cyber security Flashcards
(33 cards)
brute force attacks
- a ‘trial and error’ method used by cybercriminals to crack passwords by finding all possible combinations of letters, numbers and symbols until the password is found
- logical steps:
- common passwords (12345, 11111)
- word list: a text file containing a collection of words used in a brute force attack
data interception
- an attempt to eavesdrop on a wired or
wireless network transmission - compromise privacy or to obtain
confidential information. - is carried out by a packet sniffer
packet sniffing
- data interception: wired networks
- a method used by a cybercriminal to
examine data packets being sent over a network and to find the contents of a data packet, which are sent back to the cybercriminal
wardriving
- also called access point mapping
- using a laptop, antenna, GPS device and
software to intercept Wi-Fi signals and illegally obtain data
methods of preventing data interception
– wired equivalency privacy (WEP) encryption protocol
security: an algorithm for wireless networks to protect
them against data interception
- use complex passwords
- do not connect to random public wireless network (wifi)
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
- a cyberattack in which
cybercriminals seek to disrupt the normal operation of a website by flooding it with requests; - flood the network with useless spam traffic.
- when a user enters a website’s URL in their browser, a request is sent to the web server that contains the website or web page, since can only handle a number of requests, it becomes overloaded by an attacker
sending out thousands of requests, it won’t be able to service a user’s legitimate
request. - prevents users from:
1. accessing their emails
2. accessing websites/web pages
3. accessing online services (such as banking).
spam
unsolicited emails sent to a user’s mailbox
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks
- distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack – a denial of service (DoS) attack in which the fake requests come from many different computers, which makes it harder to stop
methods of preventing Dos and DDos
- using an up-to-date malware checker
- setting up a firewall to restrict traffic to and from the web server or user’s computer
- applying email filters to filter out unwanted traffic (for example, spam).
signs of Dos and DDos
- slow network performance (opening files or accessing certain websites)
- inability to access certain websites
- large amounts of spam email reaching the user’s email account.
hacking
- the act of gaining illegal access to a computer
system without the owner’s permission - can lead to identity theft or the gaining of
personal information; data can be deleted, passed on, changed or corrupted.
methods of preventing hacking
- use of firewalls,
- user names
- frequently changed strong passwords.
- anti-hacking software
- intrusion-detection software also exists in the fight against hacking.
ethical hacking
- when companies authorise paid hackers to check
out their security measures and test how robust their computer systems are to hacking attacks.
malware
– programs (such as viruses, worms and Trojan
horses) installed on a user’s computer with the aim of
deleting, corrupting or manipulating data illegally
virus
- a program or program code that replicates itself
with the intention of deleting or corrupting files or by
causing the computer system to malfunction - needs an active host
- often sent as email attachments
active host
– functioning software that a virus can affect by
attaching itself to the code or by altering the code to allow the virus to carry out its attack
methods of preventing a virus
- don’t open emails from unknown sources
- don’t install non-original software
- always run an up-to-date virus scanner
worms
- a stand-alone type of malware that can self-
replicate - do not need an active host: they can spread throughout a network without the need for
any action by an end-user - they rely on security failures within networks to permit them to spread
unhindered - arrive as message attachments and only one user opening a worm-infested email could end up infecting the whole network.
methods of preventing worms
- up-to-date anti-virus program
trojan horse
- trojan horse will give cyber criminals
access to personal information on your computers, such as IP addresses, passwords and other personal data. - often disguised as legitimate software but
with malicious instructions embedded within it.
replaces all or - part of the legitimate software with the intent of carrying out some harm to the user’s computer system.
- need to be executed by the end-user
- email attachment or are downloaded from an infected website
Spyware
- They are primarily designed to
monitor and capture web browsing and other activities and capture personal data
Adware
-its least dangerous it will attempt to flood
an end-user with unwanted advertising.
-highlight weaknesses in a user’s security defences
- be hard to remove – it defeats most anti-malware software since it can be
difficult to determine whether or not it is harmful
- hijack a browser and create its own default search requests.
Ransomware
-‘hold the data hostage’
-it either encrypts files straightaway or it waits for
a while to determine how much of a ransom the victim can afford.
Phishing
-occurs when a cybercriminal sends out legitimate-looking emails to
users.
-There are numerous ways to help prevent phishing attacks:
» users need to be aware of new phishing scams;
» it is important not to click on any emails links unless totally certain that it is
safe to do so;
» ensure an up-to-date browser is running on the computer device
» be very wary of pop-ups and use the browser to block them;
