6 Security, privacy and data

integrity

6.1
In this chapter, you will learn about

Data security
★ the terms security, privacy and integrity of data
★ the need for security of data and security of computer systems
★ security measures to protect computer systems such as user
accounts, passwords, digital signatures, firewalls, antivirus and
anti-spyware software and encryption
★ security threats such as viruses and spyware, hacking, phishing and
pharming
★ methods used to reduce security risks such as encryption and access
rights
★ the use of validation to protect data integrity
★ the use of verification during data entry and data transfer to reduce or
eliminate errors.

6.1 Data security

WHAT YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW
Try these five questions before you read the first 4 a) What are pop-ups when visiting a website?
part of this chapter. Are they a security risk?
1 a) What is meant by hacking? b) What are cookies? Do cookies pose a
b) Is hacking always an illegal act? Justify security threat?
your answer. c) Describe:
2 Contactless credit cards and debit cards are i) session cookies
regarded by some as a security risk. ii) permanent cookies
iii) third party cookies.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of using contactless cards with particular 5 Why must the correct procedures be carried
reference to data security. out when removing a memory stick from a
computer?
3 What are the main differences between
cracking and hacking?

Key terms
Data privacy – the privacy of personal information, or User account – an agreement that allows an individual
other information stored on a computer, that should not to use a computer or network server, often requiring a
be accessed by unauthorised parties. user name and password.
Data protection laws – laws which govern how data Authentication – a way of proving somebody or
should be kept private and secure. something is who or what they claim to be.
Data security – methods taken to prevent unauthorised Access rights (data security) – use of access levels to ensure
access to data and to recover data if lost or corrupted. only authorised users can gain access to certain data.

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 Malware – malicious software that seeks to damage or example, deletion of files or use of private data to the

6 gain unauthorised access to a computer system.

Firewall – software or hardware that sits between
a computer and external network that monitors and
hacker’s advantage).
Ethical hacking – hacking used to test the security
and vulnerability of a computer system. The hacking is
filters all incoming and outgoing activities. carried out with the permission of the computer system
Anti-spyware software – software that detects and owner, for example, to help a company identify risks
removes spyware programs installed illegally on a associated with malicious hacking of their computer
user’s computer system. systems.
Encryption – the use of encryption keys to make data Phishing – legitimate-looking emails designed to trick
a recipient into giving their personal data to the sender
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

meaningless without the correct decryption key.

of the email.
Biometrics – use of unique human characteristics to
identify a user (such as fingerprints or face recognition). Pharming – redirecting a user to a fake website in order
to illegally obtain personal data about the user.
Hacking – illegal access to a computer system without
the owner’s permission. DNS cache poisoning – altering IP addresses on a DNS
server by a ‘pharmer’ or hacker with the intention of
Malicious hacking – hacking done with the sole intent
redirecting a user to their fake website.
of causing harm to a computer system or user (for

6.1.1 Data privacy

Data stored about a person or an organisation must remain private and
unauthorised access to the data must be prevented – data privacy is required.
This is achieved partly by data protection laws. These laws vary from country
to country, but all follow the same eight guiding principles.

1 Data must be fairly and lawfully processed.

2 Data can only be processed for the stated purpose.
3 Data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive.
4 Data must be accurate.
5 Data must not be kept longer than necessary.
6 Data must be processed in accordance with the data subject’s rights.
7 Data must be kept secure.
8 Data must not be transferred to another country unless that country also has
adequate protection.

Data protection laws usually cover organisations rather than private

individuals. Such laws are no guarantee of privacy, but the legal threat of fines
or jail sentences deters most people.

6.1.2 Preventing data loss and restricting data access

Data security refers to the methods used to prevent unauthorised access to
data, as well as to the data recovery methods if it is lost.

