Chapter 5 The Internet And Its Uses: Unit 5.3: Cyber security Flashcards
List the 8 cyber threats.
Brute force attacks
Data interception
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
Hacking
Malware
Phishing
Pharming
Social engineering
Describe anti-spyware.
Based on 2 methods:
Rules - Software looks for typical features which are usually associated with spyware thus identifying any potential security issues
File structures - Certain file structures are associated with potential spyware which allows them to be identified by the software
General features of anti-spyware are:
Detect and remove spyware already installed on the device
Prevent a user from downloading spyware
Encrypt files to make the data more secure
Encryption of keyboard strokes to help remove the risk posed by the keylogging aspects of some spyware
Blocks access to a user’s webcam and microphone
Scans for signs that the user’s personal information has been stolen and warns the user if this has happened
Describe authentication
Refers to the ability of a user to prove who they are
There are 3 common factors used in authentication:
Something the user knows
Something the user has
Something that is unique to the user
Name 2 ways that authentication can be used.
Passwords and usernames
Biometrics
What are the 4 ways that biometrics can be used for authentication?
Fingerprint scans
Retina scans
Face recognition
Voice recognition
What are the benefits and drawbacks of fingerprint scans?
BENEFITS:
One of the most developed biometric techniques
Very easy to use
Relatively small storage requirements for the biometric data created
DRAWBACKS:
For some people it is very intrusive, since it is still related to criminal identification
It can make mistakes if the skin is dirty or damaged
What are the benefits and drawbacks of retina scans?
BENEFITS:
Very high accuracy
There is no known way to replicate a person’s retina
DRAWBACKS:
It is very intrusive
It can be relatively slow to verify retina scan with stored scans
Very expensive to install and set up
What are the benefits and drawbacks of face recognition?
BENEFITS:
Non-intrusive method
Relatively inexpensive technology
DRAWBACKS:
It can be affected by changes in lighting, the person’s hair, change in age, and if the person is wearing glasses
What are the benefits and drawbacks of voice recognition?
BENEFITS:
Non-intrusive method
Verification takes less than 5 seconds
Relatively inexpensive technology
DRAWBACKS:
A person’s voice can be easily recorded and used for unauthorised access
Low accuracy
An illness can change a person’s voice, making absolute identification difficult or impossible
Describe two-step verification.
Requires 2 methods of authentication to verify who a user is.
Describe firewalls.
Can be either software or hardware
Sits between a user’s computer and an external network and filters information in and out of the computer
What are the firewall’s main tasks?
To examine the ‘traffic’ between the user’s computer and a public network
Checks whether incoming or outgoing data meets a given set of criteria
If the data fails the criteria, the firewall will block the ‘traffic’
Can be used to log all incoming and outgoing ‘traffic’
Criteria can be set so that the firewall prevents access to certain undesirable sites
Possible for firewalls to help prevent viruses or hackers entering the user’s computer
The user is warned if some software on their system is trying to access an external data source
Give examples of things that a firewall cannot prevent.
It cannot prevent individuals, on internal networks, using their own hardware devices
Employee misconduct or carelessness
Users on stand-alone computers can choose to disable their firewall
Define proxy server
Acts as an intermediate between the user and a web server
What are the features of a proxy server?
Allows internet traffic to be filtered; can block access to a website if necessary
Keeps user’s IP addresses secret which improves security
If the internet traffic is valid, access to the web server is allowed
If the internet traffic is invalid, access to the web server is denied
Can block requests from certain IP addresses
Prevents direct access to a web server by sitting between the user and the web server
If an attack is launched, it hits the proxy server instead - helps to prevent hacking, DoS, etc.
Used to direct invalid traffic away from web servers which gives additional protection
By using cache, it is possible to speed up access to information/data from a website
Proxy servers can also act as firewalls
