Network security - topic 4 Flashcards
What is malware?
Malicious software designed to damage or gain unauthorized access to a system.
What is phishing?
A scam where fake emails trick users into giving personal information (e.g. passwords).
What is a brute force attack?
An attack that tries many different passwords or PINs until it guesses correctly.
What is a denial of service (DoS) attack?
Flooding a server with traffic to overload it and make it crash or go offline.
What is data interception?
When data is captured while being sent across a network (e.g. packet sniffing).
What is packet sniffing?
Packet sniffing is when someone secretly watches data being sent over a network.
It can be used to steal private info, like passwords or messages, if the data isn’t protected.
How can you protect against it packet sniffing?
Use HTTPS websites
Avoid public Wi-Fi for logins
Use a VPN to encrypt your traffic
What are packets?
Packets are small pieces of data that are sent across a network.
When you send something online, it’s split into packets, sent separately, and put back together at the other end
What does each packet contain?
A part of the data
The destination address (like where it’s going)
A number showing its order
What is SQL injection?
When malicious SQL code is entered into a form input to access or modify a database.
What is social engineering?
Manipulating people into revealing confidential information (e.g. pretending to be IT support).
What is a firewall?
A security system that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on rules.
What is encryption?
Scrambling data so that it can only be read with the correct key.
What is penetration testing?
Simulated attacks on a system to find and fix vulnerabilities.
What are user access levels?
Limits on what users can access or change based on their role (e.g. admin vs guest).
What are strong passwords?
Passwords that are hard to guess, using a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
What is anti-malware software?
Software that detects, blocks, and removes harmful programs like viruses.
How does authentication help secure a system?
It checks user identity before giving access – e.g. password, fingerprint, 2FA.
