Fiducia TogetherCyber security basics
The common attacks and the standard defences, as the specification frames them.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Threats include malware, phishing, social engineering, brute force attacks, denial of service, SQL injection and data interception. Defences include penetration testing, firewalls, anti-malware, user access levels, strong passwords, encryption and physical security.
Where it applies
GCSE and A Level computer science.
How it works
Many attacks target people rather than systems, which is why user education appears in the defence list. Social engineering needs no technical vulnerability at all.
Encryption protects data in transit and at rest but does not prevent access if credentials are stolen.
How to use it in your work
Match the defence to the threat. "A firewall" is not an answer to phishing; user training is.
For SQL injection, the defence is input validation and parameterised queries, not a firewall.
Define terms precisely — a virus, a worm and a trojan are different and the differences are examined.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification — the pseudocode and the required language differ between boards. Bitesize covers the concepts; the computer science song runs the topics.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Computer Science Song The GCSE computer science topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.