This document discusses security and ethics related to online data. It covers topics like security risks, viruses, hacking, and cracking. Viruses can replicate and corrupt or delete files, while hacking is illegal access to computer systems. Cracking involves editing software code for malicious purposes. Prevention methods include backups, verifications, antivirus software, firewalls, and strong passwords. The key difference between hacking and cracking is that hacking may not always be harmful but cracking is illegal and damaging.

1. SECURITY &
ETHICS
Online Session 2021

2. Topics to be covered
■ Security of data
■ Security risks and prevention methods
■ Viruses, definition, types and prevention methods
■ Hacking, definition, prevention methods
■ Cracking, definition, prevention methods
■ Difference between hacking and cracking

3. Why do we need security of data?
Computer security is the protection of computers from
unauthorized access and the protection of data from loss,
deletion, change and corruption. This helps maintain the
value of the data.

4. Security risks (offline)
 Human error
 Theft
 Physical causes
 Power failure
 Hardware failure
 Misplacing portable media

5. Prevention methods
a. Backups:
It is a copy of the data being used that can be kept incase of data loss.
Storage devices for data backup include: magnetic media, optical media, cloud storage
b. Verifications:
It is a check that asks the user to confirm whether or not they wish to go ahead with an
instruction.
c. Archived data:
It is data that is no longer needed for immediate processing, but needs to be kept.

7. Security threats (online)
Viruses:
Meaning:
 Program or program code that can replicate/ copy itself with the intention of deleting or
corrupting files, or cause the computer to malfunction.
Effects:
 Can cause the computer to crash, stop functioning normally or become unresponsive.
 Can delete files/ data
 Can corrupt files/data
Risk Mitigation:
 Antivirus software
 don’t use software from unknown sources
 be careful when opening emails/ attachments from unknown senders.

8. Types of Viruses
■ A worm is a program that actively transmits itself over a network to infect other computers.
■ A Trojan horse is any program that invites the user to run it, concealing harmful or malicious code.
■ A Boot Virus copies the virus code in the boot sector.
■ A CryptoLocker encrypts the files on a user's hard drive, then prompts them to pay a ransom to the
developer in order to receive the decryption key.
■ A shortcut virus is a shared computer virus that hides your files and replaces them with shortcuts with
the same file name. When you click on the shortcuts, the virus replicates itself and further infects your
drive.

9. Security threats (online) (cont’d)
Hacking:
Meaning:
 act of gaining illegal access to a computer system.
 White hat is ethical hacking whereas Black hat is illegal hacking
Effects:
 can lead to identity theft or gaining personal information
 data can be deleted, changed or corrupted
Risk mitigation:
 Firewalls
 using strong passwords and user ids
 anti-hacking software

10. Cracking:
Meaning:
 Commonly applied to the files used in software cracking programs, which enables illegal copying
and the use of commercial software by breaking or cracking various registration and copy-
protection techniques.
 It enables editing a program source code in a software so that the code can be exploited or
changed for a specific purpose.
Effects:
 exposed to invisible viruses and malware.
 Some cracked versions can contain bugs and could lead to processor performance being effected
 Software instability
Risk mitigation:
 Encryption of software code
 Create stronger passwords
Security threats (online) (cont’d)

11. Difference between Hacking and Cracking:
■ Hacking is breaking into a computer system to steal personal data without
the owner’s consent or knowledge (e.g. to steal a password file).
■ Cracking is where someone edits a program source code so that the code
can be exploited or changed for a specific purpose. This is usually done
for a malicious purpose (e.g. legitimate software could be altered by a
cracker to perform a different task e.g. send a user to a specific website).
■ Essentially, hacking isn’t necessarily harmful whilst cracking is ALWAYS
totally illegal and is potentially very damaging.