Essay Sample on Connecting to the Internet: A Look at WhatsApp Security

Last week as I was using my mobile phone to send some text messages to my friends via WhatsApp, I noted how the application connected to the internet. I also realised some security features with the app. One of the highlights was the end to end encryption where only the communicating users could view the messages it restricts the third party from accessing the posts.

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For any programmable device to access the internet, it must be connected to the network. I used a wireless medium to communicate with the system. I logged in using authorised credentials. After authentication, I used my phone to type and send messages. As I was connecting, I realised a unique address known as IP that facilitates the connection. An internet protocol serves two principal functions to host the network interface and to identify the location of addressing.

I logged off from the Wi-Fi and tried to log in using ISP. I noted that IP was a must, but when I connected to the internet via Internet Service Provider, I was assigned a temporary Internet Protocol address. But when I logged again with the same LAN, I understood that my credentials were saved and I enjoyed the connection. When you connect using a Local Area Network, you might be assigned a permanent IP address, or a temporary one can be assigned from the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server.

The process of communication starts from protocol stacks Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol are used to communicate over the internet. TCP uses port number to direct specific applications on a computer while the IP layer uses IP address to leads packets to a particular network.

The message is sent from the top downwards. As I was typing and sending messages, the larger the word, the more time it took to load. For videos, they took more time to load and be derived because they had more significant bits. At the IP layer, the load receives a destination address (Assis and Almeida, 2017: 145).

On a secure connection, messages were sent faster compared to a weaker network. Technical problems like poor network connection will affect the functionality of the Application. Another outcome is that trying to install the App in a device that has no architecture that it supports is likely to function correctly.

If the Uniform Resource Locator contains a domain name, the browser will first connect to a DNS and recover the matching Internet Protocol address. Then the web browser will connect to the web server and sends an HTTP request for the requested web page. The web server and checks receive the offer for the desired page. If the web page exists, then it sends back to the web server if the request was not found an HTTP 404 error message is displayed. The HTTP 404 error means page not found.

The browser will parse through looking for other elements that's needs to be included in the web page that is requested. These elements may consist of images, videos, applets. For each component that is required, the browser will make an additional connection and make requests to the HTTP. After the browser is done making all the request, these page elements are loaded in the web page.

Computer architecture means how computer software and hardware are designed to work together to make a functional system. Computer architecture consists of design, which is the hardware parts. The device includes the processor, central processing unit, RAM.

The Instruction Set Architecture is embedded programming languages of a CPU. These define the capabilities of a CPU and the functions that it can be able to handle or perform. ISA is the software that makes the computer function. It includes the processor register, memory addressing modes, and the instructions set that a programmer can use. The Microarchitecture is the data paths and how they are implemented in the directions of an architecture (Ryu and Baik, 2012: 5).

An operating system is the first computer program that makes a computer run. When an OS is loaded in a computer, it manages other application programs. These application programs make use of the operating system by making the request. The request is made through a defined Application Interface Program. Additionally, users can directly interact with OS using command lines like Graphical User Interface.

Operating System determines which application to run first depending with the order in which it was requested and the time to be allowed before another use is granted a chance. Sharing of internal memory is managed by the operating system, and handling of inputs and output from and to its attached hardware like printers, hard disks. OS sends message to the interactive user and in-case of an occurrence of error it displays.

Some types of the operating system include mobile OS that is used in mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets to run applications and programs. I used a Google Android-powered mobile phone to chat on WhatsApp. Other mobile OS include Apple iOS, Blackberry OS. Real-time OS they are designed to ensure specific tasks are met within a specified time. Network OS designed to support a connection in a work station or a personal computer (Silberschatz and Galvin, 2018).

References

Ahn, J. H., Ryu, Y., & Baik, D. K. (2012). An Architecture Description method for Acknowledged System of Systems based on Federated Architecture. Advanced Science and Technology Letters, 5. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f397/3c4591f513c30cf5fc3c996ea0fcfb254122.pdf

Dias, L. P., Cerqueira, J. D. J. F., Assis, K. D. R., & Almeida, R. C. (2017, September). Using an artificial neural network in intrusion detection systems to computer networks. In 2017 9th Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CEEC) (pp. 145-150). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8101615

Silberschatz, A., Gagne, G., & Galvin, P. B. (2018). Operating system concepts. Wiley.