Issues and Impacts

Question 1

What are some environmental issues associated with the

raw material extraction

for digital devices? (4)

Answer 1

• some raw materials are hazardous and pose a health risk
• radioactive metals use can contaminate air, soil and groundwater
• some of the metals used are precious metals and in short supply
• in some regions of the world, mining of raw materials is poorly regulated

Question 2

What are some negatives of

excavation?

(4)

Answer 2

it causes:
- extensive damage to the local environment
- scarring to the landscape
- contamination to water supplies
- danger to wildlife habitats

Question 3

What are some environmental issues associated with the

use of water

for digital devices? (3)

Answer 3

• manufacturing semiconductors is highly water intensive
• this can result in water shortages
• untreated wastewater can cause environmental pollution

Question 4

What are some environmental issues associated with the

production

of digital devices? (2)

Answer 4

• raw materials are shipped to factories which are often thousands of miles away
• shipment of components involves using packaging using plastic which may be disposed of in landfill sites

Question 5

What are some environmental issues associated with the

use of energy

for digital devices? (2)

Answer 5

• most energy for transport and production is supplied by fossil fuels
• burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming

Question 6

What is the

EU Restriction of Hazardous Substances?

(RoHS) and when was this introduced?

Answer 6

a directive which restricts the use of the six most hazardous materials used in the manufacture of computing technology, forcing manufacturers to replace them with safer materials

2013

Question 7

Define

replacement cycle.

Answer 7

the period of time between the purchase of assets such as digital devices and their replacement with equivalent assets

Question 8

What are the

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations?

(WEEE) and when were these introduced?

Answer 8

a set of regulations that set targets for the collection, recycling and recovery of computing technology and other electronic items

2013

Question 9

What measures can make

data centres more energy efficient?

(4)

Answer 9

• using hot aisle/cold aisle configuration to increase cooling system efficiency
• using blanking panels to minimise recirculation of hot air
• sealing the floor to prevent cooling losses
• investing in research to develop a new, less energy-hungry alternative to silicon-based data storage

Question 10

What is

personal data?

and what are some examples of this? (7)

Answer 10

any information relating to an identified or identifiable living person

• name
• age
• gender
• ID numbers (e.g. driving licence, passport)
• location
• genetic information
• medical information

Question 11

What is the

General Data Protection Regulation?

(GDPR) and when was this introduced?

Answer 11

a set of data protection rules setting out the rights of individuals and the obligations of organisations who collect, process and store data

2018

Question 12

What does the GDPR say about

consent?

Answer 12

Organisations have to ask for the consent of people if they are going to collect and process their personal data. This consent must be:
- freely given
- specific
- informed
- able to be revoked

Question 13

Define

robotics.

Answer 13

the design, contruction, operation and use of robots

Question 14

What is

artificial intelligence?

Answer 14

the ability of a machine to learn independently

Question 15

What are some examples of

algorithmic bias?

(2)

Answer 15

• Amazon AI job tool had a bias against female job applicants
• Hate speech detectors have a bias against black people

Question 16

Why does

algorithmic bias occur?

Answer 16

because the data that the machine uses for its learning is unrepresentative of reality or reflects existing undesirable prejudices

Question 17

What is

Intellectual Property?

and give two examples.

Answer 17

a unique creative product of the human mind

e.g. a piece of software, a computer game

Question 18

What does

copyright say?

and what is the negative of this?

Answer 18

The creators of unique works own the copyright to their own work. No one can use the work without permission and may have to pay a fee. Only the creator has the right to make copies or perform it in public, or give another person permission to do so.

Copyright only protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself.

Question 19

What does a

patent do?

and how long does it last?

Answer 19

Protects the idea or design of an invention.

(Rather than just a particular expression of it.)

20 years

Question 20

How do you get a

patent?

Answer 20

You have to be able to demonstrate that what you have invented is distinct from anything else that already exists.

Question 21

What is a

trademark?

Answer 21

a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognisable sign, design or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others

Question 22

What is

open-source software?

Answer 22

Software that is available on the internet. This type of licence allows anyone to use, study, modify and distribute the code and pass it on to others.

Question 23

What is

proprietary software?

Answer 23

Closed source software. Source code is protected. Users are not allowed to modify it.

Question 24

Define

cybersecurity.

Answer 24

the protection of computer systems from unauthorised access or being damaged or made inaccesible

Question 25

# Define cyberattack.

Answer 25

any kind of electronic attack on a computer system, server, network or other IT device

Question 26

# What are some reasons for a cyberattack? | (4)

Answer 26

to: - gain access to data contained within a system - delete or modify information - make the system unavailable for use - physically damage a device connected to the network

Question 27

# What is malware?

Answer 27

a shortening of 'malicious software', including any software designed to: - disrupt the functioning of a computer system - gain unauthorised access to a computer system - gather information from the users without their knowledge

Question 28

# What are the key types of malware? | (5)

Answer 28

- viruses - trojans - key loggers - worms - ransomware

Question 29

# What is a virus?

Answer 29

a malicious program code that is hidden within other programs or files

Question 30

# How do viruses | spread? (3 steps)

Answer 30

1. They are designed to make copies of themselves. 2. These copies are inserted into other programs or files. 3. The new programs or files are then passed to other computers by users themselves.

