ITPEC IP April 2019 Question 39

Which of the following is not an example of a cyber attack?

a)With a purpose of obtaining confidential information, looking for recorded media that were disposed of from an officeb)By exploiting a vulnerability of a server, breaking into its Web site, and making unauthorized modification to its datac)By sending a large amount of requests at once, disrupting a serviced)By using a back door, remotely controlling another person’s PC

Explanation

Searching recorded media thrown out of an office for confidential information — a physical method (trashing), not an attack carried out through computers or networks.

A cyber attack uses networks and computers against information systems: breaking in, tampering with data, disrupting services, taking remote control. Going through discarded media is trashing (dumpster diving), a form of social engineering that obtains information without any technical attack on a system.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

•(b) — exploiting a server vulnerability to break into a website and alter its data is unauthorised access and tampering, a cyber attack
•(c) — flooding a service with requests is a DoS attack
•(d) — controlling someone's PC remotely through a back door is a cyber attack on that PC

Key rule: Social engineering such as trashing and shoulder surfing needs no technical skill, so it is countered by rules: shred paper and wipe or destroy media before disposal.

Security · AI-written, may contain errors

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