Computer Security Awareness Flashcards
What is computer security?
Computer security is the protection of computers, networks, and all the data one stores and/or enters into a public or personal computer system.
The definition of computer security can range from malicious software and the negative effects it imposes on a system to the protection of personal information from theft or fraud.
What is a threat?
A threat is a potential for harm.
What is a threat to computer security?
Any situation, whether intentional or unintentional, that permits potential for causing harm and/or modification of computer data.
Malicious Software
Software designed to cause damage to a single computer, server, or an entire computer network. Also known as malware, malicious software is most often installed on the computer without the user’s knowledge.
Phishing
The scamming of users by sending emails or creating false web pages that are designed to collect an individual’s personal information.
Identity Theft
Crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception.
Loss of Data
The loss of information stored on a computer. Data loss is permanent; it’s causes include power failure, hardware failure, data corruption, software crash, etc. Backup and recovery schemes are developed to restore lost data.
Are all computer security threats intentional?
No
What is malicious software intended to do?
Damage, immobilize, or perform unwanted actions to a computer system. It comes in many forms and can be any program that the user does not need, want, or even expect to download. Malware usually runs without the knowledge and permission of the user.
Viruses
A computer virus is any malicious code that has the ability to reproduce itself.
Spyware
Spyware is a program that is intentionally installed on a computer to monitor or spy on what users of the computer are doing. Spyware programs are designed to track a user’s activity without the user fully understanding the intentions of the program or even knowing about its installation.
Worms
Like a virus, is designed to copy itself from one computer to another, but it does so without having to attach itself to a host program or file. A worm generally spreads without user action and distributes complete copies of itself across different networks in vast volumes.
Trojan horse
A Trojan horse is a computer program that appears to be harmless, but it contains malicious code. When a Trojan horse is executed, it can delete files, destroy or modify data, erase a computer’s hard drive, steal confidential information, and compromise the security of a computer or network.
Spam
Spam is junk e-mail on the internet sent to thousands, sometimes millions, of people without their consent. Spam usually promotes a particular product, service, or scam of some type.
What is a computer virus?
A software program designed to infect, destroy, modify, or cause other problems with your computer’s software programs or entire network. Viruses spread from one file to another using a variety of methods.
Contracting Computer Viruses
In the past, the majority of computer viruses were contracted by sharing floppy disks. However, with the rise of the internet, most computer viruses today are contracted through e-mail, downloading software and files, and even just surfing the internet. In fact, you can get a malicious script from a webpage and not even know it.
Virus Symptoms
- Slow computer speed
- Randomly deleted files
- Inexplicable error messages when opening files or programs
- Hardware issues, including problems with the keyboard, printer, modem, etc.
- computer freezes or crashes
- Redirected internet pages
- Difficulty connecting online or surfing the web
Virus Prevention
• Use care if downloading from a website
• Use only authorized websites (i.e., websites related to your work activities).
• Ensure antivirus software is installed on your computer and that the system shield is active
• Scan every potential download with an antivirus program
• If someone you don’t know sends you an attachment via email or even instant message, do not open it.
• Consider adding on applications via your internet browser that protect you from suspicious websites that may contain malware
What if your computer gets infected by a virus?
• Contact your tech department immediately for guidance.
• Make sure your antivirus program is current. Visit the manufacturer’s website to check for any updates and install them immediately
• Scan your entire computer with the fully updated antivirus program
• Be sure to update your firewall
What is one method of spreading a computer virus?
viewing web pages
What is spyware?
Any program that is secretly installed on a computer to monitor a user’s interaction with the computer, monitor surfing habits, or redirect browser activity.
