Chapter 8- Security Risks Flashcards
What is a virus?
A virus is a harmful program written by a programmer which can cause damage to your computer system.
How does a virus spread?
It makes copies of itself attaching to programs that the user has installed on their computer and then damaging its system.
How can a virus appear in a computer?
Viruses can be downloaded be accident from World Wide Web or through and email attachment.
What is a worm and how does it work?
A Worm is similar to a virus, a worm is a program that makes copies of itself and then spreads through a network, damaging systems as it goes along. A worm keeps replicating (copying) itself until it consumes the piece of hardware that it is replicating on such as RAM or a hard disk drive. This will cause the computer to run programs very slowly or crash.
What is Trojan horse?
This is a program that looks harmless and tricks you into running it on your computer. It then carries out its real task, for example, displaying adverts on the screen or installing unwanted toolbars. Trojans can also be RAT’s (Remote Access Trojan’s). A RAT gives control of your computer to a hacker from a remote location, possibly in another country.
How will a user notices that a computer virus has infected their machine?
The computer might begins to run slowly or crash
If a computer hacker was caught in the UK, under which Act or Parliament could they be sentenced under?
The computer misuse act 1990
