The coffee and the laptop
Sam works at Corner Bikes, a small made-up shop. One morning he spills coffee on the shop laptop. It will not start again.
Nobody wanted that to happen. But the till records are on that laptop. Danger does not only come from strangers. Sometimes it comes from the people we trust.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can sort internal threats into accidental and malicious, and say how each one can be reduced.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Threat | something that could harm a system or its data |
| Internal threat | a threat from someone inside the organisation |
| Accidental | done by mistake, with no wish to harm |
| Malicious | done on purpose to cause harm |
| Authorised user | a person who is allowed to use the system |
| BYOD | bring your own device: staff use their own phone or laptop for work |
| Shoulder surfing | watching someone type a password or read a screen |
| Dumpster diving | searching bins for papers that hold private details |
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.
Threats can come from inside
An internal threat comes from someone inside the organisation. This can be an employee or an authorised user. That is a person who is allowed to use the system.
There are two kinds. An accidental threat is a mistake. A malicious threat is on purpose. The harm can look the same. The reason is different, so the fix is different too.
Accidental threats and how to reduce them
| Accidental threat | What can go wrong | How to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Spilling a drink on equipment | The device breaks and data is lost | No drinks near computers, and keep backups |
| Deleting or losing a file | Work is lost | Regular backups and clear file names |
| Sending data to the wrong person | Private details are shown by mistake | Check the address and use training |
| A power cut | Unsaved work is lost | Save often and use a battery backup |
| A fire or flood | Whole rooms of equipment are destroyed | Alarms, sprinklers and a copy kept elsewhere |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Unsafe habits cause accidents
Many accidents come from habits that look harmless. A student plugs in a USB stick from home. It may hold malware (software made to cause harm). A worker visits an untrusted website, or downloads a file from an unknown place. Another uses a file-sharing app that nobody checked.
BYOD is also a risk. A personal phone may have no protection and can be lost on a bus.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.