ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Networks and Cyber Threats Hangman

The 75 key terms

1personal data

Information that identifies or relates to a specific person, like their name, birthday, address, photos or location. It needs protecting because it is stored in online accounts.

2digital account

A personal record kept on a system, like a school, email, game or social account, that you must log in to reach. Each account holds your own information.

3cyber security

The protection of digital systems, accounts and data from attack, damage and unauthorised access, such as keeping accounts, files and devices safe.

4attacker motive

The reason an attacker targets accounts and data: they can be used or sold for money, identity theft or disruption, such as stealing cash, taking over social accounts or selling data.

5threat

Anything that could cause harm to an asset, such as an attacker, malware, human error or a power failure. Threats can be deliberate or accidental, and internal or external.

6deliberate threat

An intentional action by an attacker or malicious insider to steal, damage, alter or block access to data, usually for profit or revenge.

7vulnerability

A weakness in software, hardware, a process or a person that a threat could use to harm an asset. A vulnerability is only a weakness, not an attack.

8data breach

When attackers get into an organisation's stored data, such as usernames and passwords. Find out through alerts, then change your password and turn on MFA.

9process and aim

Match a threat by finding its process (how it works) and its aim (why the attacker does it), e.g. phishing: fake emails trick users to steal login details.

10social engineering

Tricking people, instead of hacking systems, into giving away access or information, often by pretending to be someone trusted or creating urgency. Phishing is one type.

11phishing

A fake message that tricks you into giving away login details or personal data. Do not click its links; tell a trusted adult.

12phishing red flags

Warning signs that a message is a scam: an odd sender address, urgent or threatening tone, a generic greeting like 'Dear user', spelling errors, or requests for your details.

13Misleading link

A link whose shown text hides a different real web address. Hover to check the address before you click or log in, watch for look-alike names, or type the address yourself.

14smishing and vishing

Smishing is phishing by text message and vishing is phishing by phone call. Examples are a fake delivery text or a fake bank call that tries to trick you into sharing private details.

15spear phishing

A phishing message aimed at one person or group that uses details like your name or school, or pretends to be a friend or teacher, to look more believable than mass phishing.

16Malware

Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to a computer system

17Trojan horse

Malware disguised as useful or harmless software. The user installs it willingly, then it secretly does harm, such as opening a back door or stealing data. It does not replicate itself.

18Spyware

Malware that secretly monitors a user's activity and collects information without their knowledge or consent

19Ransomware

Malware that encrypts or locks a victim's files and demands payment to restore access

20brute-force attack

An attack that tries many passwords automatically until one works. A dictionary attack tries common words and leaked passwords first. Long passwords and lockouts slow it down.

21Weak password

A password that is short, common, or predictable, making it easy for attackers to guess or crack.

22interception

When someone copies data as it travels across a network through routers and other devices, so unprotected data can be read by anyone who intercepts it, for example on public Wi-Fi.

23mitigation measure

An action that reduces or eliminates a specific threat, vulnerability or risk, such as a technical, process or people control matched to the risk it addresses.

24Report then delete

For a suspected phishing message, do not click or reply. Report it to a trusted adult or the school, then delete it. If you clicked, change your password and tell an adult.

25strong password

A password that is long and hard for others to guess. It avoids names, birthdays and common words like password123, and it mixes letters, numbers and symbols.

26passphrase

A long password made of several unrelated words, like three or four random words. It is easy to remember but hard to guess. Add a number or symbol and avoid words linked to you.

27unique passphrase

A different passphrase for every account, so if one is leaked in a breach, criminals cannot use it to get into your other accounts. Change it straight away after a breach.

28password manager

An app that stores and fills in all your passwords for you, locked behind one strong master passphrase. It can make random passwords and autofill them only on the right site.

29software update

A new version of a program that fixes security weaknesses so attackers cannot use them to reach your data. It covers operating system updates, app updates and automatic updates.

30Antivirus software

A program that detects, blocks and removes malicious programs from a device.

31Firewall

A device or program that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic according to defined security rules.

32privacy setting

A switch in an app or account that controls who can see your information, like making it private or friends only.

33public Wi-Fi risk

Data sent over public Wi-Fi can be seen by others, so avoid logging in or paying there. Use mobile data instead for sensitive tasks.

34security control

A measure that reduces risk by preventing an attack, detecting it or helping recovery. Controls can be technical, physical or procedural, and layering several works best.

35Respond to a compromise

If an account or device may be hacked, act fast: tell a trusted adult, change the password, turn on MFA and check for odd activity. Also report phishing, change shared passwords and scan for malware.

36breach checker

A website or alert that tells you if your email address appeared in a known data breach, so you can change the password for any affected account.

37username and password

A username identifies who you are and can be shared. A password proves it is really you, so keep it secret and never share it. You use both together when logging in.

38authentication factor

A type of proof that you are who you say you are: something you know (password, PIN), something you have (phone, key), or something you are (fingerprint, face).

39Multi-factor authentication

A login method that requires two or more independent proofs of identity, such as a password plus a one-time code.

