Years 9–10 Digital Systems Definitions Worksheet: Controlling and securing access to data (Modules 13–24)
Name:
Date:
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Key terms
Write what each term means, in your own words.
1
Confidentiality
2
Integrity
3
Availability
4
Authentication vs authorisation
5
permission
6
principle of least privilege
7
Role-based access control (RBAC)
8
access control list (ACL)
9
access log
10
hash
Answer Key
Years 9–10 Digital Systems · Modules 13–24 · Student wording will vary for definitions
1Confidentiality — Only authorised people or systems can read data. Everyone else is kept out, like student marks seen only by the student and teacher. A breach is when someone else sees them.
2Integrity — Data stays accurate and unaltered unless an authorised person changes it. Accidental or deliberate changes break it, such as a tampered bank balance.
3Availability — Authorised users can reach data and systems when they need them, such as a school network that stays up. Attacks and hardware failure can reduce it.
4Authentication vs authorisation — Authentication checks who you are, like logging in. Authorisation decides what you can do once you are known, like which files you can open. Authentication always comes first.
5permission — A rule that lets an account read, write or execute a file or resource. Read only views it, write can change or delete it, and execute runs it as a program.
6principle of least privilege — Give every user, program and device only the minimum access it needs to do its job. This limits the damage if an account is stolen, and unneeded access should be removed.
7Role-based access control (RBAC) — A way to manage access by giving permissions to roles, like student, teacher or admin, then assigning each user a role. Changing a user's role changes what they can access.
8access control list (ACL) — A table attached to a resource, like a file or router, that lists which users or groups may access it and what they can do. If you are not listed, access is denied.
9access log — An automatic record of who accessed a system or file, what they did and when. It helps spot failed logins and misuse, and holds users accountable for their actions.
10hash — A one-way scrambled value made from a password. A system stores it instead of the real password and checks a login by hashing what you type and comparing. It can't be reversed.