Study guide · 7.1
Describe digital security threats
Digital security threats are attempts to steal, damage or misuse your devices, accounts and data. This guide names the common threats and their warning signs so you can recognize them.
A study feature written by ExamDragon, not part of the real exam. Each heading is one of Certiport's skills for this objective.
7.1Describe digital security threats
- Malware is harmful software; types include viruses (attach to files and spread when run), worms (spread across networks by themselves), trojans (pretend to be useful software) and spyware (secretly records your activity).
- Ransomware locks or encrypts your files and demands payment to release them.
- Phishing uses fake emails, messages or websites that pretend to be a trusted organization to steal passwords or payment details; smishing uses text messages and vishing uses phone calls.
- Social engineering tricks people into giving access or information, often by creating urgency or fear.
- Other threats include password attacks, account takeover, data breaches at companies that hold your data, fake apps, unsafe public Wi-Fi and lost or stolen devices.
- Warning signs: unexpected attachments or links, urgent demands, offers that seem too good to be true, spelling errors and sender addresses that do not match the organization.
Example: You get a text saying your parcel is held and you must pay a small fee through a link; the sender is unknown and the address is a lookalike, so you recognize it as smishing and delete it.
Key terms
- Malware
- Software designed to harm devices or steal data.
- Ransomware
- Malware that locks files and demands payment.
- Phishing
- Fake messages or sites that trick people into revealing information.
- Social engineering
- Manipulating people into giving access or information.
- Data breach
- An incident where data is accessed or stolen without permission.
Easy to confuse
- Using 'virus' for every kind of malware; a virus is one type.
- Assuming phishing only comes by email; it also comes by text, phone, social media and fake websites.
- Trusting a message because it shows a familiar logo or name.
- Thinking only computers get malware; phones and tablets can be affected too.
After this guide: You should be able to name common digital threats, describe how each works and spot the warning signs.