Security of data continued Revision Notes

Data security is challenged by multiple threats that aim to steal, damage, or misuse information. Hacking involves unauthorized access to computer systems, often exploiting software vulnerabilities or weak passwords to gain control or steal data.

Phishing is a social engineering attack where attackers send deceptive emails or messages pretending to be trustworthy entities to trick users into revealing sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers.

Pharming redirects users from legitimate websites to fraudulent ones without their knowledge, often by corrupting DNS settings, leading to data theft when users enter personal details on fake sites. Smishing and vishing are variants of phishing using SMS texts and voice calls respectively to deceive users into giving away confidential information or installing malware.

• Hacking: unauthorized system access.
• Phishing: fake emails to steal data.
• Pharming: redirecting to fake websites.
• Smishing: SMS-based phishing.
• Vishing: voice call phishing.

Viruses and malware are malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or steal data from computers. They can spread through infected downloads, email attachments, or compromised websites. Avoiding virus infections requires caution when downloading files and using updated antivirus software.

Card fraud involves stealing payment card information through methods such as shoulder surfing (observing PIN entry), card cloning (copying card data onto another card), and key logging (recording keystrokes to capture passwords or PINs). These methods compromise financial data and can lead to unauthorized transactions.

• Viruses/malware damage or steal data.
• Avoid suspicious downloads to prevent infection.
• Shoulder surfing: watching PIN entry.
• Card cloning: copying card data.
• Key logging: recording keystrokes.

Biometrics use unique physical characteristics like fingerprints, facial recognition, or iris patterns to verify identity. This method is difficult to fake and provides strong access control.

Digital certificates are electronic documents issued by trusted authorities that verify the authenticity of websites or entities. They contain information about the certificate holder and the public key used for encryption, ensuring users connect to legitimate sites and not impostors.

• Biometrics: unique physical traits for ID.
• Digital certificates: verify website authenticity.
• Certificates contain public keys and issuer details.

SSL is a protocol that creates an encrypted connection between a user's browser and a web server, protecting data during transmission from interception or tampering. Websites using SSL show 'https://' and a padlock icon in the browser.

Encryption scrambles data into unreadable code using algorithms and keys, ensuring only authorized parties can read it. It protects data stored on devices and transmitted over networks, maintaining confidentiality and integrity. Effective encryption requires secure key management to prevent unauthorized decryption.

• SSL encrypts data during transmission.
• Look for 'https://' and padlock in browsers.
• Encryption secures stored and transmitted data.
• Requires keys to encrypt and decrypt data.

Firewalls act as barriers between trusted internal networks and untrusted external networks, filtering incoming and outgoing traffic to block unauthorized access.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second verification step beyond passwords, such as a code sent to a mobile device, increasing security by requiring two forms of identity proof.

User IDs and passwords control access by requiring users to identify themselves and prove their identity. Strong passwords and regular changes reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

• Firewalls block unauthorized network access.
• 2FA requires two identity proofs.
• User IDs/passwords restrict system access.
• Strong passwords improve security.