That Blue Square Thing

Syllabus content:
PDF iconUnit 6 content - PDF doc to download and print
Note: this syllabus content is a slightly amended version of the one published freely on the web by AQA. I have made very minor adjustments to remove some content less suitable for students to use and it is presented here simply to allow the children I teach to download a usable copy of the syllabus content. It is copyright AQA and reproduced here simply to make access easier for students. No attempt to claim copyright is being made, although I could have copied the text into my own interpretation...

AQA Computer Science GCSE

This page is up to date for the new AQA 8525 syllabus for the 2022 exam.

Cyber Security

Cyber security is a major issue. It's all about how we protect computer systems and our data from attack and damage.

In a modern world that's increasingly dependent on computer systems and the data they store and process, it's vital that we're able to use those systems whenever we need to. But there are all sorts of reasons why they might be under attack and ways we might lose control of our data.

Note that there are strong links in this unit to Network Security and the Unit 8 - Ethics: hacking and cracking section. These parts of Unit 8 could well be the focus for longer questions on Paper 2.

What is Cyber Security?

PDF iconCyber Security Headlines - mostly from 2019 (created 27 March 2019)

You need to know a quite complex definition of cyber security and to describe what the main purposes of security are.

PDF iconCyber Security Intro - intro slides from class

There are seven classic cyber security threats that you need to understand about.

PDF iconCyber Security Threats - slides from class

PDF iconCyber Security Textbook Spread - notes on some details and plenty of activities

PDF iconPassword Security - slides from class

PDF iconPenetration Testing - summary slides

PDF iconThreats Table - a writing frame to help structure this if you need it

Some web links to stories from the resources: