Technology things to know
by John Bandler
Here are some "things to know" about basic technology. Understanding something about technology helps us understand cybersecurity, privacy, and cyberlaw.
If you are a student of mine, you might see these questions in the future (depending on what course you are taking).
- What are the two main types of encryption? (hint: cryptographic key types)
- symmetric, asymmetric
- symmetric (same keys), asymmetric (public/private key)
- Encryption can be done on data in two stages/phases, what are they?
- At rest and in motion
- When data is at rest and when data is in motion
- What is the one-way encryption (cryptography) used to store password representations, or to verify integrity (e.g. the data is the same and has not been changed)?
- Hashing (Cryptographic hash function)
- IP address stands for ____________________________ address
- Internet protocol address
- A good synonym for the word represented by the “P” in "IP address" is ________________________
- "Language". E.g., the language (protocol) computers use to communicate with each other.
- (Note that this is not a technical definition, and not to be confused with software programing languages)
- A public IP address means ________________________________________________
- A public IP address means the IP address assigned by your ISP (internet service provider) to access the internet and communicate with others on the internet. It is used on the internet, it is seen by others.
- A private IP address means ________________________________________________
- A private IP address means the IP address assigned by a router to communicate within the (private) local area network (LAN). Meaning a "private" IP address only used within that LAN, and not going out to the more public internet.
- True/False: Some knowledge of technology is essential to understand cybersecurity
- True
- True/False: Some knowledge of technology is essential to understand cybercrime
- True
- True/False: Some knowledge of technology is essential to understand cyberlaw
- True
- Where can I learn cyberlaw things to know?
- Cyberlaw things to know (and resources listed at bottom of that page)
- Where can I learn cybersecurity things to know?
- Cybersecurity things to know (and resources listed at bottom of that page)
- Where can I dive deeper into technology?
- John's books that relate to cyber
- Technology certification study
- Other books and resources
Disclaimer
These are short Q&As and cannot be expected to capture all nuances of all terms.
This represents "scaffolding" level 1 and a little of level 2 (see my article and video on scaffolding, link below).
Many people have different understanding of various terms.
Purpose of this page
This page is a study aid for my students, and a place for me to draw quiz and assignment questions from.
The goal is for students to learn important concepts, especially foundational concepts that provide footholds for learning more complex concepts. This is the learning concept of "scaffolding", where you start low, learn things, build the knowledge and concept complexity up. See my article on scaffolding and learning (link below).
I used to emphasize these things only in class, quizzes, and assignments, but then realized more was needed, because by the end of the semester, some students had not learned some of these things. By providing this study page and linking to it, I find that students have more opportunity to study and then learn better.
Links
- Other "things to know" for quick study Q & A
- Scaffolding, Layering, and Learning (article with video at bottom)
- My cybersecurity course at Udemy
This page is hosted at https://johnbandler.com/things-to-know-technology/, copyright John Bandler, all rights reserved.
Posted 9/6/2025 based on years of teaching. Updated 9/18/2025