3.5. Security
A subsection of Computer Science, 9608, through 3. Advanced Theory
Listing 10 of 30 questions
Mohammad is working away from his company’s head office. He wants to send a secure message over a computer network to the head office. Explain the way in which a digital signature for the message would be produced. State two reasons why a digital signature for the message is required. The message is encrypted using asymmetric key cryptography before it is sent and decrypted when it arrives at the head office. Describe this process of encrypting and decrypting the message. State one reason for using asymmetric key cryptography.
9608_w21_qp_33
THEORY
2021
Paper 3, Variant 3
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Sam wants to send confidential data to an organisation. He has already received the organisation’s digital certificate. The organisation has asked him to make sure that the message containing the confidential data is encrypted and is sent with a digital signature. Explain the process the organisation followed to obtain its digital certificate. Identify two items included in the organisation’s digital certificate that will be used when sending the message. Give a reason why each item is required. Item 1 Reason Item 2 Reason Identify two other items included in the organisation’s digital certificate. Explain how the digital signature for Sam’s message is produced.
9608_w20_qp_32
THEORY
2020
Paper 3, Variant 2
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The following incomplete table shows descriptions and terms relating to malware. Complete the table with appropriate description and terms. Description Term Malicious code is installed on a personal computer so that the user is misdirected to a fraudulent web site without their knowledge. An attempt to acquire sensitive information, often for malicious reasons, by trying to deceive the user through the contents of an email. Worm State two vulnerabilities that the malware in part or part can exploit. Vulnerability 1 Vulnerability 2 Digital certificates are used in internet communications. A Certificate Authority (CA) is responsible for issuing a digital certificate. The digital certificate contains a digital signature produced by the CA. Name three additional data items present in a digital certificate. Describe how the digital signature is produced by the CA. Give the reason for including a digital signature in the digital certificate.
9608_s17_qp_32
THEORY
2017
Paper 3, Variant 2
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Both clients and servers use the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol and its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. What is a protocol? Name the client application used in this context. Name the server used in this context. Identify two problems that the SSL and TLS protocols can help to overcome. Before any application data is transferred between the client and the server, a handshake process takes place. Part of this process is to agree the security parameters to be used. Describe two of these security parameters. Name two applications of computer systems where it would be appropriate to use the SSL or TLS protocol. These applications should be different from the ones you named in part and part .
9608_w16_qp_32
THEORY
2016
Paper 3, Variant 2
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The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol and its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, are used in Internet communications between clients and servers. Define the term protocol. Explain the purpose of the TLS protocol. A handshake process has to take place before any exchange of data using the TLS protocol. The handshake process establishes details about how the exchange of data will occur. Digital certificates and keys are used. The handshake process starts with: • the client sending some communication data to the server • the client asking the server to identify itself • the server sending its digital certificate including the public key. Describe, in outline, the other steps in the handshake process. Give two applications where it would be appropriate to use the TLS protocol.
9608_w17_qp_31
THEORY
2017
Paper 3, Variant 1
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The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol and its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, are used in Internet communications between clients and servers. Define the term protocol. Explain the purpose of the TLS protocol. A handshake process has to take place before any exchange of data using the TLS protocol. The handshake process establishes details about how the exchange of data will occur. Digital certificates and keys are used. The handshake process starts with: • the client sending some communication data to the server • the client asking the server to identify itself • the server sending its digital certificate including the public key. Describe, in outline, the other steps in the handshake process. Give two applications where it would be appropriate to use the TLS protocol.
9608_w17_qp_33
THEORY
2017
Paper 3, Variant 3
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A company specialises in educational software. The company is concerned that malware might disrupt their business. Add appropriate descriptions and terms in the table. Description Term A Redirection to a bogus website that appears to be legitimate to gain confidential data. B Use email to attempt to gain a user’s confidential data. C Spyware D Worm A member of staff is using the Internet to carry out research. They are worried about the threat from terms A and B. Identify one solution to the each of the threats. Term A Term B A customer downloads a new educational software package from the company. Explain how the customer’s and the company’s computers use a hashing algorithm to assure the customer that: • the software has come from the company (is authentic) and • no one has altered it.
9608_s18_qp_31
THEORY
2018
Paper 3, Variant 1
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A company specialises in educational software. The company is concerned that malware might disrupt their business. Add appropriate descriptions and terms in the table. Description Term A Redirection to a bogus website that appears to be legitimate to gain confidential data. B Use email to attempt to gain a user’s confidential data. C Spyware D Worm A member of staff is using the Internet to carry out research. They are worried about the threat from terms A and B. Identify one solution to the each of the threats. Term A Term B A customer downloads a new educational software package from the company. Explain how the customer’s and the company’s computers use a hashing algorithm to assure the customer that: • the software has come from the company (is authentic) and • no one has altered it.
9608_s18_qp_33
THEORY
2018
Paper 3, Variant 3
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Questions Discovered
30