Internet, Email and Cyber Safety
This domain tests internet concepts (WWW, URL, browser, search engine, ISP, IP address), email fields and etiquette, and cyber safety: passwords, phishing, malware, spam, OTP fraud, privacy, and reporting. Questions often ask you to identify unsafe behaviour.
Core rules
- A URL has a protocol, domain, and path: https://www.example.com/news/page.html. HTTPS encrypts traffic; HTTP does not. A padlock means the connection is encrypted, not that the site is honest.
- An IP address identifies a device on a network; an ISP provides internet access. A browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) displays web pages; a search engine (Google, Bing) indexes them.
- Email fields: To (primary recipients), Cc (visible copy), Bcc (hidden copy). Reply goes to sender only; Reply All includes other recipients. Attachments have size limits.
- A strong password is long, unique, and not personal. Enable two-factor authentication. Never share an OTP, even with someone claiming to be bank staff.
- Phishing signs: mismatched sender domain, urgency, unexpected attachment, requests for passwords or OTP, and links whose hover URL differs from the displayed text.
Worked example
An email says 'Your bank account will be blocked in 2 hours. Click here and confirm your OTP.' The sender is '[email protected]', not the bank's domain; the link shows a different address on hover. Reasoning: urgency, a look-alike domain, and an OTP request are classic phishing markers. Do not click; open the bank's app or type the official URL; report the message and, if money is lost, call 1930 and file at cybercrime.gov.in.
Traps that cost marks
- Using Reply All when only the sender should receive the reply.
- Putting recipients in Cc when their addresses must stay hidden; use Bcc.
- Believing HTTPS guarantees a trustworthy site.
- Clicking unsubscribe in obvious spam, which confirms the address is active.
- Sharing personal details or OTPs on social media or public Wi-Fi.