Issues and Impacts Flashcards
What are some
environmental issues surrounding the raw material extraction for computers?
(5)
- some raw materials required for computers are hazardous and pose a health risk
- radioactive metals used in computer products can contaminate air, soil and groundwater
- some of the metals used are precious metals and in short supply
- in some regions of the world, mining of raw materials is poorly regulated
- excavation causes: extensive damage to the local environment; scarring to the landscape; and contamination to water supplies and danger to wildlife habitats
What are some
environmental issues surrounding the use of water for computers?
(2)
- manufacturing semiconductors (present in every piece of computing technology) is highly water intensive - resulting in water shortages in areas where semiconductor factories are located
- untreated wastewater can cause environmental pollution
What is the
environmental issue surrounding the production of computers?
The components are dispatched to another location for assembly into finished products.
Shipment involved the use of packaging using plastic which may be disposed of in landfill sites.
What is the
environmental issue surrounding the use of energy when manufacturing computers?
Most of the energy for transport and production is supplied by fossil fuels.
Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide and contributes to global warming.
What does the
EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive do?
(2013)
It restricts the use of all six of the most hazardous materials used in the manufacture of computing technology, forcing manufacturers to replace them with safer alternatives.
Define
replacement cycle.
the period of time between the purchase of assets such as digital devices and their replacement with equivalent assets
What are some negatives of
short replacement cycles?
(2)
- replacement usually leads to the disposal of equipment and an increase in e-waste
- more new devices have to be manufactured with the associated environmental effects
What is the
environmental threat of disposal of computers?
(2 steps)
- Large amounts of e-waste are shipped overseas to developing countries where it is dumped in landfill sites or dismantled to extract the minerals.
- These countries have lower standards for recycling so often people have to sort through this waste, exposing themselves to harmful materials.
What do the
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations do?
Set targets for the collection, recycling and recovery of computing technology and other electronic items.
What stages of a computer’s life cycle
consume energy?
(6)
- mining the raw materials
- manufacturing
- packaging
- transportation
- recycling
- data centres
How can you
make data centres more energy efficient?
(4 + a bonus 1)
- increase cooling system efficiency
- use blanking panels to minimise recirculation of hot air
- seal the floor to prevent cooling losses
- invest in research to develop a new, less energy-hungry alternative to silicon-based storage
- ration internet usage - e.g. impose a tax on uploading data, educate users so that they behave in a more environmentally responsible fashion
What are the
five issues associated with the collection and use of personal data?
- Privacy
- Ownership
- Consent
- Misuse
- Data protection
Give three acts to do with
misuse of personal data.
- Computer Misuse Act
- Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
Give two acts to do with
data protection.
- Data Protection Act (DPA)
- General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
What are the
three types of cyberattack?
- malware
- social engineering
- technical vulnerabilities
What are some examples of
malware?
(5)
- trojan
- worm
- ransomware
- virus
- spyware
Define
malware.
a shortening of ‘malicious software’, including any software designed to:
- disrupt the functioning of a computer system
- gain unauthorised access to a computer system
- gather information from the users without their knowledge
What is a
virus?
and what does it do? (3 steps)
a malicious program code that is hidden within other programs or files
- It is designed to make copies of itself.
- These copies are inserted into other programs or files, which then pass the virus to other computers.
- Viruses usually have harmful effects, such as corrupting or deleting data on a disk.
What is a
worm?
and what does it do? (intro + 3 things)
a malicious software program that exists in its own right
it does not exist inside other programs or files, but does replicate
It distributes itself independently of a user (e.g. sending emails).
- Some programs or systems may run more slowly if a worm is consuming system resources.
- The worm may also affect the performance of a network consuming bandwidth.
- Or it can create back doors into systems, allowing unathorised, invisible access.
- Or other may corrupt or damage data on systems.
What does
ransomware do?
and how does this work? (3 steps)
blocks users from using their computer or accessing the data stored on it, until a fee has been paid to release it
- Some ransomware encrypts a victim’s file so that it cannot be read or used
- The attacker then demands a payment from the victim to restore access to the data.
- A user is shown instructions for how to pay the fee. - There is often a time limit associated with the request, after which all data is destroyed.
What is a
keylogger?
and how does this work?
short for ‘keystroke logger’, a type of monitoring software
The program records the individual keys pressed on a computer’s keyboard, without the user’s knowledge. This record is kept in a log.
Keyloggers may be transmitted in trojans, infected files, instant messages or by visiting an infected website.
What is a
trojan?
A malicious software program in its own right. It does not exist inside another program or file. It does not replicate. It does not attach itself to other files.
In order to convince a user to install it, it may masquerade as legitimate software.
What bad things can
trojans do?
(4)
- introduce anomalous or unpredictable behaviours
- delete files and destroy system information
- transmit screenshots or key presses to another computer or person
- create back doors to computer systems, allowing malicious people to access the personal information
Define
social engineering.
exploiting or taking advantage of human behaviour, usually weaknesses
What are the
four types of social engneering?
- blagging/pretexting
- baiting
- quid pro quo
- phishing
What does
blagging involve?
a malicious person invents a scenario to entice a victim to divulge sensitive information or act in a way that they may not in other circumstances
elaborate scenarios may be based on prior research of the target
What does
baiting involve?
The victim is enticed by the offer of something for free. As part of the process for obtaining the freebie, the victim may divulge sensitive information.
Even if information is not freely diulged, the download or application upgrade may itself consist of another piece of malware.
What does
quid pro quo involve?
The victim is offered something of benefit, either a service or product. Once the victim has accepted the attacker may ask for access to the victim’s machine, to install the required software.
They may request that other security software be turned off to facilitate the installation.
What is
phishing?
an attempt to get sensitive, confidential information from the user of a computer system or service
Define
technical vulnerability.
a hardware, software or configuration fault that leaves a digital system vulnerable to attack
What are some
methods of defence against cyberattack?
- encryption
- backup & recovery
- anti-malware
- acceptable use policies
- training
What are the two different types of
encryption?
- symmertic encryption (same key)
- asymmetric encryption (encrypt with public key, decrypt with private key)
What is an
acceptable use policy?
a set of conditions or rules that a network user must agree to comply with before they are allowed to use the network
