Keeping Data Safe (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Computer Science)

Revision Note

Robert Hampton

Written by: Robert Hampton

Reviewed by: James Woodhouse

Access Levels

What are access levels?

  • Access levels ensure users of a network can access what they need to access and do not have access to information/resources they shouldn't

  • Users can have designated roles on a network

  • Access levels can be set based on a user's role, responsibility, or clearance level

    • Full access - this allows the user to open, create, edit & delete files

    • Read-only access - this only allows the user to open files without editing or deleting

    • No access - this hides the file from the user

  • Some examples of different levels of access to a school network could include:

    • Administrators: Unrestricted - Can access all areas of the network

    • Teaching Staff: Partially restricted - Can access all student data but cannot access other staff members' data

    • Students: Restricted - Can only access their own data and files

  • Users and groups of users can be given specific file permissions

Anti Malware

What is anti-malware software?

  • Anti-malware software is a term used to describe a combination of different software to prevent computers from being susceptible to viruses and other malicious software

  • The different software anti-malware includes are

    • Anti-virus 

    • Anti-spam 

    • Anti-spyware 

How does anti-malware work?

  • Anti-malware scans through email attachments, websites and downloaded files to search for issues

  • Anti-malware software has a list of known malware signatures to block immediately if they try to access your device in any way

  • Anti-malware will also perform checks for updates to ensure the database of known issues is up to date

Authentication

What is authentication?

  • Authentication is the process of ensuring that a system is secure by asking the user to complete tasks to prove they are an authorised user of the system

  • Authentication is done because bots can submit data in online forms

  • Authentication can be done in several ways, these include

    • Usernames and passwords

    • Multi-factor authentication

    • CAPTCHA - see example below

authentication-recaptcha

Biometrics

  • Biometrics use biological data for authentication by identifying unique physical characteristics of a human such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris scans

  • Biometric authentication is more secure than using passwords as:

    • A biometric password cannot be guessed

    • It is very difficult to fake a biometric password

    • A biometric password cannot be recorded by spyware

    • A perpetrator cannot shoulder surf to see a biometric password

Automating Software Updates

What are automatic software updates?

  • Automatic software updates take away the need for a user to remember to keep software updated and reduce the risk of software flaws/vulnerabilities being targeted in out of date software

  • Automatic updates ensure fast deployment of updates as they release

Communication

What is communication?

  • One way of protecting data is by monitoring digital communication to check for errors in the spelling and grammar or tone of the communication

  • Phishing scams often involve communication with users, monitoring it can be effective as:

    • Rushed - emails and texts pretending to be from a reputable company are focused on quantity rather than quality and often contain basic spelling and grammar errors

    • Urgency - emails using a tone that creates panic or makes a user feel rushed is often a sign that something is suspicious

    • Professionalism - emails from reputable companies should have flawless spelling and grammar

URL

How to check a URL?

  • Checking the URL attached to a link is another way to prevent phishing attacks

  • Hackers often use fake URLs to trick users into visiting fraudulent websites

    • e.g. http://amaz.on.co.uk/ rather than http://amazon.co.uk/ 

  • If you are unsure, always check the website URL before clicking any links contained in an email

Firewalls

What is a firewall?

  • A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and uses a set of rules to determine which traffic to allow

  • A firewall prevents unwanted traffic from entering a network by filtering requests to ensure they are legitimate

  • It can be both hardware and software and they are often used together to provide stronger security to a network

    • Hardware firewalls will protect the whole network and prevent unauthorised traffic

    • Software firewalls will protect the individual devices on the network, monitoring the data going to and from each computer

What form of attack would this prevent?

  • Hackers

  • Malware

  • Unauthorised access to a network

Privacy Settings

What are privacy settings?

  • Privacy settings are used to control the amount of personal information that is shared online

  • They are an important measure to prevent identity theft and other forms of online fraud

  • Users should regularly review their privacy settings and adjust them as needed

Proxy Servers

What is a proxy server?

  • A proxy-server is used to hide a user's IP address and location, making it more difficult for hackers to track them

  • They act as a firewall and can also be used to filter web traffic by setting criteria for traffic

  • Malicious content is blocked and a warning message can be sent to the user

  • Proxy-servers are a useful security measure for protecting against external security threats as it can direct traffic away from the server

SSL

What is SSL?

  • Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a security protocol which is used to encrypt data transmitted over the internet

  • This helps to prevent eavesdropping and other forms of interception

  • SSL is widely used to protect online transactions, such as those involving credit card information or other sensitive data

  • It works by sending a digital certificate to the user’s browser

  • This contains the public key which can be used for authentication

  • Once the certificate is authenticated, the transaction will begin

Worked Example

(i) ) Identify a security solution that could be used to protect a computer from a computer virus, hacking and spyware.

Each security solution must be different

Threat

Security solution

Phishing

DDoS attack

Hacking

[3]

(ii) Describe how each security solution you identified in (i) will help protect the computer.

[6]

Answers

(i)

Threat

Security solution

Phishing

Monitoring communication

Brute force attack

Authentication

Hacking

Firewall/Biometrics

(ii) Two marks for each description

  • Monitoring communication

    • Checking for spelling & grammar errors

    • Reading tone, is the user being rushed? // is the user made to panic?

  • Authentication

    • Checks the user is they say they are

    • Captcha proves they are not a bot

    • Passwords lock out after a set number of attempts

  • Firewall

    • Monitors traffic coming into and out of the computer system

    • Checks that the traffic meets any criteria/rules set

    • Blocks any traffic that does not meet the criteria/rules set // set blacklist/whitelist

  • Biometrics

    • Data needed to enter is unique to individual

    • … therefore it is very difficult to replicate

    • Lock out after set number of attempts

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Robert Hampton

Author: Robert Hampton

Expertise: Computer Science Content Creator

Rob has over 16 years' experience teaching Computer Science and ICT at KS3 & GCSE levels. Rob has demonstrated strong leadership as Head of Department since 2012 and previously supported teacher development as a Specialist Leader of Education, empowering departments to excel in Computer Science. Beyond his tech expertise, Robert embraces the virtual world as an avid gamer, conquering digital battlefields when he's not coding.

James Woodhouse

Author: James Woodhouse

Expertise: Computer Science

James graduated from the University of Sunderland with a degree in ICT and Computing education. He has over 14 years of experience both teaching and leading in Computer Science, specialising in teaching GCSE and A-level. James has held various leadership roles, including Head of Computer Science and coordinator positions for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. James has a keen interest in networking security and technologies aimed at preventing security breaches.