1.7 The importance of using reliable sources of information in relation to CYBERsecurity

Let's imagine you're playing a video game where you're the hero trying to protect your castle from invaders. In this game, you have a lookout team that tells you when they see enemies coming. Now, this team can make two kinds of mistakes, kind of like what happens in the world of cyber security with something called false positives and false negatives.

False Negative

Now, imagine the opposite. The lookout team sees an enemy approaching but thinks, "Nah, they're just travelers," and doesn't sound the alarm. In reality, those "travelers" are invaders planning to attack your castle. This mistake means you don't prepare for an attack, leaving your castle vulnerable. In the cyber world, a false negative happens when a security system doesn't notice a real threat. This means the bad guys (like hackers or viruses) can sneak in and cause trouble because the security team didn't realize they needed to defend against them.

False Positive

This is like your lookout team getting super nervous and mistaking a flock of birds for an attacking army. They scream, "Invaders!" and you and your team prepare for battle, only to find out it was just birds. This mistake makes everyone waste time and energy, and while you're all focused on the birds, you might miss seeing a real enemy sneaking up. In cyber security, a false positive is when a security system thinks there's a danger (like a virus or hacker) when there isn't one. This can make the security team waste time checking out something that's not actually a threat, taking their attention away from real problems.

In both cases, whether it's a game or in real life's cyber security, using the most accurate and up-to-date information is super important. Reliable info helps the lookout team—or the cyber security team—make the right call, so they don't get tricked by false alarms or miss real dangers. Technology changes fast, and the bad guys are always coming up with new tricks, so staying sharp and using good information helps keep the castle (or computer systems) safe.