Conclusion

In this course, you have looked at the analysis of a number of major cyber security incidents: what the attacks were, how each attack worked, who the attackers were and what lessons could be learnt.

One common factor in all these incidents is human error. Often the attacks could have been prevented if proper security measures were taken.

You’ve learnt that networked devices that have not been properly secured will affect not only the security of their users but also the security of others, as the hacked devices can be used to mount wider attacks. The availability of hacking tools also enables people with little computing knowledge to launch sophisticated attacks.

The final activity, which asked you to investigate more recent potential or actual attacks on critical infrastructure, should have alerted you to the very real need for continued diligence in cyber security.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course TM255 Communication and information technologies [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .