Cyber security

Question 1

what is data?

Answer 1

data is raw facts and figures, information is created when that data has been processed and becomes meaningful

Question 2

data collected by the media

Answer 2

personal information, content they provide, user activity, data of others

Question 3

risk of compromised data

Answer 3

human error arguably creates the largest risk of the data being compromised

Question 4

social engineering

Answer 4

social engineering is a set of method used by cybercriminals to deceive individuals into handing over information that they can use for fraudulent purposes

Question 5

phishing

Answer 5

A phishing attack is an attack in which the victim receives an email disguised to look as if it has come from a reputable source, in order to trick them into giving up valuable data. The email usually provides a link to another website where the information can be inputted.

Question 6

blagging

Answer 6

the act of inventing a specific scenario to try and engage with the victim, which in turns gives the attacker money or information e.g. emails

Question 7

shouldering

Answer 7

 shouldering is when you are trying to get someone’s
Password from their ATM by standing behind them and
Looking over their shoulder for their personal information

Question 8

scam email warning

Answer 8

 look for spelling errors
 look for suspicious links
 see if it was trying to get your bank details.

Question 9

hacking

Answer 9

Hacking in the context of cyber security is:
Gaining unauthorized access to or control of a computer system, people want to hack to steal personal data.

Question 10

malware

Answer 10

Malware (malicious software) is software
that is designed to gain access to your
computer with malicious intent.

Question 11

malware e.g.

Answer 11

Disabling hardware
● Data theft
● Forced advertising
● Sending email spam
● Extorting money

Question 12

Categories of malware

Answer 12

viruses
worms
trojan
adware
ransomware
spyware

Question 13

ransomware

Answer 13

This is a form of virus, as it is self-replicating. Specifically, ransomware locks a computer, encrypts files, and therefore prevents the user from being able to access the data. The attacker will demand that a ransom be paid before they decrypt the files and unlock the computer. 

Question 14

virus

Answer 14

virus is a malicious form of self-replicating computer programs. Once on a computer or network, a virus will replicate itself by maliciously modifying other computer programs and inserting code. For a virus to infect a system, it needs to be initiated/executed by a user.

Question 15

catching a virus

Answer 15

● Download an email attachment
● Click a confirmation button on a pop-up
without reading it
● Download files such as movies or games
from illegal websites of peer-to-peer
file-sharing platforms

Question 16

worms

Answer 16

Worms replicate themselves but do not
attach themselves to files as a virus does.
Instead, worms spread through the
network and use the system’s resources.
Most worms cause problems by using up
network bandwidth and therefore
slowing down the network significantly.

Question 17

ransomware

Answer 17

This is a form of virus, as it is selfreplicating.
Specifically, ransomware locks a
computer, encrypts files, and therefore
prevents the user from being able to
access the data.
The attacker will demand that a ransom
be paid before they decrypt the files and
unlock the computer.

Question 18

WannaCry ransomware attack May 2017

Answer 18

This attack is estimated to have affected
over 200,000 computers across 150
countries.
It exploited a known security flaw with
Microsoft Windows.
All versions of Windows that hadn’t
applied the update released in April 2017
were at risk. This included older versions
of Windows that were no longer getting
updates

Question 19

trojans

Answer 19

A trojan is a piece of software that
appears to perform a useful function
(such as a game) but unbeknown to the
user it also performs malicious actions.
For example, it might open a ‘back door’
to give an attacker remote access to your
computer.
The name derives from the story of the
Trojan Horse.

Question 20

spyware

Answer 20

Spyware is unwanted software that
monitors and gathers information on a
person and how they use their computer.
This can include monitoring your internet
usage to send you harmless but annoying
adverts.
More sinister spyware will include
keyloggers that record every keystroke
made by a user.

Question 21

adware

Answer 21

Adware can be a worm, virus, or Trojan. It
infects a computer and causes it to
download or display malicious adverts or
pop-ups when the victim is online.
If you are online and see a large number
of adverts, or you are receiving pop-ups
when you’re offline, then your computer
might have been infected by malware.

Question 22

internet bots

Answer 22

Bots are automated programs that perform
tasks repeatedly.
Bots are a crucial part of the internet’s
infrastructure and perform useful tasks such
as:
● Finding new websites for search engines
to index
● Providing customer service online
(chatbots)
● Monitoring the prices of items to find the
best deal (shopbots)

Question 23

bots that go bad

Answer 23

Many of the bots circulating the web
have malicious intent.
Bots can be used to create social media
accounts and to follow certain users to
increase people’s perception of their
influence.
Bots can also be used to scour the web to
look for and report back on vulnerabilities
of internet-connected devices

Question 24

botnet

Answer 24

A botnet is a large collection of malware infected devices (zombies).
An attacker (‘bot herder’) chooses when
to ‘wake’ the zombies to perform an
attack.
This might be to send multiple requests
to a single server

Question 25

malware

Answer 25

a file or code, typically delivered over a network, that infects, explores, steals or conducts virtually any behavior an attacker wants.

Question 26

UK laws relevant to cyber security

Answer 26

The computer Misuse Act 1990 is the main cybersecurity act that regulated the UK’s digital relationship between individuals and malicious parties. It is enforced directly with the Data protection Act 2018 and the UK-GDPR, which protects residents’ personal data

Question 27

Types of hackers

Answer 27

Black hat hackers: Malicious hacker

White hat hackers: Ethical hacker

Grey hat hackers: Not malicious but not always ethical

Question 28

DDos Attack

Answer 28

DDos (Distributed Denial of service) Attack is a cybercrime where the attacker floods a server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected online services and sites.

Question 29

good password practices

Answer 29

-never reveal your passwords to others
-use a password manager
-use passwords for different accounts
-length and complexity (12 characters or more)
-a combination of uppercase letters, numbers, symbols etc.

Question 30

Antivirus Software

Answer 30

A program or set of programs that are designed to prevent, search for, detect and remove software viruses.