The lock that stopped working
A school fits a strong lock on its store room. For years it works well. Then someone finds a cheap way to open that kind of lock.
The lock did not change. The threat did. Computers are the same. A defence that works today may fail next year, so we keep checking and keep updating.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can explain why threats keep changing and why updates and information sources matter.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Update | a new version that fixes problems and adds protection |
| Patch | a small update that fixes one flaw |
| Vulnerability | a weak point that an attacker could use |
| Automatic update | an update that installs by itself |
| Manual update | an update a person chooses to install |
| Manufacturer | the company that made the hardware or software |
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 never stand still
New threats are made all the time. Attackers learn, and they try new tricks. Old threats also change. A virus is rewritten so that older protection does not spot it.
This is why no organisation can say "we are safe now". Security is a job that never finishes.
Four ways threats change
| Change | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A brand new threat appears | Nobody has seen it before | A new type of fake message |
| An old threat evolves | The same idea in a new form | A known virus changed so it looks different |
| A new weak point is found | A flaw in software or hardware | A bug in a phone app |
| People change how they work | New habits bring new risks | Staff start using cloud storage at home |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.