Computer Science Test 3 Nddc Scholarship

Spyware is a major security threat that secretly gathers information about a user's browsing habits, keystrokes, and personal data. Removing it is an absolute necessity ('must') because, if left unaddressed, spyware can lead to identity theft, financial loss, and a significant degradation in system performance as it consumes background resources.

A strong password is the first line of defense for any user account. Even a guest account, if left unprotected, can provide an entry point for an intruder to explore the system or exploit vulnerabilities. A strong password—combining letters, numbers, and symbols—makes it difficult for unauthorized users to gain entry through guessing or brute-force tools.

While 'hacker' is a broad term that can include security professionals (white hats), it is commonly used in this context to describe 'black hat' hackers. These individuals use their technical expertise to bypass security protocols for malicious purposes, such as stealing sensitive data, disrupting services, or planting malware within a target's system.

Modern antivirus software includes specialized email scanning modules. These tools inspect every email and attachment for known malware signatures or suspicious 'heuristic' behaviors. This is critical because email is one of the most common delivery methods for viruses, ransomware, and phishing links that can compromise a user's security.

A brute-force attack involves an automated program attempting thousands of combinations of characters or dictionary words to gain access to a password-protected account. Dictionary attacks are a specific type of brute-force method that targets the common tendency of users to choose real words as their passwords, making them easy to guess systematically.

A computer worm is a standalone malware program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms use network vulnerabilities to travel from machine to machine automatically, often consuming massive amounts of bandwidth and slowing down entire networks.

Wireless networks broadcast data through the air using radio waves, which can be captured by any device within range that has the appropriate software. Unlike wired connections that require physical access to a cable, standard Wi-Fi signals are inherently more vulnerable to eavesdropping if they are not protected by strong, modern encryption protocols.

Malware, a portmanteau of 'malicious software,' is specifically designed to infiltrate, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. It is an umbrella term that includes various threats such as viruses, worms, and ransomware, all of which are created with the intent to exploit a user's data or hardware for the creator's gain.

DHCP is a network management protocol that simplifies the connection process by dynamically assigning an IP address to each device on a network. Instead of a technician manually entering unique addresses for every computer, the DHCP server handles the allocation automatically, ensuring that no two devices share the same address simultaneously.

A cyberextortionist uses the threat of digital harm—such as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack or the release of stolen sensitive data—to coerce a victim into paying a ransom. This criminal activity often targets businesses, demanding payment in exchange for not carrying out the threatened disruption or data leak.