Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘You can fight back against cyberattacks’

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“There is no 100-percent-secure software,” says Craig Williams. “It does not exist.” He is one of many cybersecurity experts working to protect people’s data and devices. But everyone should take steps to protect themselves.

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By Science News Explores

To accompany feature “You can fight back against cyberattacks”

SCIENCE 

Before Reading: 

1.  Have you ever had a device that acts “glitchy”? What have you done about it?

2.  What are three aspects of society that depend on computers working correctly?         

During Reading: 

1.  What was the software bug that Grant Thompson and his family discovered? How did they respond when they figured out it was a bug?    

2.  What is a black-hat hacker?

3.  What is a zero-day attack?   

4.  What is malware?    

5.  What is cyberwarfare?     

6.  What are three types of infrastructure that cybercriminals might target? 

7.  What was special about the 2015 cyberattack in Ukraine? What damage did it cause?  

8.  How did the 2016 cyberattack in Ukraine differ from the 2015 one? 

9.  What happened in the NotPetya attack?   

10.  What are two examples of ways that malware can be sneaky? 

After Reading: 

1.  Imagine that your school was the victim of a cyberattack. What might be some of the consequences?

2.  What are two steps that you can take to lessen the chances that you or your family will be the victim of a cyberattack? What might prevent you from taking those steps? What can you do about that?