WK1 Inside the Operating System Flashcards
What is the job of the OS?
The job of an OS is to help other computer programs run efficiently. The OS does this by taking care of all the messy details related to controlling, the computer’s hardware, so you don’t have to.
What happens when you power up your laptop?
When you press the power button, you’re interacting with the hardware. This boots the computer and brings up the operating system. Booting the computer means that a special microchip called a BIOS is activated.
On many computers built after 2007, the chip was replaced by the UEFI. Both BIOS and UEFI contain booting instructions that are responsible for loading a special program called the bootloader. Then, the bootloader is responsible for starting the operating system. Just like that, your computer is on.
Why is it important for a Security Analyst to learn about booting process of the OS?
As a security analyst, understanding these processes can be helpful for you. Vulnerabilities can occur in something like a booting process. Often, the BIOS is not scanned by the antivirus software, so it can be vulnerable to malware infection.
Now, that you learned how to boot the operating system, let’s look at how you and all users communicate with the system to complete a task.
How users interact with the system to complete a task?
The process starts with you, the user. And to complete tasks, you use applications on your computer. An application is a program that performs a specific task. When you do this, the application sends your request to the operating system. From there, the operating system interprets this request and directs it to the appropriate component of the computer’s hardware.
USER - APPLICATION - OS - HARDWARE
The hardware will also send information back to the operating system. And this in turn is sent back to the application.