User accounts
User accounts are used to authenticate a user (prove that a user is who
they say they are). User accounts are used on both standalone and networked
computers in case the computer can be accessed by a number of people. This is
often done by a screen prompt asking for a username and password:

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 6
User login
Need an account? Sign Up

6.1
username

Data security
password

keep me logged in

Sign In

Forgot your password? Click here

▲ Figure 6.1 A login screen

User accounts control access rights. This often involves levels of access. For
example, in a hospital it would not be appropriate for a cleaner to have
EXTENSION access to data about one of the patients. However, a consultant would need
ACTIVITY 6A such access. Therefore, most systems have a hierarchy of access levels
depending on a person’s level of security. This could be achieved by
An airport uses a username and password with each username (account) linked to the
computer system appropriate level of access.
to control security,
flight bookings, Use of passwords
passenger lists,
administration and Passwords are used to restrict access to data or systems. They should be hard
customer services. to crack and changed frequently to retain security. Passwords can also take the
Describe how it is form of biometrics (such as on a mobile phone, as discussed later). Passwords
possible to ensure are also used, for example, when
the safety of the
» accessing email accounts
data on the system
» carrying out online banking or shopping
so that senior staff
can see all data, » accessing social networking sites.
while customers can
only access flight It is important that passwords are protected. Some ways of doing this are to
times (arrivals and » run anti-spyware software to make sure your passwords are not being relayed
departures) and duty to whoever put the spyware on your computer
free offers. » regularly change passwords in case they have been seen by someone else,
illegally or accidentally
» make sure passwords are difficult to crack or guess (for example, do not use
your date of birth or pet’s name).

Passwords are grouped as either strong (hard to crack or guess) or weak

(relatively easy to crack or guess). Strong passwords should contain
» at least one capital letter
» at least one numerical value
» at least one other keyboard character (such as @, *, &)
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 Example of a strong password: Sy12@#TT90kj=0

6 Example of a weak password: GREEN

EXTENSION ACTIVITY 6B

Which of the following are weak passwords and which are strong
passwords?
Explain your decision in each case.
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

a) 25-May-2000
b) Pas5word
c) ChapTer@06
d) AbC*N55!
e) 12345X

Digital signatures
Digital signatures protect data by providing a way of identifying the sender of,
for example, an email. These are covered in more depth in Chapter 17.

Use of firewalls
A firewall can be software or hardware. It sits between the user’s computer and
an external network (such as the internet) and filters information in and out
of the computer. This allows the user to decide to allow communication with
an external source and warns a user that an external source is trying to access
their computer. Firewalls are the primary defence to any computer system to
protect from hacking, malware (viruses and spyware), phishing and pharming.

firewall (software
user’s computer internet
or hardware)
▲ Figure 6.2 Firewall

The tasks carried out by a firewall include

» examining the traffic between the user’s computer (or internal network) and
a public network (such as the internet)
» checking whether incoming or outgoing data meets a given set of criteria
» blocking the traffic if the data fails to meet the criteria, and giving the user
(or network manager) a warning that there may be a security issue
» logging all incoming and outgoing traffic to allow later interrogation by the
user (or network manager)
» preventing access to certain undesirable sites – the firewall can keep a list
of all undesirable IP addresses
» helping to prevent viruses or hackers entering the user’s computer (or
internal network)
» warning the user if some software on their system is trying to access an
external data source (such as an automatic software upgrade). The user is given
the option of allowing it to go ahead or request that such access is denied.

The firewall can be a hardware interface which is located somewhere between

the computer (or internal network external link) and the internet connection. In

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 these cases, it is often referred to as a gateway. Alternatively, the firewall can

6
be software installed on a computer, sometimes as part of the operating system.
However, sometimes the firewall cannot prevent potential harmful traffic. It
cannot
» prevent individuals, on internal networks, using their own modems to
by-pass the firewall
» control employee misconduct or carelessness (for example, control of
passwords or user accounts)
» prevent users on stand-alone computers from disabling the firewall.

6.1
Data security
These issues require management and/or personal control to ensure the firewall
can work effectively.

Antivirus software
Running antivirus software in the background on a computer will constantly
check for virus attacks. Although different types of antivirus software work in
different ways, they all
» check software or files before they are run or loaded on a computer
» compare possible viruses against a database of known viruses
» carry out heuristic checking (check software for behaviour that could
indicate a virus, which is useful if software is infected by a virus not yet on
the database)
» quarantine files or programs which are possibly infected and
– allow the virus to be automatically deleted, or
– allow the user to make the decision about deletion (it is possible that
the user knows that the file or program is not infected by a virus – this
is known as a false positive and is one of the drawbacks of antivirus
software).
Antivirus software needs to be kept up to date since new viruses are constantly
being discovered. Full system checks need to be carried out regularly (once a
week, for example), since some viruses lie dormant and would only be picked up
by this full system scan.

