadsheet to identify how each impacted your browsing experience. If the page fails to load, disable one plug in at a time until the page loads to determine the source of the failure (10 pts)

3. Reflect: In 15 sentences, what are you giving, in return for what is being blocked?  AND if the plug in does not block anything, how is the plug in beneficial? (5 pts)

• Google plug in can be downloaded from Google chrome.
• These plug in show a list of things which a user can control based on his/ her preference.
• The list includes features like flash plug in, clearing browsing history or disabling history etc.
• This is a versatile list, which allow a user to enable or disable any feature according to his/her own will.
• I am using an antivirus software for which I had to pay some money. But in turn this program does keep my material safe.
• I am using history block feature. By using this plug in ; whatever I search on the Google chrome is not recorded in the Google history. This helps keep my browsing confidential.
• By disabling java script I can visit websites without any hindrance.
• For VPN connection I am paying money, but this feature uses encryption.
• I have downloaded apps like WhatsApp, Facebook etc which use end to end encryption thus my data is safe on such sites.
• Plug in like privacy badger have access to my personal data but it protects my data as well.
• Stay focused plug in by Google chrome enables user to keep track of updates for multiple apps. It is very useful feature for those individuals who a lot of time on social networking Stay focused feature allow users to spend a specific amount of time on each app and this prevents wastage of time.
• We need to add multiple plug in to get more benefit form Google apps, like some plug in enable us to browse anonymously.
• Google plug in which are paid like Norton antivirus or script blockers help use block malicious stuff from accessing computer.
• The plug in like” https everywhere” enables user to access safe websites such as those having https protocol.
• The ad blocks plus disables useless ads which might interrupt web browsing.

4. Identify a plug in that was not listed that you currently use that would improve the quality of life of other students? Provide the name, download link, and a three sentence overview explaining the benefits? (2 pts)

Extramarks – the learning app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Extramarks.Smartstudy&hl=en_US

This is a beneficial app for students from kindergarten to 12 Th grade. Students can get help from this app for all the subjects. Now, there is no need for tutors and experts for explaining  things to students. This app enables students to learn and grasp concepts in an interesting and playful way. This app is based on concept of experiential learning.

5. Give 5 examples of personal data that is collected about consumers and how it is used for the benefit of the user (5 pts)

• In google chrome, dashboard browsing history is recorded. This helps consumer to access any information regarding internet usage such as monitoring children.
• The sites like youtube.com keep track of watched videos. The next time when a video from search history is played, it takes less time to load computer.
• The location is monitored by Google weather apps, which helps us, know the weather forecast and make our plans accordingly.
• Some Google plug in like Google map track user location and help find our searched destination in a better way.
• Google also offers to remember password and user name for email accounts. If we enable this feature we do not have to type a password or username every time we log in. We just go to a website and Google fills up the username and password portion automatically.

6. What information, not being stored now, would improve your current digital life? Provide two examples with a three sentence explanation of each. (3 pts)

• In current digital life individuals should focus on browsing history. Just like weeds are cleaned to prevent a garden; unnecessary information should be deleted on regular basis. In modern world Google plug in should be used to maximize benefits and reduce cyber security risks. One must get knowledge about latest updates. We should follow apps that make us more productive.