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Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online
Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online

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5 Summary of Week 2

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Figure 12

This week you explored how authentication works and the role of passwords in the operation of authentication mechanisms.

You learned how weak passwords could threaten the security of digital information and your online identity. You also learned about different ways of improving your password security, including techniques for coming up with strong passwords, using password managers and two-factor authentication.

Of course attacking passwords are not the only way that attackers can gain access to systems. They can also exploit vulnerabilities in software, making it important that you keep systems up to date with the latest security fixes/patches. Attackers might also try to execute malicious software, ‘malware’, on your systems. These topics will be covered in the week ahead.

You can now go to Week 3: Malware [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .