1.4.1

Forms of Attack

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Forms of Attack

Attacks on networks come in different forms:

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Insider attack

  • When someone in an organisation gives away access details or sensitive information.
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Passive attack

  • When a hacker eavesdrops on a network by 'sniffing' the data packets.
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Social engineering

  • When a person is exploited into giving away critical information that gives access to the network or accounts.
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Active attack

  • When someone uses malware or other technical methods to compromise a network's security.

Penetration Testing

Organisations need to be able to find security vulnerabilities before hackers do.

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Penetration testing

  • Penetration testing identifies vulnerabilities in a network's security by attempting a controlled attack on the network.
  • This usually involves carrying out multiple types of attack to see which is most successful.
  • Penetration testing is done by the organisation itself, or an external organisation or contractor they have hired.
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Good penetration testing

  • A good penetration test will check:
    • Technical vulnerabilities.
    • Likelihood of social engineering.
    • A test of damage recovery.
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Motivation for penetration tests

  • Organisations choose to perform penetration testing to try to find vulnerabilities before criminals do.
  • If an organisation can find and fix a bug before it is exploited, it can save time and money.

Jump to other topics

1Computer Systems

1.1Systems Architecture

1.2Memory & Storage

1.3Computer Networks, Connections & Protocols

1.4Network Security

1.5Systems Software

1.6Ethical, Legal, Cultural & Environmental Concern

2Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

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