Computer Science - Cybersecurity

These flashcards questions include: different attacks, how to stay safe, key terms, viruses, hacking, etc.

What is the name given to an attack in which the victim receives an email disguised to look as if it has come from a reputable source, in order to trick them into giving up valuable data?

Phishing

Fill in the blank...

"Social engineering is a set of methods used by cybercriminals to deceive individuals into handing over __________ that they can use for fraudulent purposes."

Information

What is another name for shouldering?

note - it is an attack designed to steal a victim's password or other sensitive data

Shoulder surfing

List the key indicators of a phishing email.

• Unexpected email with a request for information

• Email/message containing spelling errors

• Suspicious hyperlinks in the email

• A link containing lots of random numbers and letters

• Emails which do not address you with your name

• Emails not mentioning information you expect the sender to know

What is another name for blagging?

note - this is an attack in which the perpetrator invents a scenario in order to convince the victim to give them data or money.

Pretexting

What is the term given to gaining unauthorised access to or control of a computer system?

Hacking

Why may people want to hack others?

• To steal data

• To disrupt services

• Financial gain

• For fun

• Political reasons

What are penetration testers or pen testers?

People who are paid to legally hack into computer systems with the sole purpose of helping a company identify weaknesses in their system.

What is the name given to hackers who use tools downloaded from the internet that allow them to hack with little technical knowledge?

Script kiddies

What is denial of service attack (DoS)?

This is a cyberattack in which the criminal makes a network resource unavailable to intended users.

What is the name given to the attack that makes multiple attempts to discover something?

Brute force attack

What is malware/malicious software?

Software designed to gain access your computer with malicious intent.

"Once on a computer or network, a virus will replicate itself by maliciously modifying other computer programs and inserting code."

True or false?

True

Fill in the blank...

"For a virus to infect a system, it needs to be initiated/_____ by a user."

Executed

Suggest 3 common ways of catching a computer virus.

Download an email attachment​

Click a confirmation button on a pop-up without reading it​

Download files such as movies or games from illegal websites of peer-to-peer file-sharing platforms

What are worms?

They replicate themselves but do not attach themselves to files as a virus does.

"Ransomware is a form of virus. It locks a computer, encrypts files and therefore allows the user to be able to access their data and files."

true or false?

False

"A trojan is a piece of software that appears to perform a useful function but, unbeknown to the user, also performs malicious actions."

true or false?

True

"Spyware is unwanted software that monitors and gathers information on a person and how they use their computer. An example of this can be to monitor your internet usage to send you harmless but annoying adverts."

true or false?

True

"Adware. It infects a computer, causing it to download or display malicious adverts when the victim is online. This is different to a virus, Trojan or worm."

true or false?

False - adware CAN be a worm, virus or trojan.

"Bots are automated programs that perform tasks repeatedly."

true or false?

True

Fill in the blank

"Botnet is a large collection of malware infected devices, known as ______."

Zombies

"An attacker (bot herder) chooses when to "wake" the zombies to perform an attack."

True or false

True

Trojans, spyware, adware and worms are all examples of...?

Malware

What is the term for when human users of a system are tricked into providing confidential information?

hint - this includes phishing, blagging, shouldering, name generator attacks, etc.

Social engineering

"Botnet can be used to perform a DDoS attack but might also be used to send spam or to exploit computers that have not updated their software with the latest security features."

true or false?

True

What is a firewall?

This checks incoming and outgoing network traffic. It scans the data to make sure it doesn't contain anything malicious and that it follows the rules set by the network.

What is the term given to software that scans any file that is able to execute code?

Anti-malware

Fill in the blank

"If the code in your files match the definitions, the files are _______."

Quarantined

What do auto-updates refer to?

Software that automatically checks for available updates for the software you have on your computer.

Suggest ways to remain secure online.

• Secure passwords

• A maximum number of attempts to log in before an account is locked

• CAPTCHA

Which UK law gives you the right to access the data an organisation stores on you?

The Data Protection Act

What is the term for people who are paid to legally hack into computer systems with the sole purpose of helping a company identify weaknesses in their system?

Penetration testers

Which UK law would a DDoS attack violate?

The Computer Misuse Act

Suggest 3 examples of malware.

• Trojans

• Worms

• Ransomware

Suggest a method of verifying that a login attempt has been made by the account owner?

Two-factor authenticated

What is the purpose of a DDoS attack?

To use multiple computers to flood a network or server with internet traffic in order to disrupt service

Describe a name generator attack.

Attackers create an online quiz to produce a name; the answers to the quiz find out key pieces of information that can help them to answer the security questions protecting people's accounts