Passwords, authentication and anti-malware Cambridge IGCSE Information & Communication Technology revision
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In plain words
Data on a network is only safe if the network knows who is asking for it. Authentication is how a user proves who they are. A password is the usual way, but it is the weakest of several.
6 things to know
- Data sent over a network can be intercepted, so its privacy and confidentiality have to be protected.
- A strong password is long, mixes upper and lower case letters, digits and symbols, and is not a real word or anything personal. A weak one is short or easy to guess.
- Passwords should be changed regularly, and anti-spyware should be kept up to date, so that passwords cannot be captured as they are typed.
- Biometric methods use a feature of the body: a fingerprint, the face, the iris or the voice. They cannot be forgotten or guessed.
- Other methods: magnetic stripe cards and smart cards, which are swiped or inserted; a physical token, a small device that shows a one-time code; an electronic token, an app that produces the code; and zero login, where a device recognises its user by behaviour or biometrics with nothing typed.
- Anti-malware and anti-virus software scans files and compares them with a database of known malware. Infected files are quarantined or deleted. It must be kept up to date, and removable media and downloads should be scanned before use.
Worked example
Which is the strongest of these passwords, and why: "football", "Rahim2010" or "t7#Kp!92xQ"?
- "football" is a common word, easily guessed.
- "Rahim2010" uses a name and a year: personal information that someone could find out.
- "t7#Kp!92xQ" is long, and mixes cases, digits and symbols with no pattern. It is the strongest.
Tips and tricks
- Describe a strong password by its features: length, mixed case, digits, symbols, nothing personal.
- Anti-virus software is only as good as its last update. "Keep it up to date" is a mark in almost every answer.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Passwords, authentication and anti-malware: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Which is the strongest password?
It is long and mixes cases, digits and symbols with no pattern.
Which is a biometric method of authentication?
It uses a feature of the user's body.
What does a physical token do?
The code changes each time, so a stolen password is not enough.
What does anti-virus software do with an infected file?
Quarantine stops the file doing harm.
Why should anti-malware software be updated regularly?
New malware appears all the time.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
2 questions, 5 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Passwords, authentication and anti-malware
Cambridge IGCSE Information & Communication Technology 0417 · 5 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
State three features of a strong password.[3]
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It is long (at least eight characters). It contains a mixture of upper and lower case letters, digits and symbols. It is not a word or personal information that could be guessed.
Give two examples of biometric authentication.[2]
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A fingerprint scan and face recognition. (Also: iris or retina scan, voice recognition.)
Answers: Passwords, authentication and anti-malware
- 1. It is long (at least eight characters). It contains a mixture of upper and lower case letters, digits and symbols. It is not a word or personal information that could be guessed.
- 2. A fingerprint scan and face recognition. (Also: iris or retina scan, voice recognition.)