40second factor

An extra proof of identity, like a code from your phone, needed after the password. A thief with only your stolen password can't log in without it.

41MFA methods

Ways to prove it's you: an SMS code, an authenticator app, a biometric like a fingerprint, or a physical security key. They differ in how easy they are to use and how strong they are.

42authenticator app setup

Open security settings, choose an authenticator app, scan the code, then enter the first one-time code to confirm. Codes change every 30 seconds.

43backup codes

One-time codes that let you log in if you lose your MFA device. Keep them somewhere safe, like printed in a safe place, and never share them. A trusted adult can help with recovery.

44MFA fatigue

A trick where a scammer spams you with login prompts hoping you approve one, or talks you into sharing your code. Never share codes, never approve prompts you didn't start, and report them.

45encrypt

To scramble data so nobody can read it without the key. This keeps private things like messages, passwords and bank details safe if someone steals or intercepts them.

46Encryption

Turning a readable message into a scrambled, unreadable message using a key, so it can only be read again with decryption.

47plaintext

The original, readable data (text, file, image or message) before it is encrypted. Decrypting ciphertext with the correct key turns it back into plaintext.

48ciphertext

The scrambled, unreadable data made when plaintext is encrypted. It is what gets sent across a network and looks meaningless without the key.

49encryption key

A secret value used by the encryption algorithm to scramble data into ciphertext and unscramble it again. A different key gives different ciphertext, and a longer key is harder to guess.

50Caesar cipher

A cipher that encrypts a message by shifting each letter forward by a fixed number, and decrypts it by shifting each letter back by the same number.

51Caesar shift encryption

Move each plaintext letter forward along the alphabet by the key number. With a key of 3, A becomes D. Write the new letter and keep spaces unchanged.

52wrap around

When a shift goes past Z, the count carries on from A, so X shifted by 3 becomes A. The alphabet works like a circle of 26 letters, numbered 0 to 25.

53shift back by key

To decrypt a Caesar ciphertext, move each letter back along the alphabet by the key number to get the plaintext. A wraps back to Z. Then check the result is a real message.

54cipher wheel

A tool with two alphabet rings. Turn the inner ring to the key shift so each plaintext letter lines up with its ciphertext letter on the outer ring. ROT13 is a shift of 13.

55unreadable without the key

Encryption cannot stop data being intercepted, but the interceptor sees only ciphertext and cannot get the plaintext without the key, so passwords and bank details stay safe.

56brute force

Trying every possible key, such as all 25 Caesar shifts, until readable text appears. A cipher with so few keys is weak because an attacker can check them all quickly.

57frequency analysis

Counting how often each letter appears in ciphertext. The most common letter probably stands for E, so an attacker can work out the key.

58substitution cipher

A cipher that swaps each letter for a different letter or symbol using a key table, like a scrambled alphabet. It is not a simple shift, and the table is used in reverse to decrypt.

59transposition cipher

A cipher that keeps the same letters but rearranges their order by a rule, like writing them in a zigzag on two rails and reading off the rows.

60Polyalphabetic cipher

A cipher that uses a repeating list of shift numbers, so different letters in a message are shifted by different amounts.

61Vigenere cipher

A cipher that uses a keyword, where each keyword letter sets a different shift for the matching letter of the message.

62Symmetric encryption

Using the exact same secret key to both lock and unlock a message.

63key interception

If an attacker intercepts a symmetric key while it is being shared, they can decrypt every message that uses that key, so the encryption is defeated.

64keep the key secret

Encryption is only as strong as its key. Never send the key with the message, share it in person or by another channel, and change it if it may have leaked.

65Asymmetric encryption

Encryption that uses a linked pair of keys: a public key to encrypt data and a private key to decrypt it, with no shared secret key needed.

66AES

A widely used method of symmetric encryption that uses one shared key, which can be 128, 192, or 256 bits long, to lock and unlock data.

67weak cipher

A cipher with few keys and letter patterns that show through, so a computer can break it fast. Modern encryption uses huge keys and complex steps. A Caesar cipher has only 25 keys.

68HTTPS

A secure way for your browser to talk to a website. It encrypts the data you send and receive, and shows https:// and a padlock in the address bar. A padlock does not prove a site is trustworthy.

69data in transit

Data moving across a network, such as email or web traffic. It is protected by encrypting it (e.g. HTTPS or a VPN) so intercepted data cannot be read.

70data at rest

Data stored on a device, server or backup, not moving. Protect it with encryption (disk or database) and access control, so a stolen laptop or backup is unreadable.

71plaintext + key = ciphertext

A clear explanation names the plaintext, the key and the ciphertext in order, then says why it keeps data private using because: only someone with the key can read it.

72countermeasure

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.

73layered security

Using several protections together, such as a strong passphrase, MFA, updates and encryption, so if one fails the others still keep your account and data safe.

74apply protections

Read a scenario, name the threat, explain how it works, then suggest measures like MFA or encryption and say why they reduce the harm.

75awareness message

A poster, infographic or short video that tells an audience how to spot one cyber threat and what to do about it. It uses one clear message and is fact-checked before it is shared.