35. OCR GCSE (J277) 1.4 Forms of attack

Forms of Attack

The video introduces common threats to computer and network security, focusing on examples expected at GCSE level. The list is not exhaustive.

• Malware: Malicious software used to infect computers and commit crimes such as fraud or identity theft. It may exploit weaknesses in operating systems or browsers, or be disguised as legitimate downloads such as games or media. Trojans can also be shared through file-sharing networks, email, instant messaging, and mobile phones.
• Phishing: An online fraud in which criminals impersonate a trusted person or organisation to trick people into revealing information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details. It commonly uses mass emails and fake websites resembling reputable institutions.
• Brute-force attack: A trial-and-error method in which a program repeatedly attempts possible combinations to discover passwords or encryption keys.
• Denial-of-service (DoS) attack: Floods a server with useless traffic so that it becomes overloaded and cannot respond to legitimate requests. The video mentions “ping of death” and “teardrop” as attacks that exploited limitations in TCP/IP protocols.
  • Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS): Uses many compromised systems, sometimes called “zombies,” to attack one target at once.
• Data interception and theft: An attacker monitors data travelling to or from a target to collect sensitive information. Eavesdropping or snooping on network traffic can expose items such as plain-text passwords or configuration details; packet-sniffer software can be used for this.
• SQL injection: An attacker enters code into text fields in a database application. If the application is not securely coded, the server may execute that code.

Speakers and Sources

• Narrator: One unnamed presenter delivering the educational explanation.
• Other speakers or quoted sources: None featured.