Computer Science UK Key Stage 3 Computing
Computer Networks – Lesson 5
Introduction
Due to the great many threats which we learnt about previously, it is vital that we
understand a range of measures to reduce network threats! This workbook will
attempt to highlight some of the most important network threat prevention methods.
Penetration Testing
‘Penetration Testing’ is where a company will invite / employ experts to try to
simulate a range of network attacks such as Denial of Service attacks (DoS), SQL
injections and Brute Force Attacks. They will attempt to discover any weaknesses in
the system and will summarise their findings to the company who will then make
improvements to their system security. Due to the fact that technology regularly
changes, criminals are constantly finding new ways to target and attack networks. It is
therefore important that this form of testing is done regularly.
Anti-Virus Software (Anti-Malware Software)
Viruses are small programs which aim to cause active harm to a computer system.
They often get confused with spyware (which simply spy on users, recording key
strokes etc. but do not aim to harm the system – just the user). Anti-Virus software is
dedicated to finding and destroying these files. These have to be up-to-date for them
to be effective.
Anti-Spyware Software (Anti-Malware Software)
Spyware’s aim is to spy on the user and send back as much information about them
as possible (passwords, usernames, websites they visit, purchases they have made).
A common piece of spyware is a key logger. It quietly runs in the background
recording every key you hit. If you type in the same set of characters, regularly, this
could be identified as your password. The reason for collecting this data is so that
‘senders’ of the spyware can use this information to steal your identification or sell
your information to third parties who will then target you with advertisements. Anti-
Spyware software is dedicated to finding and destroying these files. These have to be
up-to-date for them to be effective.
Firewalls
When files are sent across the internet, they are broken down into small packets of
data. The part of the computer which receives these packets is made up of 256 ports
(you can think of these ports like a country’s ports, which manage people in and out
of the country). A firewall monitors the data which flows through the ports. They also
keep ports closed and open only those that they expect data to be sent to. For
example, incoming emails are usually sent to port 110. Having ports closed protects
the computer from hackers, plus its continual monitoring will help detect hacker
activity.
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Computer Science UK Key Stage 3 Computing
Passwords
Passwords are in place to ensure that a network has no unauthorised access. As seen
before, it is important that passwords are strong (long and with a combination of
alpha and numeric characters) so that they are harder to crack under a Brute Force
Attack. They should also be changed regularly.
Encryption
Encryption is where data is scrambled before being sent across a network so that it is
unreadable if intercepted. To encrypt data, an encryption key is used which will
convert ‘plain text’ into ‘cipher text’. An encryption key is an algorithm which will
systematically alter each piece of data in a file. For example, a key may convert each
letter in a text file to the next letter in the alphabet. For example, ‘hello’ becomes
‘ifmmp’. For the ‘cipher text’ to be converted back to ‘plain text’, the same key is
required by the recipient to reverse the encryption.
TASK
Complete the table below, to describe a range of network threat preventions, in your own
words.
Threat Description
Firewall
Penetration
Testing
Data is scrambled before being sent across a network so that it is unreadable
if intercepted.
Anti-Malware
Software
Passwords
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