6.1 SecurityPrivacy&DataIntegrity.data_security Flashcards
What is data privacy?
The privacy of personal information or other data stored on a computer that should not be accessed by unauthorised parties.
What are data protection laws?
Laws that govern how data should be kept private and secure.
What is data security?
Methods taken to prevent unauthorised access to data and to recover data if lost or corrupted.
What is a user account?
An agreement that allows an individual to use a computer or network server, often requiring a username and password.
What is authentication?
A way of proving somebody or something is who or what they claim to be.
What are access rights in data security?
The use of access levels to ensure only authorised users can gain access to certain data.
What is malware?
Malicious software that seeks to damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer system.
What is a firewall?
Software or hardware that sits between a computer and an external network, monitoring and filtering all incoming and outgoing activities.
What is anti-spyware software?
Software that detects and removes spyware programs installed illegally on a user’s computer system.
What is encryption?
The use of encryption keys to make data meaningless without the correct decryption key.
What are biometrics?
The use of unique human characteristics to identify a user, such as fingerprints or face recognition.
What is hacking?
Illegal access to a computer system without the owner’s permission.
What is malicious hacking?
Hacking done with the sole intent of causing harm to a computer system or user, e.g., deleting files or exploiting private data.
What is ethical hacking?
Hacking used to test the security and vulnerability of a computer system, carried out with the permission of the system owner.
What is phishing?
Legitimate-looking emails designed to trick recipients into giving their personal data to the sender.
What is pharming?
Redirecting a user to a fake website to illegally obtain personal data.
What is DNS cache poisoning?
Altering IP addresses on a DNS server by a ‘pharmer’ or hacker to redirect users to fake websites.
Why is data privacy required?
To ensure that data stored about a person or an organisation remains private and unauthorised access is prevented.
How is data privacy achieved?
Partly through data protection laws that set guidelines for data handling.
What are the eight guiding principles of data protection laws?
- Data must be fairly and lawfully processed.
- Data can only be processed for the stated purpose.
- Data must be adequate, relevant, and not excessive.
- Data must be accurate.
- Data must not be kept longer than necessary.
- Data must be processed in accordance with the data subject’s rights.
- Data must be kept secure.
- Data must not be transferred to another country unless that country has adequate protection.
Who do data protection laws usually cover?
Organisations rather than private individuals.
Do data protection laws guarantee data privacy?
No, but the legal threat of fines or jail sentences deters most people from violating them.
What is data security?
Methods used to prevent unauthorised access to data and to recover data if it is lost.
What is the purpose of user accounts in data security?
To authenticate users and control access rights based on their role.
How do user accounts authenticate users?
By requiring a username and password, often through a screen prompt.
How do user accounts control access rights?
Through access levels, where different users have different permissions based on their role.
Give an example of access rights in a real-world scenario.
In a hospital, a cleaner wouldn’t have access to patient data, but a consultant would, based on their access level.
What is the purpose of passwords?
To restrict access to data or systems, ensuring only authorised users can gain access.
How can passwords be protected?
- Run anti-spyware software to prevent passwords from being relayed.
- Regularly change passwords in case they’ve been compromised.
- Use strong, hard-to-guess passwords.
What makes a password strong?
- At least one capital letter
- At least one numerical value
- At least one special character (e.g., @, *, &)
- Long enough
Provide examples of strong and weak passwords.
- Strong: Sy12@#TT90kj=0
- Weak: GREEN
What are digital signatures?
A method to protect data by identifying the sender of digital communications, such as emails.
What is a firewall?
A software or hardware security system that filters incoming and outgoing network traffic to protect against threats like hacking, malware, phishing, and pharming.
What tasks are carried out by a firewall?
- Examining traffic between a computer and external networks.
- Checking if data meets security criteria.
- Blocking and warning about suspicious traffic.
- Logging all network activity for review.
- Preventing access to undesirable sites via IP filtering.
- Helping to prevent viruses or hackers from entering.
- Warning users when software attempts external access.
How can firewalls be implemented?
- As hardware, often referred to as a gateway, between the internal network and the internet.
- As software, installed on a computer, sometimes part of the operating system.
What can firewalls NOT prevent?
- Users on internal networks bypassing the firewall with personal modems.
- Employee misconduct, like poor password management.
- Users on stand-alone computers disabling the firewall.
How can firewall limitations be managed?
Through proper management practices and personal responsibility to maintain security measures effectively.
What is the purpose of antivirus software?
To detect, prevent, and remove viruses from a computer system.
How does antivirus software work?
- Checks software or files before running/loading.
- Compares files against a database of known viruses.
- Uses heuristic checking to detect suspicious behaviour.
- Quarantines potentially infected files for deletion or user review.
What is heuristic checking in antivirus software?
A method that checks software behaviour for signs of a virus, useful for detecting new, unknown viruses.
What is a false positive in antivirus software?
When antivirus software wrongly identifies a safe file as a virus.
Why must antivirus software be regularly updated?
To keep the virus database current since new viruses are constantly discovered.
How often should full system scans be performed?
Regularly, such as once a week, to detect dormant viruses.
