1.4.1 Common System Threats

Question 1

Why are networks attacked?

Answer 1

Personal, business and financial information is extremely valuable and traded between criminals around the world.
Stolen usernames and passwords allow criminals to access bank account and private info.

Question 2

What is malware short for?

Answer 2

Malicious software

Question 3

What is Malware?

Answer 3

A piece of software designed to break security and damage a system

Question 4

What are the different types of malware?

Answer 4

Virus
Worm
Trojan
Spyware
Adware
Ransomware
Pharming

Question 5

What is a virus?

Answer 5

A program hidden within another program or file, designed to cause damage to file systems

Question 6

What is a worm?

Answer 6

A malicious program that acts independently and can replicate itself to spread between multiple connected systems.

Question 7

Trojan

Answer 7

Installed by a user thinking its a legitimate piece of software when it will actually cause damage or provide access for criminals

Question 8

Spyware

Answer 8

Secretly passes info onto a criminal without the user’s knowledge, often packed with free software

Question 9

Adware

Answer 9

Displays targeted advertising and redirects search requests without permission

Question 10

Ransomware

Answer 10

Limits or denies a user to access their system until a ransom is paid to unlock it

Question 11

Pharming

Answer 11

The redirecting of a user’s website – by modifying their domain name server (DNS) entries – to a fraudulent site without their permission

Question 12

What are computer users seen as withing any sytem?

Answer 12

Weak point

Question 13

How does phishing pretend to be trusted organisations or contacts?

Answer 13

uses email, Text messages and phone calls to impersonate. Details gained can be used to access and steal from online accounts.

Question 14

How have organisations tried to prevent phishing?

Answer 14

Agreed never to add click links within messages or contact users directly to confirm their personal info.

Question 15

What is shouldering?

Answer 15

Technique of watching a user at an ATM and recording their PIN details

Question 16

What is blagging?

Answer 16

carried out face to face and uses believable scenarios to trick people into giving up personal info

Question 17

What is a brute force attack?

Answer 17

Repeatdly tries different usernames and passwords to access a system

Question 18

What does DoS stand for?

Answer 18

denial of service

Question 19

What is a denial of service attack?

Answer 19

tries to flood a website or network with data traffic to bring it to a halt. Such attacks are often used to demand a ransom or a change in policy.

Question 20

What is data interception and theft?

Answer 20

method of intercepting and decoding a message containing sensitive info before it reaches it destination.

Question 21

What is a SQL injection?

Answer 21

uses the same Structured Query Language used to manage large databases to attack them. Commands written in this language are used instead of usernames and passwords to access and steal private info.