S2 Cyber Security revision

​S2 Cyber Security revision

Our “Connected” World is Under Threat

One of the fastest growing areas of Computing Science is Cyber Security to protect our life vital data, networks, systems and devices.
In all parts of our lives we rely on devices and networks like the Internet to be always connected to get us the data we need. 

As almost all areas of our lives are made easier by devices and our entire country relies on technology to function we are made more vulnerable.

Poll

How many digital devices do you use over the course of the day? This would include your mobile phone, computers, school iPads, smart televisions, games consoles etc.

• 2 or less

• 3 or less

• 4 or less

• 5 or more

Ethical hackers

The role of an ethical hacker is to test an organisation's security to see if it can be breached. If they find a means of getting past security, an ethical hacker will report back to the company and advise on the best way of fixing the issue. Ethical hackers are sometimes called white hat hackers.

Multiple Choice

An ethical hacker is sometimes referred to as a?

• Black hat hacker

• Grey hat hacker

• White hat hacker

Open Ended

What is the role of an ethical hacker?

Phishing

Cyber criminals try to trick people into giving up personal info, logins, account information etc by sending e-mail or text messages to lots of people. This is called phishing and each year many people fall victim to phishing scams.

​The e-mail is designed to look like it came from a legitimate company and contains a message telling the user they have to click a link to enter their details.

Phishing

There are several tell-tale signs that an e-mail or text may be a phishing e-mail. Have a look at the example on the right.

Vague greeting

Link to a fake website

Sense of urgency

Spelling/grammar mistakes

Draw

Highlight the red flags on the e-mail which confirm it as a phishing scam.

Malware

Malware is short for malicious software and includes viruses, trojans, worms, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware and ransomware. All of these programs are designed to damage or disrupt your computer or steal sensitive data.

Fill in the Blank

Malware is a term which is short for _________ software.

Command line terminal

A command line terminal allows a hacker to type in commands to access files in a computer system remotely. The command is typed in and the hacker can press the enter or return key on the keyboard to execute the command. In the example below we have used the ping command to check if the search engine Google is online. A command line terminal does not have icons, menus and graphics.

Open Ended

Explain the difference between a command line interface and a graphical user interface.

ip address

An ip (internet provider) address can be used to identify a computer which is connected to the internet. It is a unique number which can then be used to send or receive data to or from the computer. Your ip address can also show your location.

Legislation

The Computer Misuse Act was brought in in 1990. This piece of legislation makes hacking and the creation and spreading of malware against the law. If caught, a cyber criminal can face jail time or a large fine.

Security software - Firewalls

A firewall is a system on a device to check all data traffic coming into and out of a network to make sure it is allowed.
It is designed to stop hackers and malware from being able a computer system.

Multiple Choice

Which Act of parliament was developed which makes the act of hacking illegal?

• Data Protection Act

• Computer Misuse Act

• Copyright Designs & Patents Act

• The Hacking and Malware Act

Open Ended

How does a firewall protect a person's computer?

Digital forensics

Digital/cyber forensics is the process of checking digital devices for evidence of criminal activity. A criminal's web browsing history, files and conversations could potentially highlight their involvement in a crime.

Data logging

The process of data logging is when the police record information about a device which has been recovered from a crime scene. They will make a note of the manufacturer, serial number, type of device, where and when it was found etc.

Cloning

Once a device has been logged, it will be cloned. This involves making an exact copy of the contents of the device which can be examined without making changes to the original. The dd command is used in the command-line terminal to create a clone.

Hashing

Once a device has been cloned, we need to ensure we have an exact copy. This is achieved with hashing.
To do this, we calculate a hash (number) that we can treat like a digital fingerprint for the file. Only this file (or an exact copy of it) will have the same number.

Match

Match the following terms with the correct description

• Digital forensics

• Cloning

• Data logging

• Hashing

Checking a digital device for evidence

Creating a copy of files on a device

Recording information about a device

Generates a matching digital fingerprint

• Checking a digital device for evidence

• Creating a copy of files on a device

• Recording information about a device

• Generates a matching digital fingerprint

Over-sharing

Making too much information about yourself/your business available for anyone to see is never a good idea, this is referred to as over-sharing.

Auld Lang Slice, the pizza restaurant, had posted information on individual members of staff. This leaves them open to social engineering attacks.

Encryption

Encryption is a method of keeping data secure that involves scrambling/encrypting sensitive data so that it cannot be read by unauthorised users. Only authorised users who have a special key can decrypt and read the message.

Meta-data

Meta data is data about data which is usually hidden inside files.
Meta data in a digital photograph may include information such as the date and time the photo was taken, the make of camera used to take the photo and even the location the photo was taken.

Date: 29/09/24
Time: 14:30
Camera: Canon EOS 550D
Latitude: 56.001877
Longitude:-3.783913

Multiple Select

Which of the pieces of information below might be stored as meta data in a digital photograph?

• The names of the people in the photo

• The location the photo was taken

• The date the photo was taken

• How sunny it was when the photo was taken

• What brands of clothing the people are wearing