1.4.2 - Identifying and preventing vulnerabilities

Penetration testing, Anti-malware software, Firewalls, User access levels, Passwords, Encryption, Physical security.

Performing a controlled and authorised attack on a network to identify vulnerabilities in a network’s security.

SQL injection.

Different software to prevent any malicious software. eg. anti-virus, anti-spyware. Performing periodic scans of a network and identifying any malware installed, and removing it. mark scheme bits: o Scans for / identifies virus/spyware/malware o Compares data to a database of malware o Alerts user and requests action such as .. o Quarantines/deletes virus/spyware/malware o Stops the download of virus/spyware/malware

Any form of malicious software, eg. viruses, worms, adware etc.

A firewall uses packet filtering to manage incoming and outgoing requests on a network by checking data packets against a set of rules. mark scheme bits: o Scans incoming and outgoing traffic o Compares traffic to a criteria o Blocks traffic that is unauthorised o Blocks incoming/outgoing traffic

Hackers, Malware, Unauthorised access to a network, (D)DoS attacks?

Where network users can be arranged into user-access levels where each group can access different data which makes it easier to protect data breaches. mark scheme bits: o Data can be read/write/ read-write // by example o Prevents accidental changes o Limits data users can access

Data breaches.

A digital lock to prevent unauthorised access to an account. A strong password makes it more difficult to figure out. mark scheme bits: o code/fingerprint etc. has to be correctly entered to gain access o strong password // letters, numbers, symbols // fingerprint is unique to individual o harder/impossible for a brute-force attack to succeed o lock after set number of failed attempts

a STRONG password would prevent: Data interception and theft, Physical security issues, SQL injection, Brute-force attacks?

The process of converting readable data into a secret code so that only authorised people can UNDERSTAND it. Uses cipher texts and keys: Cipher Text = The unreadable, coded version of the original data after encryption. Key = A piece of information used to lock (encrypt) or unlock (decrypt) data. mark scheme bits: o Scrambles data o …using an algorithm o So if intercepted it cannot be understood o Key needed to decrypt

Plays a role in all forms of attack on a network, however doesn’t solely prevent anything, rather stops the attacker from understanding or interpreting any of the data intercepted.

A method of network security by physically protecting any part of the network. eg. through locking doors, security guards, biometrics (face/finger scanning), surveillance cameras/CCTV

Data interception and theft.