Anti-spyware software
Anti-spyware software detects and removes spyware programs installed
illegally on a user’s computer system. The software is either based on rules
(it looks for typical features associated with spyware) or based on known file
structures which can identify common spyware programs.

Encryption
If data on a computer has been accessed illegally (by a hacker, for example) it
is possible to encrypt the data, making it virtually impossible to understand
without encryption keys to decode it. This cannot stop a hacker from deleting
the files, but it will stop them using the data for themselves. This is covered in
more depth in Chapter 17.

Biometrics
In an attempt to stay one step ahead of hackers and malware writers, many
modern computer devices use biometrics as part of the password system.
Biometrics rely on the unique characteristics of human beings. Examples
include fingerprint scans, retina scans (pattern of blood capillary structure),
face recognition and voice recognition.
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 Fingerprint scans

6 Images of fingerprints are compared against previously scanned fingerprints

stored in a database; if they match then access is allowed; the system
compares patterns of ‘ridges’ and ‘valleys’ which are fairly unique (accuracy
is about 1 in 500).
Retina scans
Retina scans use infra-red to scan the unique pattern of blood vessels in the retina
(at the back of the eye). It requires a person to stay still for 10 to 15 seconds
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

while the scan takes place; it is very secure since nobody has yet found a way to
duplicate the blood vessels patterns’ (accuracy is about 1 in 10 million).

▲ Figure 6.3 Fingerprint

▲ Figure 6.4 Retina scan

Mobile phones use biometrics to identify if the phone user is the owner.

6.1.3 Risks to the security of stored data

Hacking
You will see the term hacking used throughout this textbook. There are two
types of hacking: malicious and ethical.
Malicious hacking is the illegal access to a computer system without the user’s
permission or knowledge. It is usually employed with the intention of deleting,
altering or corrupting files, or to gain personal details such as bank account
details. Strong passwords, firewalls and software which can detect illegal
activity all guard against hacking.
Ethical hacking is authorised by companies to check their security measures
and how robust their computer systems are to resist hacking attacks. It is
legal, and is done with a company’s permission with a fee paid to the ethical
hacker.

Malware
Malware is one of the biggest risks to the integrity and security of data on a
computer system. Many software applications sold as antivirus are capable of
identifying and removing most of the forms of malware described below.
Viruses
Programs or program code that can replicate and/or copy themselves with the
intention of deleting or corrupting files or causing the computer to malfunction.

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 They need an active host program on the target computer or an operating

6
system that has already been infected before they can run.
Worms
A type of stand-alone virus that can replicate themselves with the intention of
spreading to other computers; they often use networks to search out computers
with weak security.
Logic bombs
Code embedded in a program on a computer. When certain conditions are met

6.1
(such as a specific date) they are activated to carry out tasks such as deleting

Data security
files or sending data to a hacker.
Trojan horses
Malicious programs often disguised as legitimate software. They replace all or
part of the legitimate software with the intent of carrying out some harm to
the user’s computer system.
Bots (internet robots)
Not always harmful and can be used, for example, to search automatically for
an item on the internet. However, they can cause harm by taking control over a
computer system and launching attacks.
Spyware
Software that gathers information by monitoring, for example, key presses on
the user’s keyboard. The information is then sent back to the person who sent
the software – sometimes referred to as key logging software.

Phishing
Phishing is when someone sends legitimate-looking emails to users. They
may contain links or attachments which, when clicked, take the user to a fake
website, or they may trick the user into responding with personal data such as
bank account details or credit card numbers. The email often appears to come
from a trusted source such as a bank or service provider. The key is that the
recipient has to carry out a task (click a link, for example) before the phishing
scam causes harm.
There are numerous ways to help prevent phishing attacks:
» Users need to be aware of new phishing scams. Those people in industry or
commerce should undergo frequent security awareness training to become
aware of how to identify phishing (and pharming) scams.
» Do not click on links unless certain that it is safe to do so; fake emails
can often be identified by greetings such as ‘Dear Customer’ or ‘Dear
[email protected]’, and so on.
» It is important to run anti-phishing toolbars on web browsers (this includes
tablets and mobile phones) since these will alert the user to malicious
websites contained in an email.
» Look out for https and/or the green padlock symbol in the address bar (both
suggest that traffic to and from the website is encrypted).
» Regularly check online accounts and frequently change passwords.
» Ensure an up-to-date browser, with all of the latest security upgrades,
is running, and run a good firewall in the background at all times. A
combination of a desktop firewall (usually software) and a network firewall
(usually hardware) considerably reduces risk.
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 » Be wary of pop-ups – use the web browser to block them; if pop-ups get

