is someone who seeks out and
exploits these vulnerabilities.
BLACK HAT HACKER
is someone who tries to inflict damage
by compromising security systems
GREY HAT HACKER
is someone who does it
for fun and not with
malicious intent
WHITE HAT HACKER
is someone who works
with organizations to
strengthen the security
of a system
key terms
cyber security
refers to the range of measures
that can be taken to protect
computer systems, networks and
data from unauthorised access
or cyberattack.
attack
An attack is a deliberate action,
targeting an organisation’s digital
system or data.
threat
A threat is an incident or an action which is
deliberate or unintended that results in
disruption, down time or data loss. Internal
Threat = caused by an incident inside an
organisation External Threat = caused
outside the organisation
unauthorised access
This refers to someone gaining
entry without permission to an
organisation’s system, software or
data. This achieved by exploiting a
security vulnerability
Types of threats
malware
malicious software
This is an umbrella term given to software that
is designed to harm a digital system, damage
data or harvest sensitive information.
virus
A piece of malicious code that attaches to a legitimate
program. It is capable of reproducing itself and usually
capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on
the same computer
worm
Worms get around by exploiting vulnerabilities in
operating systems and attaching themselves to
emails. They self replicate at a tremendous rate,
using up hard drive space and bandwidth,
overloading servers.
Trojan Horse:
Users are tricked into downloading it to
their computer. Once installed the Trojan
works undercover to carry out a
predetermined task.
Rootkit:
Designed to remotely access and control a computer
system without being detected by security software or the
user.
Ransomware
Encrypts files stored on a computer to
extort/demand or steal money from organisations.
Spyware
Is secretly installed to collect information from
someone else's computer
Keyloggers
spyware that records every keystroke made on a
computer to steal personal information
Adware
Automatically shows adverts such as
popups. Most adware is harmless but
some contain spyware such as keyloggers
Botnet
Bots take control of a computer system, without
the user’s knowledge. A botnet is a large collection
of malware-infected devices (zombies). An attacker
(‘bot herder’) chooses when to ‘wake’ the zombies
to perform an attack.
Distributed
Denial-of-Service
attack
flooding a website with useless traffic to
inundate and overwhelm the network
Social Engineering
Shoulder Surfing/Shouldering
It involves the attacker watching the victim
while they provide sensitive information
Phishing
is an attack in which the victim receives an email disguised to look as if it
has come from a reputable source, in order to trick them into giving up
valuable data. The email usually provides a link to another website where
the information can be inputted. is an attack in which the victim receives
an email disguised to look as if it has come from a reputable source, in
order to trick them into giving up valuable data. The email usually provides
a link to another website where the information can be inputted.
Pharming
is when a victim redirects the user from a genuine website
to a fake one. Some pharming sites are so expertly copied
from the genuine website that it is very difficult to identity
therefore this is carried out without the user knowing
about it
Blagging/Pretexting
is an attack in which the perpetrator invents a scenario in order to
convince the victim to give them data or money.
Tailgating/Piggybacking
Trying to gain access to a secure room or building.
Baiting
Cyber criminals make a promise of goods to get the
information that they need.