Flashcards · 9618 · AS Topic 6

Security, privacy and data integrity (AS Level) flashcards

10 cards on AS Topic 6, subtopics 6.1 to 6.2. Pick a subtopic or study them all.

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What is the difference between data security, data privacy and data integrity?: Security: protecting data from loss or unauthorised access. Privacy: keeping personal data from people not entitled to see it. Integrity: data being accurate, complete and up to date.
How does a firewall protect a computer system?: It monitors traffic between the computer or network and the outside, and blocks packets that do not meet set rules, such as those from unauthorised addresses.
What security measures protect data in a computer system?: User accounts and passwords, authentication (e.g. biometrics), firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, encryption, access rights, and regular back-ups.
What is malware? Name three types.: Software written to harm a system or steal data. Examples: a virus (attaches to files and replicates), a worm (replicates itself across a network), spyware (records what the user does and sends it on).
What is phishing and what is pharming?: Phishing: emails or messages that trick a user into giving personal details on a fake site. Pharming: malicious code redirects a user from a genuine website to a fake one, even when the correct address is typed.

What is the difference between validation and verification?: Validation: an automatic check that input data is reasonable and follows set rules. Verification: a check that data has been copied or entered accurately from its source.
Name five types of validation check.: Range check, format check, length check, presence check, existence check, limit check, check digit.
How is data verified during data entry?: Double entry (typed twice and compared by the computer) or a visual check (the user compares the entered data with the source document).
How do parity checks verify data during transfer?: A parity bit is added so each byte has an even (or odd) number of 1s. The receiver counts the 1s; a wrong count shows an error. A parity block check can locate a single-bit error.
What is a checksum?: A value calculated from a block of data before sending. The receiver recalculates it; if the two values differ, the data was corrupted in transit.