0984
Cyber Security
Internet and Its Uses · 3 question types
Exam Frequency Analysis
Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)
This topic accounts for approximately 8% of your exam marks.
increasing
Low
Increasing8%
Threats (phishing, pharming, malware, DDoS, brute-force) and the matching protection methods appear in almost every paper.
Authentication confirms that a user is who they claim to be before granting access.
Three authentication methods are on the syllabus.
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Username and password | The user proves their identity with a secret password tied to their account. A strong password (long, mixing letters, digits and symbols) resists brute-force and guessing attacks |
| Biometrics | The system checks a unique physical characteristic such as a fingerprint, face or iris. Biometric data is very hard to fake and cannot be forgotten or easily shared |
| Two-step verification | Access requires two separate pieces of evidence, for example a password plus a one-time code sent to the user's phone. Even if an attacker steals the password, they still cannot log in without the second factor |