Cyber Security & Threats (AQA GCSE Computer Science)

Cyber Security

What is cyber security?

• Cyber security is the processes, practices and technologies designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorised access

• The main cyber security threats are:

  • Social engineering techniques

  • Malicious code (malware)

  • Pharming

  • Weak and default passwords

  • Misconfigured access rights

  • Removable media

  • Unpatched and/or outdated software

Social Engineering

What is social engineering?

• Social engineering is exploiting weaknesses in a computer system by targeting the people that use or have access to them

• Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information 

Blagging (pretexting)

• The art of creating and using an invented scenario to engage a targeted victim in a manner that increases the chance the victim will divulge information or perform actions that would be unlikely in ordinary circumstances

• E.g. a scammer will send a fake text message, pretending to be from the government or human resources of a company, this scam is used to trick an individual into giving out confidential data

Phishing

• Sending fraudulent emails/SMS to a large number of people, claiming to be from a reputable company or trusted source to try and gain access to your details, often by coaxing the user to click on a login button/link

Shouldering

• Observing a person's private information over their shoulder e.g. cashpoint machine PIN numbers

How can you protect against it?

• The best way to protect an individual from the threat of social engineering is to ensure the proper training/education has taken place

  • What questions to ask to determine authenticity (blagging)

  • What to look for in an email/SMS (phishing)

  • Being aware of surroundings/location (shouldering)

Malware

Why is malware a threat?

• Malware (malicious software) is the term used for any software that has been created with malicious intent to cause harm to a computer system

• Examples of issues caused by malware include

  • Files being deleted, corrupted or encrypted

  • Internet connection becoming slow or unusable

  • Computer crashing or shutting down 

• Malware can exist in many forms, each designed to perform its role in different ways

How can you protect against it?

• To protect against the threat of malware:

  • Ensure code is written correctly

  • Keep anti-malware software up to date

  • Install a firewall

  • Educate users

Pharming

Why is pharming a threat?

• Pharming is typing a website address into a browser and it being redirected to a 'fake' website in order to trick a user into typing in sensitive information such as passwords

• An attacker attempts to alter DNS settings, the directory of websites and their matching IP addresses that is used to access websites on the internet or change a users browser settings

How can you protect against it?

• To protect against the threat of pharming:

  • Keep anti-malware software up to date

  • Check URLs regularly

  • Make sure the padlock icon is visible

Weak Passwords

Why are weak/default passwords a threat?

• A week password is a password with less than 8-12 characters and does not contain a combination of:

  • Upper case characters

  • Lower case characters

  • Numbers

  • Special characters (*, #. ! etc.)

• Predictable patterns make a weak password, for example, using birthdays, names and/or keyboard patterns (qwerty)

How you can protect against it?

• To protect against the threat of week/default passwords:

  • Use a 'strong' password

  • Regularly change passwords

Access Rights

Why are access rights a threat?

• Access rights are pre-determined levels of access for how a user can and cannot interact with resources on a computer system

• Common examples of access rights are linked to basic file operations, such as:

  • Read only

  • Write

  • Modify

  • Delete

• Access rights can control a users ability to launch/share programs

• Incorrect/misuse of user access rights are a huge threat to network security

How can you protect against it?

• To protect against the misuse of access rights:

  • Grant minimum access rights unless proven to need more

Removable Media

Why is removable media a threat?

• Removable media is a secondary storage device that is designed to be portable and allow movement of data between computer systems

• Examples of removable media are:

  • USB memory stick

  • External hard drive

  • Optical disks

  • Memory cards

• Removable media poses a threat to networks in two main ways:

  • Data in - Malware infected removable media being used on a network can lead to

    • spread of infection across the network

    • data loss/corruption

    • network disruption

  • Data out - Sensitive data being intentionally/unintentionally leaked/lost

How do you protect against it?

• To protect against the threat of removable media:

  • Restrict/block the use

  • Encryption

  • Training

Unpatched/Outdated Data

Why is unpatched/outdated data a threat?

• Software is often released in a less than perfect state and flaws/vulnerabilities may exist which can provide an opportunity for hackers

• Unpatched/outdated data can lead to:

  • Data breaches

  • Installation of malware

How can you protect against it?

• To protect against the threat of unpatched/outdated data:

  • Ensure all software is kept up to date