Computing Topic 4

• What is malware?


  Any type of harmful program that seeks to damage or gain unauthorised access to your computer system
• What are some examples of malware?

  Virus - replicates itself by attaching itself to corrupted files. It can change data or corrupt a system when opened

  Ransomware - locks files using encryption so the user can no longer access them

  DoS attack - repeatedly sends requests to a server to overload the system

  DDoS attack - coordianted attacks via botnet of infected systems to overload a server wit requests
• How can we prevent vulnerabilities to malware?

  Penetration testing - find any risks or weaknesses and try to fix them

  Firewall - manages incoming and outgoing network traffic. Each data packet is processed to check whether it should be given access to the network

  Secure password - using a combination of special characters it makes it harder to the hacker to work out

  Encryption - scrambling data into an unreadable format so the hacker cannot understand it
• What are some physical security methods?

  Locks, keycards, security staff, CCTV cameras and alarms