Before getting into the technical stuff, I would first like to introduce what the Internet is. The Internet is just a huge network of devices that all are somehow connected. These devices include web servers, file servers, Personal computers, and many others. We will keep our focus on PCs in this text. All of These are connected through cables or satellites. Now, we know that when things are connected, data sharing is possible. That’s the sole job on the Internet. Data is being transferred from one place to another all the time. Now, we come to the dark side of data sharing.

The problem is that there is so much data that every bit can not be checked and where it is going. Who is accessing this? Whether he is the right person to have this data or not. Unfortunately, we don’t have any effective method to check this. I believe someday, we will have some way to control this and restrict malicious people from accessing data they are not supposed to access. I am now listing all the possible negative consequences of the Internet, and then I will try to explain them and share potential solutions.

1. Hacking
2. Cybercrimes.
3. Loss of privacy.
4. Data Corruption.
5. Adult material (not suitable for children).
6. Forbidden Knowledge.
7. Plagiarism.
8. Time wastage.
9. Health Hazards.

Hacking:

Many of us think everyone knows this term and what it means. It is unauthorized access to anything. Today, hacking has victimized many ordinary people, companies, and even computer firms worldwide. This is something that can be done at any level. As there is a saying, “If you can make it, then you can break it”.

Today, billions of people have accounts on many free email sites, social networking sites, and others, and tons of them have lost their accounts with some important personal data inside. Those who have experienced this thing know how scary this is, and those who have not, believe me, it can be your worst nightmare.

Now, coming to the technical side. There are several types of hacking. We will only concentrate on internet hacking, which involves ordinary people. What is a normal person doing on the Internet? Two things: Email accounts and social networking site profiles. His privacy becomes vulnerable because he has most of his data in these two places. If he, unfortunately, has some acquaintance who is not a good person and possesses sound knowledge of the Internet, that person might face the consequences somewhere in the future.

Hackers use several ways to access the victim’s data. “social engineering” is the easiest and most effective way on the Internet. Hackers develop a relationship with the victims and then exploit it. One way is to send the email with a link to another website. When you open the link, it asks the user to enter the username and password, and when they do so, it goes to the hacker and the user

with some error message. The irony of the situation is that the victim would never know what happened to him. This is called “Phishing”. Only people with good knowledge of programming can do this. One can get away from such a trick if he gets a little careful, does not open emails from unknown people, and does not enter any passwords when asked if he has come to that website from an indirect link.

Another way is that they install software that keeps on making a log of whatever activity is being done on a computer with all the data entered and on which website that data is entered. Using a university, school, workplace, or public computer can also happen. So, always keep that thing in your mind: where you are sitting and what information you are trying to access. Avoid using your accounts from public computers as much as possible because you never know who is watching you.

Instant messengers can also be used to get the work done. Hackers can send you some links that may cause the loss of your email account. Do not follow irrelevant-looking links, even if someone close to you has sent them, because you do not know who uses that account. Hackers use people’s accounts to get access to their friends.

Your secret questions can also sometimes lead to your destruction. Many people do not recognize the importance of personal questions and write things obvious to their friends and the people around them. Therefore, never use something predictable as your security question because if some friend, colleague, or acquaintance gets to guess it correctly, he is in your account. And this goes for passwords as well. Try to make passwords complex and difficult to guess. Many people use their birth dates, cell phone numbers, and some obvious words like “password” as their password. This makes hackers a workpiece of the cake. So, for your own sake, don’t do that.

READ MORE : 

• How to Find a Good Tattoo Artist
• How to Build an iPhone App
• Breast Cancer: Fancy Gadget and Half A Million Ringgit Failed to Cure Her – What Now?
• The Primary Duty of the Intermediary in Internet Oil Trading
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the G1 Google Phone and Android