Lecture Review Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes, covering topics from cybersecurity to programming.

What is social engineering in cybersecurity?

A method where attackers trick or manipulate people into giving away confidential information
like passwords.

What is phishing?

A type of social engineering where fake emails or messages are sent to trick people into giving
personal data or clicking malicious links.

Give an example of phishing.

An email that says “Your account has been locked—click here to reset your password,” linking to
a fake website.

What is shoulder surfing?

Watching someone enter personal information, like a PIN, over their shoulder.

What is pretexting?

Pretending to be someone trustworthy (e.g. IT staff) to get personal information.

What is baiting?

Offering something tempting (like a free USB stick) to trick someone into installing malware or
giving access.

What is blagging?

Creating a fake story or identity to gain trust and extract sensitive information.

Why is social engineering dangerous?

It can lead to data theft, financial loss, identity fraud, and compromised accounts.

Why is social engineering effective?

Because it targets human emotions like fear, trust, and urgency, which are easier to manipulate
than secure systems.

What is the purpose of a password?

To protect user accounts and data from unauthorised access.

What are three features of a strong password?

Long (8+ characters), unpredictable, and includes a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and
symbols.

Give one example of a strong password.

Tr0ubL3!nP@rad1se (or any long, random combination of characters)

Why is “password123” a bad password?

It’s easy to guess and commonly used, so it’s more vulnerable to hacking.

What can happen if you use the same password across different websites?

If one site is hacked, attackers can access all your other accounts.

What is two-factor authentication (2FA)?

A security method that requires a password plus another form of ID, like a phone code or
fingerprint.

Name one bad password habit.

Writing your password on a sticky note near your computer.

How does 2FA improve security?

Even if a hacker gets your password, they can’t log in without the second factor.

What does “malware” stand for?

Malicious software—programs designed to harm or steal data from a computer.

Name two common types of malware.

Viruses and ransomware (others include spyware, worms, trojans).

What does a virus do?

Attaches to files and spreads, damaging or deleting data.

What is ransomware?

Malware that locks your files and demands payment to unlock them.

What does spyware do?

Secretly collects personal data like passwords or browsing history.

Name one sign your device might have malware.

It runs slowly, or you see frequent pop-ups.

What are fake antivirus messages a symptom of?

Malware trying to trick you into installing more harmful software.

What’s a good way to protect against malware?

Use antivirus software and avoid clicking unknown links or downloads.

Why should you back up your files?

In case ransomware locks them, you won’t lose important data.

Why is it important to protect your online accounts?

To stop hackers from stealing personal data, money, or your identity.

What does 2FA stand for?

Two-Factor Authentication.

How does 2FA work?

It adds a second step to login, like a code sent to your phone or a fingerprint scan.

Name two ways to keep your online accounts secure.

Use strong passwords and turn on 2FA.

What should you look for in a secure website?

A URL that starts with https:// and a padlock symbol.

Why should you log out of shared devices?

So no one else can access your account.

Give one bad habit that puts your accounts at risk.

Reusing the same password on every site.

What’s a smart way to avoid phishing attacks?

Don’t click on links in suspicious emails or pop-ups.

What does CPU stand for?

Central Processing Unit

What is the CPU often called in a computer?

The “brain” of the computer

What are the three steps in the Fetch–Decode–Execute cycle?

Fetch, Decode, Execute

What does the CPU do during the “fetch” step?

It gets the next instruction from memory

What happens in the “decode” step?

The CPU understands or interprets the instruction

What happens in the “execute” step?

The CPU carries out the instruction (e.g. calculation or moving data)

What is an instruction in computing?

A command that tells the CPU what to do

What is a program?

A list of instructions for the CPU to process

What is clock speed measured in?

GHz (gigahertz)

Name one task the CPU is responsible for.

Running apps, doing calculations, or moving data

What does clock speed measure?

How many cycles per second the CPU can perform, measured in GHz.

How does higher clock speed affect performance?

It allows the CPU to process more instructions per second, making it faster.

What is a CPU core?

