Security

Question 1

Why does data need to be kept safe?

Answer 1

• Accidental damage could occur, such as file corruption and human errors
• Malicious actions may be taken by other people to view, delete, copy and/or corrupt data without authorisation

Question 4

What is SSL?

Answer 4

• Secure Socket Layer
• Provides secure connection between internet browser and websites
• Allows transmission of private data
• Indicated by padlock sign on the web browser (sometimes the address bar is green)
• Uses two keys to encrypt the data: a public key known to everyone and a private key only known to the recipient
• URLs that require an SSL connection start with ‘https’
• e.g. e-commerce shops use SSL to keep credit card details secret

Question 5

What is symmetric encryption?

Answer 5

A type of encryption where the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the message. This differs from asymmetric (or public-key) encryption, which uses one key to encrypt a message and another to decrypt the message.

Increasing the length of the key increases the strength of the encryption.