🎯 Learning Objectives
Develop the Communication and Networks Learning Strands:
- Define the terms cybersecurity and network security, explain their importance, and distinguish between the two
- Learn to describe the features of a network that make it vulnerable to attack
- Understand the impact of cybercrime on businesses and individuals
- Analyse an attack on a company and identify what motivated the hackers
💬 Key Vocabulary
- cybersecurity
- network security
- hackers
- planting the flag
- ethical hackers
- hacktivists
📝 Starter Activity – What is Intelligence?
The following two sentences are definitions. One is the definition of cybersecurity; the other is the definition of network security.
- The practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks
- Any activity designed to protect the usability and integrity of a network and its data by managing access to the network
Which one is which? Why do you think that? What is the relationship between the two?
Open a Word file and title it Cybercrime. Begin by noting down the answers to the above questions.
📝 The problem that affects the whole world
Open the link below to see the LIVE CYBER THREAT MAP, which gives a live representation of the number of attacks being detected at any moment.
https://threatmap.checkpoint.com
- Which country is initiating the most attacks?
- Which countries are the targets?
- What type of attacks are being launched?
Write the answers to the questions in the Word file you created in the Starter Activity.
Types of attack on the threat map are:
Malware (malicious software): any program or file that is harmful to a computer user: computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and spyware
Phishing: the illegal practice of sending emails pretending to be from real companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers
Exploit: code that takes advantage of a software vulnerability or security flaw
📖 How big is the problem in the UK?
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019 (published by the UK Government) gives some indication of how widespread the problem is, but can it affect us?
Read over the statistics on right as there will be questions on them later.
If you want to find out more you can click here for the whole report.
📖 Can it affect you?
The WannaCry ransomware cryptoworm targeted computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system by encrypting data and demanding ransom payments in the bitcoin cryptocurrency.
On 12 May 2017, some NHS services had to turn away non-critical emergencies and some ambulances were diverted, because the cyberattackers took advantage of the fact that some hospitals had not updated their Windows software.
📖 What do you know already?
With a partner, write down every term you know that has anything to do with cybersecurity and network security. To get you started:
Trojan horse, biometric security, passwords…
Spend five minutes adding as many terms as you can think of to your Word file or paper.
📝 Definitions booklet
Over this topic you will be given a number of definitions to note down and then revise for an end of topic assessment.
Click here to download the definitions booklet, make sure to save it in a place you will be able to access it later.
Make a start by writing down the full definitions of network security and cybersecurity now.
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks.
Network security is any activity designed to protect the usability and integrity of a network and data. It includes both hardware and software technologies. Effective network security manages access to the network.
📖 Why are networks vulnerable to attack?
Turn to a partner and in pairs, define and describe a network.
Then be ready to share your answers to the following questions:
- What are the main advantages of networks?
- From a network security point of view, what are the disadvantages of networks?
Add all of the above to your Word file or paper.
📖 Why do they do it?
In pairs you will be given one of the scenarios below, your task is to research and find out which type of hacker is responsible for each scenario. Add your answers to your Word file or on paper.
1. The homepage of the website of a pharmaceutical firm that tests on animals is defaced with ‘#hackedbyus #animal rights’.
2. The CEO of an international bank receives an email with an attachment file detailing the bank balance of its top 500 investors. The message with the attachment says, “This was easy for me… you need to tighten up – contact your security company for full feedback.”
3. A manufacturing company receives a message threatening to disable their computer systems unless they agree to pay a bitcoin payment equivalent to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
📝 Ransomware attack
Before we start this activity you should save the Word file you have been working on during the lesson so far. Save it as “Lesson 1 Cybersecurity Gold”. You will upload your work at the end of the lesson.
Download the worksheet by clicking on the button below.
Watch the video about a real ransomware attack and answer the questions on your worksheet. This is your Gold badge task.
📝 The cost of cybercrime and hacker motivation
For your Platinum badge task you should download the worksheet below and complete all sections.
🏅 Badge it
🥈 Silver Badge
Upload your Word file that contains the notes and answers to questions that you have made throughout this lesson to www.bournetolearn.com.
🥇 Gold Badge
Upload the Ransomware Attack activity worksheet to www.bournetolearn.com.
🥉 Platinum Badge
Upload the Platinum Worksheet file to www.bournetolearn.com.
In this lesson, you…
Began to understand the cost of cybercrime to individuals and businesses, understood why networks are inherently vulnerable, and analysed case studies to see what motivates hackers.
Next lesson, you will…
Begin to understand non-automated forms of cyberattack and begin to see humans as the weak point in an organisation.
We’ll also learn how to spot phishing or pharming emails and play the part of a scammer in a social engineering role play exercise.