Choosing a solution to counter a threat
Name:
Date:
Class:
A
Quick Questions
Shade in the A or B circle for each question.
1. A hacker keeps guessing a user's password with software that tries thousands of combinations. Which solution best counters this?
2. A student's computer has been infected by a virus hidden in a downloaded file. Which solution counters this threat?
3. An email says 'Your bank account is locked, click this link now.' The link address looks slightly odd. What is the best countermeasure?
4. Customer card details are being read by someone while they travel across a network to a shop's website. Which solution stops this interception?
5. A website is flooded with thousands of requests from many computers so real users cannot get in (a DDoS attack). Which solution helps?
B
Match the Pairs
Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.
| Left column | Right column | |
|---|---|---|
| 1countermeasure | AA solution chosen to stop a specific threat, such as a firewall for hacking or SSL for interception | |
| 2threat: brute-force -> strong password + 2-step verification | BA strong password does not stop a flood of traffic. A firewall or proxy server should be used to filter the traffic. | |
| 3Intercepted data on a network is made unreadable to anyone who captures it, so the matching solution is encryption such as SSL | Cthreat: pharming -> solution: check the URL | |
| 4A fake website that copies a real one is spotted by checking the URL carefully before entering any details | Dthreat: interception -> solution: SSL / encryption | |
| 5threat: malware -> solution: firewall only | EA firewall only filters network traffic, so it cannot remove malware already on the computer. Anti-malware software and updates are needed. | |
| 6threat: DDoS attack -> solution: strong password | FA long, varied password makes guessing take too long, and a second check stops a guessed password from being enough |
C
Definitions
countermeasure
D
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.
1.
threat = "brute-force"
solution = "_______________"
2.
threat = "malware"
solution = "____________"
updates = "keep software up to date"
3.
threat = "____________"
solution = "SSL encryption"
4.
threat = "phishing"
solution = "check the ___ of links"
5.
threat = "DDoS"
solution = "________"
E
Spot the Error
Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.
Question 1
A
threat ← "brute-force attack"
B
solution ← "anti-malware"
C
extra ← "2-step verification"
D
OUTPUT solution
Question 2
A
threat ← "brute-force"
B
IF password_ok OR code_ok THEN
C
LOGIN user
D
ENDIF
Question 3
A
threat ← "interception"
B
solution ← "message check"
C
IF sender ≠ known THEN
D
OUTPUT "Do not reply"
E
ENDIF
Question 4
A
IF threat = "DDoS" THEN
B
solution ← "encryption"
C
ENDIF
D
OUTPUT solution
Question 5
A
threat ← "phishing"
B
solution ← "URL check"
C
domain ← "b4nk.xyz"
D
IF domain = "bank.com" THEN
E
OUTPUT "Do not click"
F
ENDIF
Answer Key
Choosing a solution to counter a threat
Section A: Quick Questions
Q1
B — A strong password plus two-step verification
Q2
A — Anti-malware software that scans and removes it, kept up to date
Q3
A — Check the URL and the message for warning signs before clicking
Q4
B — SSL or encryption, so intercepted data cannot be understood
Q5
A — A firewall or proxy server that filters and blocks the traffic
Section B: Match the Pairs
Q1
countermeasure → A solution chosen to stop a specific threat, such as a firewall for hacking or SSL for interception
Q2
threat: brute-force -> strong password + 2-step verification → A long, varied password makes guessing take too long, and a second check stops a guessed password from being enough
Q3
Intercepted data on a network is made unreadable to anyone who captures it, so the matching solution is encryption such as SSL → threat: interception -> solution: SSL / encryption
Q4
A fake website that copies a real one is spotted by checking the URL carefully before entering any details → threat: pharming -> solution: check the URL
Q5
threat: malware -> solution: firewall only → A firewall only filters network traffic, so it cannot remove malware already on the computer. Anti-malware software and updates are needed.
Q6
threat: DDoS attack -> solution: strong password → A strong password does not stop a flood of traffic. A firewall or proxy server should be used to filter the traffic.
Section C: Definitions
Q1
countermeasure — A solution chosen to stop a specific threat, such as a firewall for hacking, SSL for interception or anti-malware for malware, plus an explanation of how it works.Section D: Fill in the Blanks
Q1
threat = "brute-force"
solution = "strong password"Q2
threat = "malware"
solution = "anti-malware"
updates = "keep software up to date"Q3
threat = "interception"
solution = "SSL encryption"Q4
threat = "phishing"
solution = "check the URL of links"Q5
threat = "DDoS"
solution = "firewall"Section E: Spot the Error
Q1
B — Anti-malware does not stop someone guessing passwords. A brute-force attack is countered with a strong password (plus two-step verification), so line 2 should assign "strong password".
Q2
B — Two-step verification needs BOTH the password and the code. Using OR lets an attacker in with just a guessed password, so it should be AND.
Q3
A — The solution is a message check, which counters phishing, not interception. Line 1 should name the threat as "phishing".
Q4
B — Encryption does not stop a flood of traffic. A DDoS attack is countered with a firewall (or proxy server) that blocks the unwanted traffic, so line 2 should be "firewall".
Q5
D — The check is reversed. The warning should show when the domain is NOT the real one, so the condition should use ≠ instead of =.