gcse.compt.sci.cyber.security.u6

• Cyber security:

  • Practice of protecting computer systems, networks, and programs from cyber attacks
• CAPTCHA:

  • A challenge-response test used to determine whether the user is human or not
• Social engineering:

  • Tricking someone into divulging information or taking action, usually through technology
• Shouldering


  Standing behind a victim and watching them enter personal information

  Could include use of cameras to record.
• Pharming


  Redirecting internet traffic from a legitimate website to a 'spoofed' website

  To capture a victim's personal information or install malware on a victim's computer
• Avoiding a shouldering attack:

  • Use user attribute authentication
  • Use a privacy screen protector
  • Avoid entering/viewing private information in public
  • Lock devices when they are left unattended
• Avoiding a pharming attack:

  • Keep antivirus software up to date
  • Enable two-factor authentication
  • Check URLs for typos
  • Only follow links that begin with HTTPS
• Phishing


  Create a sense of urgency and fear to provoke a would-be victim into taking actions they usually wouldn't

  To persuade them to expose their personal information or to install malware onto their computer
• Blagging


  Pretexting

  Creating and using an invented scenario to engage a targeted victim in a manner that increases the chance the victim will divulge information or perform actions that would be unlikely in ordinary circumstances.
• Avoiding phishing and blagging attacks:

  • Never give out private information
  • Never trust alarming messages
  • Do not open attachments
  • Avoid clicking embedded links
  • Install antivirus software
  • Never reply
• Difference between phishing and blagging:

  • Phishing - relies on creating a sense of urgency and fear, whereas, blagging - relies on creating a good pretext to gain trust
• Malware


  Umbrella term for any malicious software designed to harm or exploit any programmable device service, or network
• Virus


  A program that is malicious, and able to replicate
• Trojans


  Malicious program that misleads the user into thinking it is something else
• Spyware


  Malicious program that records data such as usernames and passwords
• Antivirus


  Software designed to prevent, search for, detect, and remove malware from an individual computer system or network
• Software updates:

  • Small frequent improvements provided by a computer system's developer
  • To fix bugs, improve the functionality of, and protect the computer software against security risks
• Protecting from and detecting cyber security threats:

  • Biometric measures
  • Password systems
  • CAPTCHA
  • Using email confirmations to confirm a user’s identity
  • Automatic software updates.
• Access rights


  The permissions an individual user or a computer application holds to read, write, modify, delete or otherwise access a computer system's resources
• Misconfigured access rights


  User accounts or computer applications have incorrect permissions

  Allow user account or computer application to access computer system or network resources they should not be able to
• The Computer Misuse Act 1990


  Piece of UK legislation that criminalizes the act of accessing or modifying data stored on a computer system without appropriate consent or permission.
• Data protectionn Act 2018


  Piece of UK legislation that controls how ones personal information is used by organisations, businesses, or the government
• Authentication


  Process of verifying the identity of a person or device
• Forms of authentication:

  • Username and password
  • User attribute (biometrics)
  • Tokens (one-time password)
  • Two factor authentication
• Risk of weak or default passwords:

  • Susceptible to brute force attacks
  • Easily identifiable
• Advantage of user attribute over username and password:

  • User could forget password or username but not their user attribute
• Penetration Testing


  An authorised simulated cyberattack on a computer system, performed to evaluate the security of the system
• Black-box penetration testing:


  The penetration tester has no knowledge of the system being tested

  Simulates an external hacking or cyber warfare attack
• White-box penetration testing:


  The penetration tester has partial or full knowledge of the system being tested

  Simulates a malicious insider who has knowledge of and possible basic credentials of the target system
• Purpose of penetration testing:

  • To discover vulnerabilities in the computer system before they can be exploited by criminal hackers