cybersecurity

cybersecurity

1. Cyberattacks:

   • Definition: Attempts to compromise a system or obtain unauthorised digital data (hacking)
   • key terms
     • Hacking: Unauthorised access to computer material
     • Phishing: A fake email/ message pretending to be from a bank or organisation, which tricks users into trying to log on to a fake website, stealing the login details
     • Malware: Malicious software, designed to cause harm
     • Ransomware: malware that encrypts users files and demands a ransom to decrypt them
     • Botnet: a network of computers which contain malware allowing them to be controlled by a hacker
     • Keylogger: malware that records every keypress and sends it to a hacker for analysis

2. Cyber defences

   • Definition: Techniques and systems to reduce the impact of cyber attacks
   • Key terms
     • Security software
       • often called antivirus software even though it deals with more than just viruses, scans computers for known malware and removes it. Must be kept up to date with the latest malware definitions.
     • White-hat hacking
       • hacking that is done with the authorisation of the company being hacked. The hacker produces a report of all the vulnerabilities they found, so that the company can fix them.
     • Grey-hat hacking
       • hacking done without the authorisation of the company, but with good intentions, often the company will be informed of how the hacker was able to gain access
     • Backups
       • hacking that is done with the authorisation of the company being hacked. The hacker produces a report of all the vulnerabilities they found, so that the company can fix them.

3. Encryption

   • Key terms
     • Cipher: A method of encrypting text
     • Plaintext: The unencrypted data
     • Ciphertext: The encrypted data
     • Key: Some information needed to encrypt/ decrypt data
     • Brute force: crack a cipher by trying every possible key until sucessful
     • Statistical attack: crack a cipher by using statistics and estimates of the most likely values
     • Caesar cipher: a simple cipher, where each letter is shifted a number of places up the alphabet
     • Substitution cipher: a simple chiper where each letter is replaced by a different letter

4. Typed of revison

   • Mindmap
   • revision cards
   • keep writing the notes over and over
   • read them but in a more interactive way so the notes stay in your head
   • take quizez