Identifying and preventing vulnerabilities — OCR GCSE Computer Science
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Identifying and preventing vulnerabilities explained
Prevention methods reduce the chance that a vulnerability is exploited and limit damage if an attack succeeds.
Read the full explanation
Penetration testing simulates attacks to find weaknesses before criminals do. Anti-malware detects and removes malicious software. Firewalls filter network traffic using rules. User access levels give each account only the permissions needed. Passwords authenticate users, and strong, unique passwords are harder to guess or brute-force. Encryption scrambles data so intercepted or stolen data is unreadable without the key. Physical security, such as locks, guards and restricted areas, stops direct access to hardware. Together these methods form layers, so one failure does not expose everything. For example, a school might use a firewall, staff and student access levels, encrypted pupil records and locked server cabinets.
Your focus
- Describe what each common prevention method does.
- Explain how a named method reduces a specific vulnerability or threat.
- Select and justify appropriate prevention methods for a given scenario.
Identifying and preventing vulnerabilities exam tips
Marking Points
- Penetration testing identifies weaknesses by simulating attacks, allowing them to be fixed before real attackers exploit them.
- Anti-malware software detects, quarantines or removes malicious programs such as viruses, worms, spyware and ransomware.
- A firewall monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic against a set of rules, blocking unauthorised connections.
- User access levels restrict what each user or group can read, write or execute, applying the principle of least privilege.
- Passwords authenticate a user; strong passwords are long, complex and unique, and are often combined with multi-factor authentication.
- Encryption converts plaintext into ciphertext using a key so that intercepted or stolen data cannot be understood without the key.
- Physical security includes locks, biometric scanners, CCTV, security staff and restricted server rooms to prevent direct access to devices.
- Layering several methods gives defence in depth, so a single failure does not compromise the whole system.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Link each method to the specific threat it reduces, for example encryption reduces the impact of intercepted data.
- 💡Use precise terms such as authentication, ciphertext, permissions and traffic filtering rather than vague words like safe or protected.
- 💡When a scenario is given, name the most suitable method and justify it using the context, such as encrypting data on a stolen laptop.
Common Mistakes
- Thinking a firewall removes viruses: a firewall filters network traffic, whereas anti-malware detects and removes malicious software.
- Believing encryption stops data being stolen: encryption protects confidentiality if data is intercepted, but it does not prevent theft or deletion.
- Confusing user access levels with passwords: access levels control permissions after login, while passwords verify identity at login.