The door, the lock and the alarm
Think about how a shop stays safe. It has a locked door, keys for the right people, a safe for the cash and a camera.
Joined-up computers need the same layers. If one fails, another still protects it. Today you learn the layers and why each one matters.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can choose layers of protection for a small office and say why each one matters.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Network | devices joined so they can share data |
| Authentication | proving who you are |
| Authorisation | deciding what a proven person may do |
| Access control | rules that decide who may use what |
| Encryption | scrambling data so only the right people can read it |
| Biometrics | using a body feature, such as a fingerprint, to prove who you are |
| Firewall | a filter that allows or blocks data by rule |
| Antivirus | software that finds and removes malware |
| Malware | software made to cause harm |
| Router | a box that joins networks and sends data between them |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Layer one: who gets in
Authentication proves who you are, usually with a password. Authorisation then decides what you may do. Access control is the set of rules that does this for files, folders and services.
A strong password is long. Three or four random words joined together is easy to remember and hard to guess. Never reuse a password, and never share one.
A simple password policy
| Rule | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| At least twelve characters | Longer passwords are much harder to guess |
| A different password for each account | One leak does not open everything |
| A second step, such as a code on a phone | A stolen password is not enough |
| Lock the account after several wrong tries | Guessing is slowed down |
| Change the password when a leak is suspected | The old one stops working |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.