6
through your defences, do not click on ‘cancel’ since this often leads to
phishing or pharming sites – the best option is to select the small X in the
top right hand corner of the pop-up window, which closes it down.

Pharming
Pharming is malicious code installed on a user’s computer or on a web
server. The code re-directs the user to a fake website without their
knowledge (the user does not have to take any action, unlike phishing). The
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

creator of the malicious code can gain personal data such as bank details
from users. Often, the website appears to belong to a trusted company and
can lead to fraud or identity theft.
Why does pharming pose a threat to data security?
Pharming redirects users to a fake or malicious website set up by, for example,
a hacker. Redirection from a legitimate website can be done using DNS cache
poisoning.
Every time a user types in a URL, their web browser contacts the DNS
server. The IP address of the website is then sent back to their web
browser. However, DNS cache poisoning changes the real IP address values
to those of the fake website consequently, the user’s computer connects to
the fake website.
Pharmers can also send malicious programming code to a user’s computer. The
code is stored on the HDD without their knowledge. Whenever the user types in
the website address of the targeted website, the malicious programming code
alters the IP address sent back to their browser which redirects it to the fake
website.
Protection against pharming
It is possible to mitigate the risk of pharming by
» using antivirus software, which can detect unauthorised alterations to a
website address and warn the user
» using modern web browsers that alert users to pharming and phishing
attacks
» checking the spelling of websites
» checking for https and/or the green padlock symbol in the address bar.

It is more difficult to mitigate risk if the DNS server itself has been infected
(rather than the user’s computer).

EXTENSION ACTIVITY 6C
Pharmers alter IP addresses in order to send users to fake websites.
However, the internet does not only have one DNS server. Find out how a
user’s internet service provider (ISP) uses its own DNS servers which cache
information from other internet DNS servers.

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 6.1.4 Data recovery
This section covers the potential impact on data caused by accidental
mal-operation, hardware malfunction and software malfunction. 6
In each case, the method of data recovery and safeguards to minimise the risk
are considered.

n use back-ups in case the data is lost

accidental loss of or corrupted through an accidental

6.1
data (for example, operation
accidental deletion of n save data on a regular basis

Data security
a file) n use passwords and user IDs to restrict
access to authorised users only

n use back-ups in case data is lost or

corrupted through the hardware fault
hardware fault (such n use uninterruptable power supply (USP)
as head crash on the in case power loss causes hardware
HDD) malfunction
n save data on a regular basis
n use parallel systems as back-up hardware

n use back-ups in case the data is lost or

software fault (for
corrupted through the software fault
example, incompatible
n save data on a regular basis in case the
software installed on
software suddenly ‘freezes’ or ‘crashes’
the system)
while the user is working on it

incorrect computer n use back-ups in case data is lost or

operation (for example, corrupted through wrong operation
incorrect shutdown or n correct training procedures so users
procedure for removing are aware of the correct operation of
memory stick) hardware
▲ Figure 6.5 Safeguards

In all cases, the backing up of data regularly (automatically and/or manually at

the end of the day) onto another medium (such as cloud storage, or removable
HDD) is key to data recovery. The back-up should be stored in a separate
location in case of, for example, a fire or an office break-in. Somebody should
be given the role of carrying out back-ups, to ensure it it always done.

Backing up data may not be a suitable method of recovery in the case of a

virus infection, as the backed up data may contain strands of the virus which
could re-infect the ‘cleaned’ computer.

