Cyber Security

Question 1

What is hacking?

Answer 1

Automated or manual attempts to gain unauthorised access to programs or data

Question 2

How to protect against hacking?

Answer 2

Firewall to block access by unauthorised devices

Question 3

What is a brute force attack?

Answer 3

Automated or manual attempts to gain unauthorised access to secure areas by trying all possible password/key combinations

Question 4

How to protect against brute force attacks?

Answer 4

Strong passwords
Limited attempts allowed

Question 5

What is data interception and theft?

Answer 5

Data may be intercepted during transmission, but physical theft can occur where storage devices or data files are left insecurely

Question 6

How to protect against data interception and theft?

Answer 6

Encryption
Passwords
Physical locks

Question 7

What is spyware?

Answer 7

Software that hides on your computer and records your activities to send back to a third-party for analysis

Question 8

How to protect against spyware?

Answer 8

Anti-malware
Anti-spyware software

Question 9

What is phishing?

Answer 9

Phishing emails redirect a user to a fake website where they trick the reader into divulging confidential information such as passwords that can be used fraudulently

Question 10

How to protect against phishing?

Answer 10

Network policy
Firewall
User awareness of phishing ‘clues’

Question 11

What is pharming?

Answer 11

Sends the user to a fake website that looks like the real thing. The user types in a legitimate address and is redirected to a fake website

Question 12

How to protect against pharming?

Answer 12

Checking the URL
Making sure the site says HTTPS, not HTTP

Question 13

What is malware?

Answer 13

Malicious software written to cause inconvenience or damage to programs or data

Question 14

What is a virus?

Answer 14

A program that is installed on a computer without the user’s knowledge or permission with the intent of doing harm.

It includes instructions to replicate automatically on a computer

Question 15

What is a worm?

Answer 15

A program that is similar to a virus, except it cannot self-replicate

Question 16

What does anti-virus software do?

Answer 16

Software that runs on a computer checking all files for known viruses
It must be updated regularly

Question 17

What is a Trojan horse?

Answer 17

A program that masquerades as having one legitimate purpose, but it actually has another

Question 18

How does a Trojan horse work?

Answer 18

A link is spread by email

The user is invited to click on a link for an everyday purpose

This link then executes a program which gives the controller unauthorised access to the computer

Question 19

What is ransomware?

Answer 19

A form of malware that encrypts a victim’s files.

Question 20

How does ransomware work?

Answer 20

A ransom is demanded from the attacker in return for instructions on how to decrypt the files

Question 21

What is adware?

Answer 21

A malware that displays onscreen advertisements. It is not always dangerous, but could redirect the browser to an unsafe site

Question 22

What does DDoS stand for?

Answer 22

Distributed Denial of Service

Question 23

What is a DDoS attack?

Answer 23

A malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server with a flood of Internet requests

Question 24

How does a DDoS attack work?

Answer 24

Multiple interconnected devices in different locations establish a botnet

The attacker is then able to direct the attack by sending remote instructions to the bots to send requests to the target’s IP address

The server becomes overwhelmed, and genuine requests cannot be handled

The server fails or times out

Question 25

How can you protect against DDoS attacks?

Answer 25

A firewall can filter through requests to separate the genuine and fradulent requests

Question 26

What are biometrics?

Answer 26

Pre-recorded characteristics to authenticate authorised users of a system/device

Question 27

What are some examples of biometric authentication?

Answer 27

Facial recognition
Iris and retina scanners
Fingerprint recognition
Voice recognition

Question 28

What is two-step verification?

Answer 28

Two authentication methods performed one after the other to prove someone’s identity

Question 29

What are automatic software updates?

Answer 29

These updates will keep applications and the OS up-to-date. This enables bugs and security flaws in the software to be fixed with a patch

Question 30

What does SSL stand for?

Answer 30

Secure Socket Layer

Question 31

What does SSL stand for?

Answer 31

Provides a secure channel between two computers or device operating over the internet

Question 32

What is SSL used for?

Answer 32

SSL is used to secure communication between a web browser and a web server.
It will then use an HTTPS address for the website
Similar to asymmetric encryption

Question 33

What can privacy settings allow a person to do?

Answer 33

Control what information about them is shared on a social media platform. A user can control who has access to what they post, and who can see their full profile

Question 34

What could be counted as a proxy server?

Answer 34

Any machine that checks and forwards traffic between networks or protocols.

Question 35

What does a proxy server do?

Answer 35

It’s an intermediary server that separates end-user clients from their destination site. It can provide varying levels of functionality, security and privacy.