What is anti-spyware software?
Software that detects and removes spyware programs installed illegally on a computer.
How does anti-spyware software detect threats?
- Rule-based detection (looking for typical spyware behaviours).
- Identifying known spyware file structures.
What is encryption?
The process of converting data into an unreadable format without the correct decryption key, protecting it from unauthorised access.
Can encryption prevent data deletion?
No, it prevents unauthorised data usage but cannot stop data from being deleted.
What are biometrics?
Security measures that rely on unique human characteristics, such as fingerprints, retina patterns, face recognition, and voice recognition.
How do fingerprint scans work?
They compare scanned fingerprints to stored ones, matching ridge and valley patterns (accuracy ~1 in 500).
What are retina scans and how do they work?
They use infra-red to scan unique blood vessel patterns in the retina, requiring the user to stay still for 10–15 seconds (accuracy ~1 in 10 million).
How are biometrics used in mobile phones?
To verify that the phone user is the owner through fingerprint, face, or voice recognition.
What are the two types of hacking?
Malicious hacking (unauthorised, harmful) and ethical hacking (authorised, legal, for security testing).
What is malicious hacking?
Illegal access to a computer system without permission, aiming to delete, alter, or steal data.
How can you guard against malicious hacking?
Using strong passwords, firewalls, and software that detects illegal activity.
What is ethical hacking?
Legal hacking authorised by companies to test security measures and identify vulnerabilities.
What is malware?
Malicious software designed to harm, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems.
What are viruses?
Malicious code that replicates itself, deletes/corrupts files, or causes system malfunctions, requiring a host program.
What are worms?
Stand-alone viruses that replicate and spread through networks, exploiting weak security.
What are logic bombs?
Malicious code triggered by specific conditions (e.g., a date), used to delete files or send data to hackers.
What are Trojan horses?
Malicious programs disguised as legitimate software to harm systems or steal data.
What are bots (internet robots)?
Automated programs, sometimes harmful, that can take control of systems and launch attacks.
What is spyware?
Software that secretly gathers information (like keystrokes) and sends it to the attacker.
What is phishing?
A scam using legitimate-looking emails to trick users into revealing personal data or clicking harmful links.
How can you identify phishing emails?
- Generic greetings (e.g., “Dear Customer”).
- Suspicious links or attachments.
- Requests for sensitive information.
How can you prevent phishing attacks?
- Stay updated on phishing scams.
- Avoid clicking suspicious links.
- Use anti-phishing toolbars.
- Check for https and a green padlock in the address bar.
- Regularly update passwords and monitor accounts.
- Use up-to-date browsers with firewalls.
- Block pop-ups and avoid clicking “cancel” on suspicious ones; close using the X button.
What is the purpose of anti-phishing toolbars?
To alert users of malicious websites linked in phishing emails.
Why is https important when browsing?
It indicates encrypted communication, providing a layer of security for online transactions.
What is pharming?
Pharming is malicious code that redirects users to fake websites without their knowledge, often to steal personal data.
How does pharming differ from phishing?
Unlike phishing, pharming doesn’t require user action (like clicking a link); redirection happens automatically.
What is DNS cache poisoning?
A pharming technique where the real IP address in the DNS server is altered, redirecting users to fake websites.
How can pharmers infect a user’s computer?
By sending malicious code stored on the HDD, which redirects web traffic to fake sites when specific URLs are typed.
How can you protect against pharming?
- Use antivirus software to detect unauthorised website alterations.
- Use modern browsers with pharming/phishing alerts.
- Check website spellings carefully.
- Look for https and the green padlock symbol in the address bar.
Why is pharming hard to mitigate if the DNS server is infected?
Because the redirection occurs at the DNS level, beyond the user’s control, affecting all users relying on that server.
What are common causes of data loss?
- Accidental deletion.
- Hardware faults (e.g., HDD crash).
- Software faults (e.g., system crashes).
- Incorrect computer operation (e.g., improper shutdown).
How can you recover data after accidental deletion?
- Use back-ups.
- Regularly save data.
- Use passwords to restrict access.
How can hardware faults cause data loss?
Issues like HDD crashes or power loss can corrupt or delete data.
How do you safeguard against hardware faults?
- Use back-ups.
- Install an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
- Save data regularly.
- Use parallel systems as hardware back-ups.
What risks come from software faults?
Software crashes or incompatibility issues can corrupt or delete data.
How can you prevent data loss from software faults?
- Back-up data regularly.
- Save data frequently while working.
What are examples of incorrect computer operations that cause data loss?
- Improper shutdowns.
- Removing memory sticks without following procedures.
How can you minimise risks from incorrect computer operation?
- Regular back-ups.
- Provide proper training on hardware operations.
Why is regular data back-up important?
It ensures data recovery in case of accidental loss, hardware faults, or software errors.
Where should back-ups be stored?
In a separate location (like cloud storage or an external HDD) to protect against physical threats (e.g., fire, theft).
Who should be responsible for data back-ups?
A designated person to ensure back-ups are performed consistently.
Why might back-ups not help after a virus infection?
The back-up could contain the virus, risking re-infection when restoring data.
