Computer Science 3.6 - Cyber Security

Define social engineering

A non technical method of gaining access to data , relying on human interaction

What is phishing?

A social engineering method persuading someone to enter confidential data by posing as someone trustworthy`

What is blagging?

A social engineering method where a victim is put in a fake scenario where they might divulge information

What is shouldering?

A social engineering technique in which people are directly observed to steal data, such as watching their pin over their shoulder

What is pharming?

A social engineering technique where people have malicious code installed which misdirects users to fraudulent websites without their knowledge

What is penetration testing?

Attempting to gain access to digital resources without insider knowledge

What are automatic software updates and why does it protect systems?

Automatic patches automatically deal with loopholes or problems with cyber security software

What is email verification and how does it work?

Email confirmation checks that users are using their real email address by sending them a link. It prevents identity theft

What is hacking as a form of malicious code?

Finding and exploiting weaknesses in an established system to gain access

How might biometric security work?

Fingerprints, facial recognition, voice recognition

What are the problems associated with a weak password?

If the password is very short then a bruteforce algorithm can crack it easily. If the password is cracked and the user uses it on other devices, then the hacker can also access those devices.

What are the problems associated with misconfigured access rights?

In a computer system, if admin permissions are left open to everyone by accident, cyber security is threatened by someone using those permissions to access/edit data they shouldn't be able to.

What is CAPTCHA and how does it work?

It's a "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart", which essentially creates something humans can read and computers can't.

Define malware

Malicious code or intrusive software

What is a trojan?

Malicious code that is contained within something useful (see: trojan horse)

What is a DoS attack?

Malware known as Denial of Service. Makes a network unavailable by spamming it/flooding it with resources so it can't process it all

What is adware?

Malware that forces adverts onto the system it is installed on

What is spyware?

Malware that logs the things a user does, such as keys pressed or websites visited, or records screen captures. Keylogging is a kind of spyware

What is a computer virus?

Malware that self replicates and attaches to as many digital elements of a computer as it can and spreads as far as it can, attempting to destroy systems or make files unreadable

What are the problems associated with removable media from a cyber security standpoint?

Removeable media (e.g USB drive) can be used to put malicious code and software on a system, bypassing the network and protection software.

What is a white box penetration test?

Simulating a malicious *insider* with knowledge of the system

What is a black box penetration test?

Simulating an *outsider* performing a cyber attack

What is cyber security?

The processes, practices and technologies designed to protect computer systems from attack.

How does a password system work?

Users have a (hopefully unique) password with which they must sign into a system