Edexcel GCSE Computer Science
5.2.4: understand methods of identifying vulnerabilities including penetration testing, ethical hacking, commercial analysis tools and review of network and user policies
5.2.4: understand methods of identifying vulnerabilities including penetration testing, ethical hacking, commercial analysis tools and review of network and user policies
| Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ethical hacking | getting permission to carry out penetration testing on a network or computer system and then reporting any vulnerabilities found so that they can be fixed |
| Exploit | taking advantage of a vulnerability in a computer system or network to gain unauthorised access |
| Network policies | set of rules that determine how data is encrypted, stored and secured (e.g. backup frequency and blocking USB devices) |
| Penetration testing | identifying vulnerabilities in a computer system or network by attempting to hack in to it, testing for known exploits or weak passwords |
| Unauthorised access | Viewing or changing data on a computer system or network when you don't have permission to do so |
| User policies | a set of rules that determine what happens when new people need access to a computer system or when they no longer need access (e.g. if they leave or get fired) |
| Vulnerability | a weakness in a computer system or network that could be exploited to gain unauthorised access |
| Vulnerability scanners | automated software which can test a computer system or network for common security weaknesses |
