Ch17 Questions

What do we mean when we say a computer virus is self-replicating?

produces identical copies of itself by using the software/hardware already present on a computer

What are the dual purposes of the reCAPTCHA system?

providing the standard CAPTCHA service in addition to helping to digitize books

Describe how a Trojan horse attacks a computer system.

the program appears to be helpful in some way, and then causes a problem once executed

What is the goal of a CAPTCHA interaction?

to ensure that information provided through a web form has been filled in by a person as opposed to a computer program

What is GPS? How is it used to support cell phone applications?

GPS is a system that uses satellites to pinpoint the location of any GPS receiver; cell phone users can now make use of location-based services

T/F: A computer virus "infects" another program by embedding itself into that program.

True

T/F: A denial-of-service attack does not directly corrupt data.

True

T/F: A logic bomb is set to go off when a particular system event occurs, such as a particular date and time.

True

T/F: A password should not resemble anything that looks like a word or phrase in a language that humans speak.

True

T/F: A password-guessing program uses dictionaries to try thousands of potential passwords each second.

True

T/F: In public-key cryptography, each user has two related keys, one public and one private.

True

T/F: Information integrity ensures that data can be modified only by appropriate mechanisms.

True

T/F: Phishing is a technique that uses deceptive emails and websites to obtain user information, such as usernames and passwords.

True

T/F: The Internet can create a false sense of anonymity.

True

T/F: The terms "Trojan horse" and "worm" are used interchangeably to describe a particular category of malicious code.

True

What is the CIA triad of information security?

confidentiality, integrity, and availability

List at least four guidelines related to password creation and management.

1) Don't use a simple password, especially one that relates to you personally. 2) Use a combination of characters in the password, including both upper and lowercase letters, digits, and special characters. 3) Don't use the same password for all of your online accounts. 4) Don't ever tell anyone your password.

Describe how Claire would send a message to David using public-key encryption.

Claire would obtain David's public key, uses that to encrypt her message, and then only David can decrypt it with his own private key

T/F: Decryption is the process of converting plaintext into ciphertext.

False (decryption translates cipher into plaintext)

T/F: CAPTCHA is a software mechanism that authenticates a particular user before allowing him or her to post a comment to a blog.

False (not used to determine a specific human, but simply that the user IS a human)

Describe a buffer overflow and how it might make a computer system vulnerable.

a buffer overflow causes a program to crash and leaves the user in a state with increased authority levels

How does a man-in-the-middle attack work?

a user gains access to a network's communication path and then "listens" with the help of a program in order to intercept key information