An old laptop and a missed update
A cleaner finds a laptop left in an open office. It has not had an update for a year. A thief can walk off with it. Or a worm can walk in.
Today you learn how to protect the device itself, and the system that runs on it.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Hardware | The parts of a computer you can touch. |
| Device hardening | Making a device safer with updates and safe settings. |
| Physical control | A safeguard you can touch, such as a lock or a camera. |
| Operating system | The main software that runs a device. Short form: OS. |
| Network | Devices joined together so they can share data. |
| Patch | A small update that fixes a security problem. |
| Snapshot | A saved copy of how a system is right now. |
| Roll back | Go back to an earlier snapshot after an update goes wrong. |
| OS hardening | Removing what an OS does not need and setting safe rules. |
| Port | A numbered door on a device where network traffic can enter. |
| Security policy | A written rule that is also set in the system itself. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can explain how hardware protection, device hardening, patching, rolling back and OS hardening reduce risk.
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.
Protecting the hardware
There are three kinds of hardware protection.
Hardware protection: use server and software tools to protect the machine and its data. An example is a tool that locks a lost laptop from afar.
Device hardening: apply updates and safe settings to a device.
Physical controls: keep hardware in safe places. Use locked cages, CCTV and doors that need a key card.
Three ways to protect hardware
| Way | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware protection | Uses server and software tools to guard the machine and data | Wipe a lost laptop from a server |
| Device hardening | Updates plus safe settings | Turn off unused ports and install updates |
| Physical controls | Keeps the machine out of reach | Server in a locked cage in a room with CCTV |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Patches and rolling back
Software has bugs. Some bugs are weaknesses. A patch fixes them. Installing patches is one of the best defences.
But a patch can break things. So take a snapshot first. If the patch causes trouble, roll back to the snapshot. You are back where you were, and you can try again after testing.
Check: patches and snapshots
Have a go
Check: patches and snapshots
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.