IGCSE ICT

  TROJAN HORSE A Trojan horse is a malicious program which is often disguised as some legitimate software, but contains malicious instructions embedded within it.  A Trojan horse replaces all or part of the legitimate software with the intent of carrying out some harm to the user’s computer system. They need to be executed by the end-user and therefore usually arrive as an email attachment or are downloaded from an infected website.  For example,  they could be transmitted via a fake anti-virus program that pops up on the user’s screen claiming their computer is infected and action needs to be taken.  The user will be invited to run fake anti-virus as part of a free trial. Once the user does this, the damage is done. Once installed on the user’s computer, the Trojan horse will give cyber criminals access to personal information on your computers, such as IP addresses, passwords and other personal data.  Spyware (including key logging software) and ransomwar...

  WORMS Worms are a type of stand-alone virus that can self-replicate. Their intention is to spread to other computers and corrupt whole networks; unlike viruses, they do not need an active host program to be opened in order to do any damage – they remain inside applications, which allows them to move throughout networks. In fact, worms replicate without targeting and infecting specific files on a computer; they rely on security failures within networks to permit them to spread unhindered. Worms frequently arrive as message attachments and only one user opening a worm-infested email could end up infecting the whole network.  As with viruses, the same safeguards should be employed, together with the running of an up-to date anti-virus program.  Worms tend to be problematic because of their ability to spread throughout a network without any action from an end-user;  whereas viruses require each end-user to somehow initiate the virus. Examples include the ‘I love you’ w...

             VIRUSES Viruses are programs or program code that replicates (copies itself) with the intention of deleting or corrupting files and causing the computer to malfunction (for example, by deleting .exe files, filling up the hard drive with ‘useless’ data, and so on). Viruses need an active host program on the target computer or an operating system that has already been infected, before they can actually run and cause harm (that is, they need to be executed by some trigger to start causing any damage). Viruses are often sent as email attachments, and reside on infected websites or on infected software downloaded to the user’s computer. Apart from all the usual safety actions (for example, do not open emails from unknown sources, do not install non-original software), always run an up-to-date virus scanner.

MALWARE  Malware is one of the biggest risks to the integrity and security of data on a computer system. Many software applications, such as anti-virus, are capable of identifying and removing most of the forms of malware.  There are many forms of  malware;  this section details just a selection of those forms. For a detailed reading, click on the malware to open the link: .1.  Virus 2.  Worms   3.  Trojans 4.  Spyware 5.  Adware 6.  Ransomware

New UI Dialogue-based user interfaces Dialogue-based user interfaces use the human voice to give commands to a computer system.  An example of its use is in some luxury modern cars, where voice activation is used to control devices such as the in-car entertainment system or satellite navigation system.  By speaking certain commends, such as ‘Hey BMW, drive me to the nearest airport’, the system allows natural speech to enable the driver to intuitively interact with the car. The satellite navigation system will automatically direct the driver to their chosen destination (in this case, the nearest airport).  This type of interface could also be used in the home; by using voice commands, it is possible to switch on/off lights, operate electronic equipment and so on.  In recent years, devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Now, Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana have all been developed to interact with a human by recognising verbal commands. These devices act as a personal a...

 The features of virtual reality include: » the ability to take the user out of the real-world environment into a virtual (unreal) digital environment » in contrast to AR, the user is fully immersed in a simulated digital world » users must wear a VR headset or a head-mounted display which allows a 360° view of the virtual world (this ‘fools’ the brain into believing they are walking on an ocean bed, walking in an alien world or inside a volcano) » this technology can be used to good effect in: medicine (teaching operation procedures), construction, engineering and the military. In the future, virtual reality will have an impact on all the following areas: » military applications (for example, training to operate a new tank) » education (for example, looking inside an ancient building as part of a history lesson) » healthcare (for example, as a diagnostic tool to recommend treatment) » entertainment (for example, games where gloves, goggles or helmets are worn to fully immerse play...

  The features of augmented reality include: » allow the user to experience the relationship between digital (virtual) and physical (real) worlds » virtual information and objects are overlaid onto real-world situations » the real world is enhanced with digital details, such as images, text and animation » the user can experience the AR world through special goggles or via smartphone/phablet screens » the user is not isolated from the real world and is still able to interact and see what is going on in front of them » examples include the Pokémon GO game which overlays digital creatures onto real-world situations. In the future, augmented reality will have an impact on all the following areas: » safety and rescue operations (for example, it is possible to provide 3D images of an area where a rescue mission is to take place, giving the team the opportunity to interact with the environment and try out rescue procedures before doing the real thing) » entertainment (for example, AR tak...