Unit 2 Applied Computing - Networks & Cybersecurity

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering computer networks, network hardware, cybersecurity threats, encryption techniques, authentication models, Australian privacy legislation, and security mitigation strategies.

Network

A collection of devices connected by a communications channel to enable data and information to be exchanged locally and globally between devices.

Local Area Network (LAN)

A private, high-speed network confined to a single building (such as a home or office floor) or site (such as a university campus or school) used to transfer data and share resources like printers and storage.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network extending over a large geographical area such as a city, country, or the world; it typically uses leased telecommunications equipment and public networks subject to government regulation, operating at lower speeds than a LAN.

Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)

A network confined to a small area around a person involving personal devices such as mobiles, tablets, laptops, and keyboards using technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Network Protocols

Global standards that specify rules for how devices communicate with each other over a network.

Network Operating System (NOS)

An operating system that supports network protocols and tools, typically installed on a server within a LAN to manage users, authentication, resource access, and central file storage.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

A core protocol that establishes a connection with a destination device using ports, breaks data into packets, reorders packets at the destination, and performs error-checking to ensure all packets arrive.

Internet Protocol (IP)

A protocol that addresses data packets with sender and receiver IP addresses and enables packets to be routed through networks until they reach the destination device.

Network Interface Card (NIC)

Hardware embedded in a device or added as an adapter that transmits and receives signals containing data over copper wires (twisted pair cables) using electrical impulses.

Wireless Chip / Adapter

Hardware embedded in a device or attached as an adapter that transmits and receives signals containing data packets over radio waves for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Modem (Network Hardware)

A device specific to the communication technology in use (e.g., ADSL, Cable, 4G) that converts signals to a suitable format to travel over that communication medium.

Router (Network Hardware)

A device that connects networks together and routes data packets from one network to another using a WAN port, such as connecting a home network to an ISP.

Switch (Network Hardware)

A hardware device that connects devices together using Ethernet and directs incoming data packets received on one port directly to the designated destination port.

Wireless Access Point (WAP)

A networking device that transmits and receives data packet signals over radio waves to connect wireless devices to one another and connects to a switch to bridge wireless and wired devices.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A technology using a client and a server inside a private network that establishes an encrypted tunnel over the internet to access private network resources remotely or hide a user's geolocation.

Data Breach

A security incident where sensitive or private data is exposed or stolen through threats such as phishing, spear phishing, tech support scams, SQL injection, or malware.

Dictionary Attack

A type of brute force identity attack where a hacker attempts to steal credentials by automatically trying a large list of known passwords or seed words until a match is found.

Ransomware

A type of malware that takes a victim's private data hostage by encrypting files and/or exfiltrating them with the threat of public release until a ransom (typically in cryptocurrency) is paid.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack

An attack where an attacker commands multiple malware-infected devices to send simultaneous requests to a target information system, exhausting its resources so legitimate users cannot access it.

Spyware

A type of malicious software that secretly monitors activities, tracks login credentials, or gathers information from an individual or organization without their consent or knowledge.

Keylogger

A specific type of spyware that operates quietly in the background recording every keystroke into a log file that is sent back to the attacker to steal passwords and sensitive data.

Virus

Malicious code concealed within shared or downloaded files that remains dormant until activated by a user action, after which it runs, causes damage, and spreads.

Worm

A standalone piece of malware that breaches a system through a network security vulnerability and self-replicates across the network independently without requiring user intervention.

Health Records Act 2001 (Vic)

Victorian legislation that promotes fair and responsible handling of health information across public and private sectors, provides individuals access rights, and enforces Health Privacy Principles (HPPs).

Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)

Australian federal legislation that promotes individual privacy, requires notification of data breaches to the Privacy Commissioner, and regulates entities using the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic)

Victorian legislation governing the responsible collection and handling of personal information by Victorian public sector bodies through adherence to 10 Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).

Essential Eight

A prioritized list of mitigation strategies: patch applications, patch operating systems, multi-factor authentication, restrict administrative privileges, application control, restrict Microsoft Office macros, user application hardening, and regular backups.

Black Hat Hacker

A malicious hacker who penetrates computer systems without permission to exploit known or zero-day vulnerabilities for money or personal agendas.

White Hat Hacker

An ethical security professional who legally penetrates systems with the owner's permission to identify and fix security vulnerabilities.

Grey Hat Hacker

A hacker who crosses boundaries by penetrating systems without permission but typically without malicious intent, often demanding a fee to disclose or fix the discovered vulnerabilities.

Red Hat Hacker

A hacker who launches aggressive cyber attacks against black hat hackers, utilizing noble intentions but frequently resorting to unethical or illegal methods to halt them.

Blue Hat Hacker

A hacker motivated by personal revenge, or an outside security professional specifically hired by organizations to test software for vulnerabilities prior to release.

Green Hat Hacker

A novice or beginner learning to hack who may unintentionally cause system damage due to lack of technical understanding of consequences or remediation.

Zero-Trust Methodology

A security model operating on the motto 'Trust no one, verify everything', guided by three principles: verify explicitly, least privileged access, and assume breach across six pillars (identities, devices, applications, data, infrastructure, networks).

Defense in Depth

A layered security strategy that incorporates multiple defensive tiers: physical security, identity and access, perimeter, network, compute layer, application layer, and data layer.

CIA Triad

A foundational cybersecurity model addressing three trade-offs: Confidentiality (keeping sensitive data secret), Integrity (keeping data accurate and correct), and Availability (ensuring authorized users have access when needed).

Authentication

The process of verifying an entity's identity using factors based on something they know (password/PIN), something they have (token/SMS code), or something they are (biometrics).

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

A security verification method requiring two or more independent authentication factors from different categories before granting access to a system.

Biometrics

Authentication methods that measure unique physical characteristics of the human body, such as fingerprint patterns, facial geometry, retina/iris patterns, voice, or handwriting.

Symmetric Encryption

An encryption method using a single shared secret key for both encryption and decryption; suitable for securing data at rest, but difficult to exchange securely across networks for communications.

Asymmetric Encryption

Public-key cryptography that uses a mathematically linked pair of keys: a public key to encrypt the plaintext and a private key kept secret to decrypt the ciphertext; ideal for data in motion.

Hashing

A one-way mathematical function that converts variable-length input text into a unique, fixed-length output value (digest) that is deterministic and cannot be decrypted back to plaintext.

Salt (Cryptography)

A random sequence of characters appended to plaintext passwords before hashing (e.g., in bcrypt) to guarantee that identical passwords produce completely different hash outputs, mitigating dictionary attacks.

Firmware

Low-level software embedded onto read-only or flash memory of a hardware device (such as modems, routers, and switches) that controls basic operational instructions and hardware functions.

Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)

A documented set of procedures designed to restore IT infrastructure and business operations following a disaster, covering backup processes, evacuation, system restoration, and testing.

Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

A hardware device or software application positioned between a router and switch that inspects incoming packets using signature-based and heuristic detection to flag suspicious activity for administrator follow-up.

Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)

An active security tool positioned between a firewall and router that inspects packets against threat patterns and actively stops attacks by terminating sessions, dropping packets, or updating firewall rules.

Identity Lifecycle

The identity governance process consisting of three distinct phases: Join (creation of a digital identity), Move (updating access authorizations), and Leave (revocation and removal of access privileges).