A processing unit inside the CPU that can run its own Fetch–Decode–Execute cycle.

Why does having more cores improve performance?

It allows the CPU to carry out more tasks at the same time (parallel processing).

What is cache?

A small, fast type of memory inside the CPU used to store frequently accessed data.

How does a larger cache improve CPU performance?

It reduces the time the CPU spends fetching data from main memory.

Is RAM part of the CPU?

No, but it affects performance by storing data that programs use while running.

What happens if there is too little RAM?

The computer slows down because it has to use the hard drive instead of fast memory.

What is an input device?

A device that sends data into a computer.

Give two examples of input devices.

Keyboard and mouse (others include microphone, scanner, touchscreen).

What is an output device?

A device that sends data out of a computer to the user.

Give two examples of output devices.

Monitor and printer (others include speakers, projector, headphones).

What is a storage device?

A device that saves data for later use.

Name two types of storage devices.

USB stick and solid state drive (others include HDD, cloud, CD/DVD).

What is the difference between an SSD and an HDD?

SSDs are faster and have no moving parts; HDDs are slower and use spinning disks.

What type of device is a touchscreen?

It’s both an input and output device.

What type of storage is Google Drive?

Cloud storage.

What does a projector do?

Displays output on a large screen or surface.

What is a network?

A group of connected computers that share resources like files, internet, and printers.

What does LAN stand for?

Local Area Network.

Where is a LAN used?

In a small area like a home, office, or school.

What does WAN stand for?

Wide Area Network.

What is the largest example of a WAN?

The Internet.

What is the World Wide Web (WWW)?

A collection of websites and web pages on the Internet.

What is an IP address?

A unique number used to identify a device on a network.

What are data packets?

Small chunks of data sent across a network, including part of the message and destination info.

Why are data packets numbered?

So they can be reassembled in the correct order at the destination.

What is encryption?

A method of scrambling data so it can only be read by the intended recipient.

Why is encryption important?

It protects your data and keeps your online activity private and secure.

What does a router do?

It connects different networks together, such as a home network to the internet.

What does a switch do?

It sends data only to the correct device within a network.

What does a hub do?

It sends data to all devices on a network, whether they need it or not.

Why is a switch better than a hub?

A switch is more efficient because it only sends data to the intended device.

What does a modem do?

It converts digital signals so data can travel over phone or cable lines.

What does NIC stand for?

Network Interface Card.

What is the purpose of a NIC?

It allows a computer or device to connect to a network.

What is a wireless access point?

A device that connects wireless (Wi-Fi) devices to a wired network.

What is the difference between a router and a modem?

A modem connects to the internet; a router shares that connection with other devices.

What is encryption?

A method of scrambling data so only someone with the correct key can read it.

Why is encryption important?

It keeps your personal data private and secure, especially online.

How can you tell if a website is secure?

It has https:// and a padlock icon in the browser bar.

What is a firewall?

A security system that blocks harmful or unwanted network traffic.

What does antivirus software do?

It detects, blocks, and removes viruses and other types of malware.

What is phishing?

A scam where someone tries to trick you into giving personal information (often by email or fake
websites).

What does 2FA stand for?

Two-Factor Authentication.

How does Two-Factor Authentication work?

It requires a password and a second form of verification (e.g. text code or fingerprint).

What is cyberbullying?

Bullying or harassment using digital platforms like social media or messaging apps.

Name two ways to stay safe online.

Use strong passwords and don’t click on links from unknown senders.

What is a bitmap image made of?

Tiny squares called pixels.

What is a vector image made of?

Lines, shapes, and mathematical formulas.

What happens to bitmap images when you zoom in?

They become pixelated and lose quality.

Why are vector images better for logos?

They can be resized without losing quality.

What does resolution mean in images?

The number of pixels in the image, usually measured as width × height.

What does colour depth mean?

The number of colours each pixel can show, measured in bits per pixel (bpp).

Which shows more colours: 8-bit or 24-bit colour depth?

24-bit (can show over 16 million colours).

What affects the file size of an image?

Resolution, colour depth, and file format.