Security Measures (Cambridge International A-Level Computer Science)

Security, privacy, integrity

What is the difference between data security, privacy and integrity?

• Security = keeping data safe from being lost
• Privacy = keeping data safe from being seen by the wrong people
• Integrity = keeping data accurate and unchanged

Protection techniques

User accounts

• User accounts are designed to control access to computer systems
• They help protect data and system resources by ensuring only authorised individuals can log in and perform specific tasks

Passwords

• Passwords are a digital lock to prevent unauthorised access to an account
• They are often stored as an encrypted/ciphered text entry in a database, ensuring that even with unauthorised access to a database, a hacker would not be able to gain access to the individual passwords of users

Authentication

• Authentication is the process of ensuring that a system is secure by asking the user to complete tasks to prove they are an authorised user of the system

• Authentication is done because bots can submit data in online forms

• Authentication can be done in several ways, including:

  • Digital signatures
  • Biometrics

Digital signatures

• A digital signature is a secure way to prove that a digital message or document was sent by a specific person and that it has not been altered

• It acts like a digital stamp of approval, confirming:

  • Who sent the data (authentication)
  • That the data hasn’t been changed (integrity)

Biometrics

• Biometrics are an individuals personal characteristics used to identify them, such as

  • Fingerprints
  • Iris/retina scans (eyes)
  • Voice recognition

• Biometrics provide a very secure method of confirming a users identity before allowing access/permission to a computer system

• Biometric measures are often used on mobile devices to provide secure access

Firewall

• A firewall is a barrier between a network and the internet

• A firewall prevents unwanted traffic from entering a network by filtering requests to ensure they are legitimate

• It can be both hardware and software and they are often used together to provide stronger security to a network

  • Hardware firewalls will protect the whole network and prevent unauthorised traffic
  • Software firewalls will protect the individual devices on the network, monitoring the data going to and from each computer

Anti-virus software

• Anti-virus software is a term used to describe a combination of different software to prevent computers from being susceptible to viruses and other malicious software
• Anti-virus scans through email attachments, websites and downloaded files to search for issues
• Anti-virus software has a list of known malware signatures to block immediately if they try to access your device in any way
• Anti-virus will also perform checks for updates to ensure the database of known issues is up to date

Anti-spyware software

• Anti-spyware is a type of security software designed to detect, block, and remove spyware from a computer system

• Spyware is a type of malicious software (malware) that secretly gathers information about a user without their knowledge

• It can:

  • Record keystrokes (e.g. passwords, credit card numbers)
  • Monitor browsing habits
  • Access files and send them to a third party

Encryption

• Encryption is the process of converting data into a secret code so that only authorised users can read it
• It protects sensitive information (like passwords, personal data, or messages) from unauthorised access, especially when data is stored or sent over a network

Worked Example A company has several security measures in place to prevent unauthorised access to the data on its computers.

Describe the difference between the security and privacy of data.[2]

Final answer: Answer

• Security protects data against loss [1 mark]
• Privacy protects data against unauthorised access [1 mark]