AP CSP topic 5.6
Safe Computing
Personally identifiable information (PII), like your name, address, birthday, and location, can be collected and combined to track or impersonate you. Protect accounts with strong passwords and multifactor authentication, which requires two or more kinds of proof. Encryption scrambles data so only someone with the key can read it, and public key encryption lets strangers send private messages. Watch for phishing, malware, and fake Wi-Fi networks that try to steal data.
Safe Computing vocabulary
- PII: Personally identifiable information: data that can identify a specific person.
- Multifactor authentication: Signing in with two or more kinds of proof, such as a password and a code from your phone.
- Encryption: Scrambling data so only someone with the right key can read it.
- Phishing: A trick, usually an email or text, that tries to get you to reveal private information.
AP-style practice questions
Try each one, then open the answer. To save your progress, take this quiz in the interactive course.
Text message: "Your package is on hold. Confirm your address and card number at deliv-help-center.net within 24 hours or it will be returned."
1. Which of the following best describes this message?
- (A) A secure delivery update
- (B) A phishing attempt trying to steal personal information
- (C) A simulation
- (D) A legal software license
Show answer
(B) A phishing attempt trying to steal personal information Urgency, an unfamiliar link, and a request for card details are phishing signs.
2. Which of the following is an example of multifactor authentication?
- (A) Entering a password twice
- (B) Entering a password and then a code sent to your phone
- (C) Using a longer password
- (D) Answering two security questions with passwords
Show answer
(B) Entering a password and then a code sent to your phone MFA combines different kinds of proof: something you know and something you have.
3. Which of the following is personally identifiable information (PII)?
- (A) The average temperature of a city
- (B) A person's home address and date of birth
- (C) The number of students in a school
- (D) The name of a popular song
Show answer
(B) A person's home address and date of birth Address and birth date can identify a specific person.
4. In public key encryption, which key is used to encrypt a message so that only the recipient can read it?
- (A) The sender's private key
- (B) The recipient's public key
- (C) A key shared on social media
- (D) No key is needed
Show answer
(B) The recipient's public key Anyone can encrypt with the recipient's public key; only the recipient's private key can decrypt it.