John Collins

Monday, April 6, 2015

Class 8, The Bitcoin Blockchain

Class 8, The Bitcoin Blockchain

Bitcoin, an online currency (a new concept altogether!) has to have some way of "tracking" or

keeping track of, or validating transactions. A Blockchain is just that, it is a "public ledger" of all transactions. Therefore, The Bitcoin Blockchain is the record, albeit electronic record of all bitcoin transactions. The records are broken up into what they call "blocks".

How does the system work? Each block has a # hash of the previous block, which means they are linked and built upon one another. Individuals have to be part of the bitcoin network to create and have access to the blockchain. This image is a screenshot of the trading occuring on the Blockchain site. Transactions occur constantly!

Bitcoin uses the P2P technology - a new concept in banking that is for sure. There is not "bank" per se, can quite get my head around that one yet, but it allows for online payment for merchandise and a "wallet" which I would liken to a bank account. This video - What is Bitcoin? from the Wall street Journal likens bitcoin to gold, which can not be "reprinted" but needs to be mined, is not subject to government regulation, and is not kept in a bank. Really futuristic to me.

Class 8, Peer to Peer (P2) & BitTorrent

Peer to Peer is another type of network. Each of the computers in this type of network have the same level of ability/access/prividges – they are “peers”. The basic difference of a Peer to Peer Network to a Client – Server Network is that there is no centralized administrative system. Information goes directly from one computer to another.

BitTorrent is a file sharing protocol used in Peer to Peer Networks. For the non-computer person, I would refer to it as the "application" that needs to be downloaded to perform this activity. What is the activity? It is the movement of very large files which can, at times, have a significant impact on speed, bandwidth, internet traffic etc. Essentially, BitTorrent provides the ability to use many "smaller" computers to work collaboratively to move large files instead of relying on a very large computer to do so.

There are many applications for the Peer to Peer network, many of which are being developed and tested now. This naturally brings with it some legal issues surrounding copyright questions, but as the platform becomes more familiar and the application potential expands, many organizations are looking to use them including Disney and the US Military. This video details the application of Peer to Peer Wifi for affordable Classroom applications.

Class 8, Botnets & Zombie Networks

Class 8, Botnets & Zombie networks

Network implies or means connection of one to many with two way communication. It is like being in a community with the “network” being the interconnecting streets and highways. A botnet is a type of network that connects programs. They communicate back and forth to servers about similar types of programs and at times they are working behind the scenes so the operator is unaware that it is happening.

Botnets are usually associated with spam or spyware and have a very negative connation most of the time. One source referred to it as a “zombie army” an analogy for compromised computers that are high jacked and used to send out spam.

The word botnet evidently is derived from bot (for robot) and net (for network). When you think of cybercrime these networks are a focus. In essence, this is one manner in which hackers assume control of person computers connected to the internet which then provides access to personal data. This video title"What is botnet? explains these dangers.