Chapter 14. The Internet and Network Security

The Internet is driving today's economy and even its culture. This chapter will take a brief look at its origins, then proceed to describe how the Internet functions by tracing the flow of data out of a desktop computer and up through the various levels to the high-speed backbone and switching centers at its core. This chapter also describes the Internet's economic model and characterizes the tools that are being used to make it the world's principal venue for commercial activity. The final section takes a look at the critical issue of network security—if the Internet is really to be used for the bulk of business transactions, how can we be sure that these exchanges are secure?

By the end of this chapter you should understand

• How the Internet was started and why it was successful

• Why the Internet's economic model is so different from that of other networks

• What the operating levels of the Internet are and what they do

• The principal elements of data security, including encryption, digital signatures, and related concepts