Chapter 8 - Security and Ethics

Question 1

What is hacking?

Answer 1

the act of gaining illegal access to a computer system

Question 2

What is cracking?

Answer 2

the editing of program source code so it can be exploited/changed for a specific purpose

Question 3

What are viruses?

Answer 3

program code that can replicate/copy itself with the intention of deleting/corrupting data/files or causing the computer to malfunction

Question 4

What is phishing?

Answer 4

sending legitimate lookng emails to encourage uses to give out personal data

Question 5

What is pharming?

Answer 5

malicious code installed to redirect uses to a fake website

Question 6

What is spyware/key logging software?

Answer 6

gathers data by monitoring keypresses on user’s keyboards

Question 7

What are cookies?

Answer 7

pieces of data that allow detection of web pages viewed by a user and store their preferences

Question 8

What is accidental or malicious loss of data?

Answer 8

this could be due to accidentally deleting a file or to a malicious attack from viruses or hacking

Question 9

What are firewalls?

Answer 9

examines traffic between user’s computer and a public network - can help prevent viruses or hackers entering a user’s computer

Question 10

What is secure sockets layer (SSL)?

Answer 10

allows data to be sent and received securely across a network

Question 11

What is transport layer security (TLS)?

Answer 11

a protocol that is designed to ensure that no third party may eavesdrop or tamper with any message

Question 12

What is symmetric encryption?

Answer 12

a secret key which makes a message unreadable unless the recipient also has the decryption key

Question 13

What is asymmetric encryption?

Answer 13

a form of encryption requiring both a public and private key

Question 14

What is authentication?

Answer 14

used to verify that data comes from a trusted source

Question 15

What is a denial of service attack?

Answer 15

an attempt at preventing users from accessing part of a network

Question 16

What are ethics?

Answer 16

a set of principles set out to regulate the use of computers

Question 17

What is free software?

Answer 17

users have the freedom to run, copy, change or adopt free software

Question 18

What is freeware?

Answer 18

software which users can download free of charge

Question 19

What is shareware?

Answer 19

users are allowed to try out shareware for a trial period

Question 20

What can hacking lead to?

Answer 20

lead to identity theft and loss or corruption of data

Question 21

How can you minimise the risk of hacking?

Answer 21

using strong passwords

using firewalls

Question 22

Why is cracking done?

Answer 22

for malicious purposes (such as modifying legitimate software to do something like redirect a user to a fake website)

Question 23

How can you minimise the risk of cracking?

Answer 23

it is hard to do
software engineers need to make the act of breaking into the software nearly impossible (make it difficult to identify back doors)

Question 24

What do viruses cause computers to do?

Answer 24

run slow
crash
cause some software to run abnormally

Question 25

How to reduce the risk of viruses?

Answer 25

running anti-virus software

don’t open emails/software from unknown sources

Question 26

What are the main signs that an email is a phishing email?

Answer 26

messages containing poor spelling/grammar
asks for personal information
unrealistic threats/promises made

Question 27

How can you reduce the risk of pharming?

Answer 27

anti-spyware software can identify and remove pharming code on the hard drive

Question 28

What is wardriving?

Answer 28

the act of locating and using wireless internet connections illegally
can lead to stealing of internet time/bandwith

Question 29

How can you prevent the risk of wardriving?

Answer 29

use of WEP (wired equivalent privacy) encryption
complex passwords
firewalls