Deliberate threats to data

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. A staff member copies the customer database to sell to a competitor. Is this a deliberate threat?

A Yes, it is intentional theft of data

B No, it is an accidental threat

2. Which best describes a deliberate threat to data?

A An intentional action to steal, damage, alter or block access to data

B Any event that harms data, including mistakes and power failures

3. An unhappy employee deletes key files on their last day to get back at the company. What is the motive?

A Profit

B Revenge

4. A hacker outside the organisation breaks into a network to sell stolen credit card numbers. This is an example of:

A An external attacker acting for profit

B A malicious insider acting for revenge

5. An employee accidentally emails a spreadsheet to the wrong person. Is this a deliberate threat?

A Yes, because data was exposed

B No, there was no intent to cause harm

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1deliberate threat		ADeliberate threats can also come from malicious insiders who misuse their access on purpose.
2malicious insider		BAn accident has no intent, so it is an accidental threat, not a deliberate one.
3An external attacker deliberately steals data to sell it for profit		CA hacker breaks into a clinic's database and sells patient records on the dark web
4A disgruntled staff member sabotages data out of revenge		DAn employee or contractor who misuses their authorised access on purpose, for example to steal customer records out of revenge
5A staff member accidentally emails a customer list to the wrong person, so this is a deliberate threat.		EBefore leaving, an angry employee deletes the sales database on purpose
6Deliberate threats only come from external hackers, never from people inside the organisation.		FAn intentional action by an attacker or malicious insider to steal, damage, alter or block access to data

Definitions

deliberate threat

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

A __________ threat is done on purpose.

Hacker from outside = ________ attacker

A _________________ is a staff member who intentionally steals or damages data.

Selling stolen card data to make money has the motive of ______

An ex-employee deletes files for revenge: this deliberate damage is ________

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A threat: phishing attack

B intent: accidental

C actor: external attacker

Question 2

A threat: disgruntled employee

B actor: malicious insider

C motive: revenge

D action: delete data by mistake

Question 3

A IF intent = accidental THEN

B type ← deliberate threat

C ELSE

D type ← accidental threat

E END IF

Question 4

A motive: honest mistake

B actor: external attacker

C action: steal card details

Question 5

A threat: sabotage

B actor: malicious insider

C motive: revenge

D effect: data stays unchanged

Answer Key

Deliberate threats to data

Section A: Quick Questions

A — Yes, it is intentional theft of data

A — An intentional action to steal, damage, alter or block access to data

B — Revenge

A — An external attacker acting for profit

B — No, there was no intent to cause harm

Section B: Match the Pairs

deliberate threat → An intentional action by an attacker or malicious insider to steal, damage, alter or block access to data

malicious insider → An employee or contractor who misuses their authorised access on purpose, for example to steal customer records out of revenge

An external attacker deliberately steals data to sell it for profit → A hacker breaks into a clinic's database and sells patient records on the dark web

A disgruntled staff member sabotages data out of revenge → Before leaving, an angry employee deletes the sales database on purpose

A staff member accidentally emails a customer list to the wrong person, so this is a deliberate threat. → An accident has no intent, so it is an accidental threat, not a deliberate one.

Deliberate threats only come from external hackers, never from people inside the organisation. → Deliberate threats can also come from malicious insiders who misuse their access on purpose.

Section C: Definitions

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

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

A deliberate threat is done on purpose.

Hacker from outside = external attacker

A malicious insider is a staff member who
intentionally steals or damages data.

Selling stolen card data to make money
has the motive of profit

An ex-employee deletes files for revenge:
this deliberate damage is sabotage

Section E: Spot the Error

B — A phishing attack is planned and carried out on purpose by an attacker, so the intent must be deliberate, not accidental.

D — A malicious insider acting out of revenge destroys data on purpose. Deleting by mistake would be an accidental threat, not a deliberate one.

A — The first branch sets the type to a deliberate threat, so its condition must test for intent = deliberate. Testing for accidental makes the logic backwards.

A — Deliberate threats have a purpose such as profit or revenge. An honest mistake is not a motive. Stealing card details for money has a profit motive.

D — Sabotage deliberately damages, alters or destroys data. If data stays unchanged, no sabotage has happened. The effect should be that data is destroyed.