How cybersecure are you?

1.        Why are deepfakes called ‘deepfakes’?

• A. People can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is fake.

• B. The term ‘deep’ comes from the underlying technology of ‘deep learning’ which is a form of artificial intelligence.

• C. Machine learning manipulates or generates visual and audio content with the intention to deceive.

• D. All of the above.

Answer explanation

The word deepfake comes from a combination of the words ‘deep learning’ and ‘fake’ referring to how a person in an existing image or video is replaced with another person’s likeness using machine learning and artificial intelligence to make it as realistic as possible.

Deepfake technology is a threat to cybersecurity as it can be used to create scams, false claims, and hoaxes that undermine and destabilise organisations.

2. Disinformation can spread easily through fake accounts, which can be created by bots and / or humans. How many fake accounts do you think was taken down by Facebook in the year 2021?

• A. More than 6 billion fake accounts

• B. Slightly less than 5 billion fake accounts

• C. About 2 billion fake accounts

• D. Less than 1 billion fake accounts

Answer explanation

*data taken from Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1013474/facebook-fake-account-removal-quarter/

In 2021 alone, more than 6 billion fake accounts were found by Facebook! That is practically the same number of people in the entire world. This reminds us about the importance of being wary of strangers and information that we receive on social media.

Fake accounts are a cybersecurity concern as the misinformation they provide can divide and destabilise societies.

3. An organisation employing people to make deliberately offensive or provocative online posts in order to cause conflict or manipulate public opinion is known as ________.

Answer explanation

A study into troll farms have showed that 30 different governments worldwide have paid keyboard armies to spread propaganda and attack critics, which could divide societies and destabilise a country.

4. In Singapore, fake news is combated by a regulation called POFMA. What does POFMA stand for?

• Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act

• Protection from Online Falsity and Manipulation Act

• Prosecution from Overseas Falsehoods and Manipulation Act

• Protection from Online Falsehoods and Monitoring Act

Answer explanation

Created in 2019, POFMA allows the government to ask parties who have placed false information online to make corrections to falsehoods, indicate that an information previously communicated was false or to remove the false information completely. This increases Singapore’s cybersecurity as it helps to prevent disinformation from spreading.

5. What is the most basic form of defense against a cyber attack to stop unusual network connections?

• A. Anti-Virus

• B. Firewalls

• C. Encryption

• D. Passwords

Answer explanation

A firewall is a network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organisation's previously established security policies.

A firewall is an important component of cybersecurity and ensures that hackers or malware cannot immediately access any digital device that is connected to the internet.

At its most basic, a firewall is essentially the barrier that sits between a private internal network and the public Internet.

6. Which of the following is an example of Internet Protocol (IP) spoofing?

• A. SQL injections

• B. Cross-Site scripting

• C. ARP poisoning

• D. Man-in-the-middle attack

Answer explanation

A man in the middle (MITM) attack is a general term when a perpetrator positions himself in a conversation between a user and an application – either to eavesdrop or to impersonate one of the parties.

This attack is useful for stealing personal information, such as login credentials, account details and credit card numbers. This compromises cybersecurity as the data stolen can be used to perpetrate further attempts of fraud or even steal classified information.

7. A botnet is_______.

• A. A computer which has been infected with blocks of code to perform malicious tasks

• B. A computer virus that propagates itself from computer to computer via e-mail

• C. A collected of infected computers controlled through a command-and-control server

• D. An application program that attacks computer networks

Answer explanation

A botnet (derived from 'robot network') is a large group of malware-infected internet-connected devices and computers controlled by a single operator (a single infected device is called a botnet drone).

Attackers use these compromised devices to launch large-scale attacks that compromises cybersecurity as they can disrupt website services, steal credentials or gain unauthorized access to critical infrastructure in a country such as defence, banking, communication and health sectors.

8. What is the name given to a cyberattack where the perpetrator seeks to make a machine unavailable to its intended users by temporarily disrupting its services, typically accomplished by flooding the targeted machine in an attempt to overload it?

Answer explanation

A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service or network by overwhelming the target with a flood of Internet traffic. This can shutdown websites and important service, compromising cybersecurity.

DDoS attacks achieve effectiveness by utilising multiple compromised computer systems as sources of attack traffic, such as botnets.

9. What should you do if you click on a phishing link?

• A. Disconnect your device from the internet.

• B. Scan your system for malware.

• C. Change your passwords.

• D. Monitor for suspicious transactions on your accounts.

Answer explanation

Phishing tricks people into revealing sensitive information such as passwords or access to digital devices and is an easy way of overcoming cybersecurity measures. Criminals can use such access to steal data, money, classified information or disrupt access to key services such as healthcare or communications within a country.

10. For the most part, phishing attacks arrive in email inboxes and on instant messages – but despite their technical trappings, their method represents an old category of fraud. Which terms best describes this method?

• A. Impersonation

• B. Extortion

• C. Social Engineering

• D. Password Cracking

Answer explanation

Social engineering is the term used for a broad range of malicious activities accomplished through human interactions.

It uses psychological manipulation to trick users into making security mistakes or giving away sensitive information, allowing attackers to easily bypass cybersecurity measures.

This allows the attackers to steal money, data or commit fraud. They can also use phishing to disrupt access to key services such as healthcare or communications within a country.