The backup nobody tested
A firm backs up its data every night. One day the main disk fails. They try to restore. The backups are empty, because a setting was changed months ago. Nobody ever checked.
A control that is chosen and fitted, but never watched, may be doing nothing at all.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Personal data | Information about a living person who can be identified. |
| Confidentiality | Only the right people can see the data. |
| Integrity | The data stays correct and has not been changed in error or by an attacker. |
| Availability | The data can be used when it is needed. |
| Encryption | Scrambling data so only people with the key can read it. |
| Validation | Checking that data is sensible before it is accepted. |
| Requirement | Something the system or the rules say must be true. |
| Security control | Something that reduces the chance or the harm of an attack. |
| Procedure | The steps to follow to do a task the right way. |
| Monitor | To check regularly that something still works. |
| Backup | A spare copy of data, kept so it can be restored. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can select, apply and maintain controls that keep data confidential, correct and available.
Starter: last lesson
Have a go
Starter: last lesson
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Three goals: C, I and A
Data security has three goals. Confidentiality: only the right people see the data. Integrity: the data is correct and unchanged by mistake or attack. Availability: the data can be used when needed.
Every control mainly protects one of these. Good protection covers all three.
Goals, threats and controls
| Goal | A threat | A control | A procedure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confidentiality | A stolen laptop | Encryption, access control | Lock the screen; ask before sharing |
| Integrity | A wrong value typed in | Input validation, change logging | A second person checks a report |
| Availability | A failed disk | Backups, a spare server | Test a restore each month |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: the three goals
Have a go
Check: the three goals
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.