Securing webpages — An overview

Security is an important issue in E-Learning and encompasses privacy and copyright. In online courses both are difficult to achieve, as the interaction and the material is typically located on (semi-) public webpages. Often it is desirable in web-based E-Learning platforms to protect such webpages against information extraction, deep linking, printing, or other actions. Such possible protection aims are explained with the parties interested in subverting them. Afterwards protection measures to implement these aims are listed and assessed according to their “strength”: Are they trivial (no special knowledge or equipment), simple, medium, or complex (special tools, insider knowledge, or complex actions required) to defeat.