Data Transfer & Passwords (Cambridge International IGCSE ICT)
Exam board Cambridge International · IGCSEUpdated 2024-05-29
Data Transfer
Why is data transfer a network issue?
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Sharing data is a fundamental reason to use a network, electronic data is constantly moving between sender and receiver
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The transfer of data on a network poses potential security risks, such as:
- Unauthorised access
- Data manipulation
Common causes of data transfer security risks
| Cause | Risks |
|---|---|
| Hackers | Exploit network weaknesses and access/delete/steal confidential data |
| Insider threats | Intentionally/unintentionally compromising network security polices leading to data interception/theft |
| Social engineering | Manipulating network users into giving away confidential information and/or clicking links which installs malware leading to the compromise of data |
| Unencrypted transfers | No encryption protocols used when transferring sensitive data |
| Weak encryption | Weak or outdated encryption protocols used when transferring sensitive data |
| Insecure protocols | Using HTTP instead of HTTPS when dealing with sensitive information |
Passwords
Spec point —
4.2.2
What are passwords?
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Passwords are a digital lock to prevent unauthorised access to an account
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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
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Passwords must be kept safe, this can be achieved by:
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Using anti-spyware software to ensure 'keyloggers' are not used
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Periodically changing passwords to ensure they have not been compromised
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Ensuring passwords are 'strong'
- Mixture of upper/lower case
- Contain at least one number
- Contain at least one symbol
- Minimum of eight characters
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