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 ACTIVITY 6A
6 1 A company has offices in four different countries. Communication and
data sharing between the offices is done via computers connecting over
the internet.
Describe three data security issues the company might encounter during
their day to day communications and data sharing.
For each issue described, explain why it could be a threat to the security
of the company.
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

For each issue described, describe a way to mitigate the threat which has
been posed.
2 Define these three terms.
a) Worm
b) Logic bomb
c) Trojan horse
3 John works for a car company. He maintains the database which contains
all the personal data of the people working for the car company. John was
born on 28 February 1990 and has two pet cats called Felix and Max.
a) John needs to use a password and a username to log onto the
database. Why would the following three passwords not be a good
choice?
i) 280290
ii) FeLix1234
iii) John04
b) Describe how John could improve his passwords.
How should he maintain his passwords to maximise database
security?
c) When John enters a password on his computer, he is presented with
the following question on screen.

Would you like to save the password on this device?

Why is it important that John always says ‘no’ to this question?

d) John frequently orders goods from an online company called NILE.com.
He opens an email which purports to be from NILE.com.

Dear NILE.com user

This is to confirm your recent order for:
01230123 A level Computer Science Workbook, $15.90
If this is not your order, please click on the following link and update your
details:
[email protected]
Thank you. Customer services.

Explain why John should be suspicious of the email.

Include, in your explanation, the type of security threat identified by
this email.

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 6.2 Data integrity
WHAT YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW
6
Key terms Try these three questions before you read the second part of this chapter.
1 Look at the following validation screen from a spreadsheet.
Data integrity – the
accuracy, completeness Why is it important to have validation in applications such as
and consistency of data. spreadsheets?

6.2 Data integrity

Validation – method
used to ensure entered
data is reasonable and
meets certain input
criteria.
Verification – method
used to ensure data is
correct by using double
entry or visual checks.
Check digit – additional
digit appended to a
number to check if
entered data is
error free.
Modulo-11 – method
used to calculate a
check digit based on
modulus division by 11.
Checksum –
verification method
used to check if data
transferred has been
altered or corrupted,
calculated from the
block of data to be sent.
Parity check – method 2 Why is proofreading not the same as verification?
used to check if data
has been transferred 3 Discuss one way online form designers can ensure that only certain
correctly that uses data can be input by a user. Use the date: 12 March 2019 as the
even or odd parity. example.
Parity bit – an extra
bit found at the end
of a byte that is set to
Data stored on a computer should always be accurate, consistent and up to date.
1 if the parity of the Two of the methods used to ensure data integrity are validation and verification.
byte needs to change The accuracy (integrity) of data can be compromised
to agree with sender/
receiver parity protocol. » during the data entry and data transmission stages
Odd parity – binary » by malicious attacks on the data, for example caused by malware and hacking
number with an odd » by accidental data loss caused through hardware issues.
number of 1-bits.
Even parity – binary These risks – together with ways of mitigating them – are discussed in the rest
number with an even of this chapter.
number of 1-bits.
Parity block – horizontal 6.2.1 Validation
and vertical parity check
on a block of data being
Validation is a method of checking if entered data is reasonable (and within a
transferred. given criteria), but it cannot check if data is correct or accurate. For example,
if somebody accidentally enters their age as 62 instead of 26, it is reasonable
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 but not accurate or correct. Validation is carried out by computer software; the
Key terms
6
most common types are shown in Table 6.1.
Parity byte – additional Validation Description Example of data Example of data
byte sent with
test failing validation test passing validation
transmitted data to
test
enable vertical parity
checking (as well type checks whether typing sk.34 in a field typing 34.50 in a field
as horizontal parity non-numeric data which should contain which should contain
checking) to be carried has been input into a the price of an item the price of an item
out. numeric-only field
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