Question 31

# What are the effects of viruses?

Answer 31

corrupt or delete data on a disk

Question 32

# What are worms?

Answer 32

malicious software programs, in their own right - they do not exist inside other programs or files

Question 33

# How do worms | spread? (2 steps)

Answer 33

1. They replicate themselves. 2. They distribute themselves independently of a user. | e.g. through a network connection, or by sending themselves in emails

Question 34

# What are the effects of worms? | (2)

Answer 34

- affect the performance of a network by consuming bandwidth - create back doors into systems, that allow unauthorised, invisible access

Question 35

# What are trojans?

Answer 35

Malicious software programs, in their own right. They do not exist inside other programs or files. They do not replicate themselves. They do not attach themselves to other files.

Question 36

# How do trojans | spread?

Answer 36

They must be installed onto a system by a computer user. In order to convince a user to install them, they may masquerade as legitimate software. ## Footnote They might also be installed by clicking on an email attachment that executes in the computer.

Question 37

# What are the effects of trojans? | (4)

Answer 37

- produce anomalous or unpredictable behaviours - delete files, destroy system information - transmit screenshots or screen presses to another computer or person - create back doors to computer systems

Question 38

# What is ransomware?

Answer 38

a type of malware that blocks users from using their computer or accessing the data stored on it, until a fee has been paid to release it

Question 39

# How is ransomware commonly delivered?

Answer 39

in malicious spam emails, where users are enticed to click on an attachment or link

Question 40

# What is a key logger?

Answer 40

a type of monitoring software that is short for 'keystroke logger' | this is a type of spyware

Question 41

# What does a key logger | do?

Answer 41

Records the individual keys pressed on a computer's keyboard (without the user's knowledge). A record of all the keys is kept in a log. The logs can be saved to a local file or sent over the network to another computer or person

Question 42

# Define social engineering.

Answer 42

exploiting or taking advantage of human behaviour, usually weaknesses

Question 43

# What are the key types of social engineering? | (4)

Answer 43

- pretexting (blagging) - phishing - baiting - quid pro quo

Question 44

# What does pretexting | involve?

Answer 44

A malicious person invents a scenario to entice a victim to divulge sensitive information or act in a way that they may not in other circumstances.

Question 45

# What is a phishing attack?

Answer 45

an attempt to get sensitive, confidential information from the user of a computer system or service

Question 46

# What might a phishing attack look like?

Answer 46

An email that asks the user to update details at a bank. Once the user clicks on a link within the email, a website that looks and acts like the real website will open, but when the user enters their login details they are passed to the attacker, who will use them for financial gain.

Question 47

# What is baiting?

Answer 47

an attack that exploits a person's curiosity or greed

Question 48

# What might a baiting attack look like?

Answer 48

The victim is enticed by the offer of something for free, such as a music download or an app upgrade. As part of the process for obtaining the freebie, the victim may divulge sensitive information.

Question 49

# What might a quid pro quo attack look like?

Answer 49

The victim is offered something of benefit, either a service or product. Once the victim has accepted, the attacker may ask for access to the victim's machine, to install the required software. They may request that other security software be turned off to facilitate the installation.

Question 50

# What are the two key types of anti-malware software?

Answer 50

1. The program scans for malware using a database of known malware definitions (signatures). If the anti-malware program detects a file that matches the definition, it will flag it as potential malware. 2. Heuristics identifies malware by behaviours without having to uniquely identify the problem responsible for it.

Question 51

# What are some examples of rules for identifying malware? | (5)

Answer 51

- a program which tries to copy itself into other programs - a program which tries to write directly onto the disk - a program which tries to remain resident in memory after it has finished executing - a program which decrypts itself when run - a program which attempts to manipulate files which are required by the operating system

Question 52

# What are the two types of encryption?

Answer 52

- asymmetric encryption - symmetric encryption

Question 53

# How does asymmetric encryption work?

Answer 53

Data is encrypted and decrypted using two different keys (private and public). The message is encrypted using the public key and decrypted by the private key.

Question 54

# How does symmetric encryption work?

Answer 54

Algorithms encrypt and decrypt a message using the same key. | Both ends of the transmission must know the exact same shared key.

Question 55

# Define acceptable use policy.

Answer 55

a set of conditions or rules that a network user must agree to comply with before they are allowed to use the network