← VCE Data Analytics U4O2

Events-based threats to data

An event outside anyone's control, such as fire, flood, storm or power failure, that damages data or systems or blocks access to them.

Part of: VCE Data Analytics - U4O2 - Cyber Security: Data Security — Module 9, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Cyber Security Threats and Vulnerabilities — Module 14, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 4 — Complex Digital Data Exchange Problems and Solution Requirements — Module 25

Understanding Events-based threats to data in VCE Data Analytics U4O2

What it does: Natural disasters are events-based threats, and a disaster recovery plan is the way an organisation restores data and operations after one. A storm is an event no one controls. Selling data is a deliberate act by a person, so it is a deliberate threat. A power failure blocks access to systems and can corrupt or lose data being processed. It does not improve accuracy. A backup in the same room can be destroyed by the same fire. An offsite copy survives so data can be restored.

Common mistakes: An events-based threat like a flood is outside anyone's control. No attacker is behind it, so the line should say 'controlled by: nobody'. A power outage is an event outside anyone's control, so it is events-based. It is not a deliberate threat. The line should be category = 'events-based'.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 1–25) and word search (Modules 1–43).

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Learning

Duo

A flood damages the server room and the servers stop working. What type of threat is this?

Deliberate threatEvents-based threat

Matches

Fire in the server room = deliberate threat

↓

A fire is an events-based threat, not a deliberate threat. It is an event outside anyone's control, not an attack by a person.

Applying

Meanings

Term

events-based threat

Meaning

An event outside anyone's control, such as fire, flood, storm or power failure, that damages data or systems or blocks access to them.

Practice

BEGIN

Testing

Gaps

threat ← ""

Check Answer

Spots

2type: events-based

3controlled by: the attacker

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Quick Questions

1. A flood damages the server room and the servers stop working. What type of threat is this?

A. Events-based threat ✓

B. Deliberate threat

Floods are events outside anyone's control that damage systems and data, so they are events-based threats. Nobody chose to cause the damage.

2. Which of these is an events-based threat to data?

A. A storm cuts power to the data centre ✓

B. An employee sells customer data to a rival

A storm is an event no one controls. Selling data is a deliberate act by a person, so it is a deliberate threat.

3. True or false: An events-based threat is caused by someone planning to harm the organisation.

A. True

B. False ✓

Events-based threats are outside anyone's control. Threats planned by a person to cause harm are deliberate threats.

4. A power outage hits the office during a busy sales day. How can it threaten data?

A. Systems go offline, so staff cannot access data and unsaved work can be lost ✓

B. It makes the data more accurate because the systems restart

A power failure blocks access to systems and can corrupt or lose data being processed. It does not improve accuracy.

5. Which is an example of a natural disaster that could destroy an organisation's on-site servers?

A. Phishing email

B. Bushfire ✓

Bushfires are natural events that can destroy hardware and data. Phishing is a deliberate social engineering attack.

Match the Pairs

events-based threat → An event outside anyone's control, such as fire, flood, storm or power failure, that damages data or systems or blocks access to them

power outage → An events-based threat where electricity is lost, switching off servers and cutting access to data, and unsaved work may be lost

A flood or storm can destroy servers kept in one building, so the organisation needs a plan to restore its data afterwards → natural disaster -> disaster recovery plan

A server's hard drive suddenly stops working, so the data on it cannot be accessed unless a backup copy exists → hardware failure -> restore from backup

Fire in the server room = deliberate threat → A fire is an events-based threat, not a deliberate threat. It is an event outside anyone's control, not an attack by a person.

Power outage = threat only when hackers cause it → A power outage is an events-based threat whoever or whatever causes it. It does not need a hacker, because it can come from a storm or grid failure.

Key Term

events-based threat

An event outside anyone's control, such as fire, flood, storm or power failure, that damages data or systems or blocks access to them.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF event = "flood" THEN threat ← "events-based" ENDIF

Hint: Type the category of threat caused by occurrences nobody can control.

2. IF cause = "storm" OR cause = "flood" THEN threat ← "natural disaster" ENDIF

Hint: Type the logical operator that is true when either condition is met.

3. IF power = "outage" THEN available ← FALSE ENDIF

Hint: Type the Boolean value showing that data cannot be accessed during a power failure.

4. IF disk = "failed" THEN RESTORE data FROM backup ENDIF

Hint: Type the verb for returning data from a backup copy as part of disaster recovery.

5. FOR EACH event IN events IF event = "fire" THEN OUTPUT "Activate DR plan"

Hint: Type the pseudocode keyword that displays a message to the user.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A threat: flood

B type: events-based

C controlled by: the attacker

D impact: servers damaged

Line C — An events-based threat like a flood is outside anyone's control. No attacker is behind it, so the line should say 'controlled by: nobody'.

Question 2

A threat = 'power outage'

B category = 'deliberate'

C effect = 'systems go offline'

Line B — A power outage is an event outside anyone's control, so it is events-based. It is not a deliberate threat. The line should be category = 'events-based'.

Question 3

A IF storm hits the data centre

B THEN servers lose power

C AND data is always available

Line C — A storm that knocks out power blocks access to data. The result should be that data becomes unavailable, not that it is always available.

Question 4

A natural disasters: virus, fire

B power outage: loss of power

C hardware failure: parts break

D all can block access to data

Line A — A virus is malware, a deliberate threat, not a natural disaster. Flood is a natural disaster, so line 1 should read 'natural disasters: flood, fire'.

Question 5

A threat = 'hacker'

B deliberate = False

C print('Outside our control')

Line A — A hacker is a deliberate threat, which contradicts deliberate = False and the message that this is outside our control. The threat should be an event such as 'flood'.

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