Automatic repeat range checks whether data typing in somebody’s typing in somebody’s
request (ARQ) – a type entered is between age as −120 age as 48
of verification check. a lower and an upper
Acknowledgement – limit
message sent to a format checks whether data typing in the date as typing in the date as
receiver to indicate that has been entered in the 12-12-20 where the 12/12/2020 where the
data has been received
agreed format format is dd/mm/yyyy format is dd/mm/yyyy
without error.
length checks whether data typing in a telephone typing in a telephone
Timeout – time allowed
to elapse before an
has the required number as 012 345 678 number as
acknowledgement is number of characters or when it should contain 012 345 678 90 when it
received. numbers 11 digits should contain 11 digits
presence checks to make sure a please enter passport please enter passport
field is not left empty number:……………… number: AB 1234567 CD
when it should contain
data
existence checks if data in a file data look up for car data look up for a file
or a file name actually registration plate A123 called books_in_stock
exists BCD which does not which exists in a
exist database
limit check Checks only one of typing in age as −25 typing in somebody’s
the limits (such as where the data entered age as 72 where the
the upper limit OR the should not be negative upper limit is 140
lower limit)
consistency checks whether data typing in Mr in the title typing in Ms in the
check in two or more fields field and then choosing title field and then
match up correctly female in the sex field choosing female in the
sex field
uniqueness checks that each choosing the user name choosing the website
check entered value is unique MAXIMUS222 in a social name Aristooo.com
networking site but which is not already
the user name already used
exists
▲ Table 6.1 Common validation

6.2.2 Verification
Verification is a way of preventing errors when data is entered manually (using a
keyboard, for example) or when data is transferred from one computer to another.

Verification during data entry

When data is manually entered into a computer it needs to undergo verification
to ensure there are no errors. There are three ways of doing this: double entry,
visual check and check digits.

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 Double entry
Data is entered twice, using two different people, and then compared (either
after data entry or during the data entry process). 6
Visual check
Entered data is compared with the original document (in other words, what is
on the screen is compared to the data on the original paper documents).
Check digits

6.2 Data integrity

The check digit is an additional digit added to a number (usually in the right-
most position). They are often used in barcodes, ISBNs (found on the cover of a
book) and VINs (vehicle identification number). The check digit can be used to
ensure the barcode, for example, has been correctly inputted. The check digit
can catch errors including
» an incorrect digit being entered (such as 8190 instead of 8180)
» a transposition error where two numbers have been swapped (such as 8108
instead of 8180)
» digits being omitted or added (such as 818 or 81180 instead of 8180)
» phonetic errors such as 13 (thirteen) instead of 30 (thirty).

Figure 6.6 shows a barcode with an ISBN-13 code with check digit.
9780340983829 An example of a check digit calculation is modulo-11. The following algorithm
▲ Figure 6.6 Barcode is used to generate the check digit for a number with seven digits:
1 Each digit in the number is given a weighting of 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1, starting
from the left.
2 The digit is multiplied by its weighting and then each value is added to
make a total.
3 The total is divided by 11 and the remainder subtracted from 11.
4 The check digit is the value generated; note if the check digit is 10 then
X is used.
For example:

Seven digit number: 4 1 5 6 7 1 0

Weighting values: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Sum: (7 × 4) + (6 × 1) + (5 × 5) + (4 × 6) + (3 × 7)
+ (2 × 1) + (1 × 0)
= 28 + 6 + 25 + 24 + 21 + 2 + 0
Total: = 106
Divide total by 11: 9 remainder 7
subtract remainder from 11: 11 – 7 = 4 (check digit)
final number: 4 1 5 6 7 1 0 4

When this number is entered, the check digit is recalculated and, if the same
value is not generated, an error has occurred. For example, if 4 1 5 7 6 1 0 4
was entered, the check digit generated would be 3, indicating an error.

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 EXTENSION ACTIVITY 6D
6 1 Find out how the ISBN-13 method works and confirm that the number
978 034 098 382 has a check digit of 9.
2 Find the check digits for the following numbers using both modulo-11 and
ISBN-13.
a) 213 111 000 428
b) 909 812 123 544
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

3 Find a common use for the modulo-11 method of generating check digits.

Verification during data transfer

When data is transferred electronically from one device to another, there is
always the possibility of data corruption or even data loss. A number of ways
exist to minimise this risk.
Checksums
A checksum is a method to check if data has been changed or corrupted
following data transmission. Data is sent in blocks and an additional value, the
checksum, is sent at the end of the block of data.
To explain how this works, we will assume the checksum of a block of data is
1 byte in length. This gives a maximum value of 28 − 1 (= 255). The value
0000 0000 is ignored in this calculation. The following explains how a
checksum is generated.
If the sum of all the bytes in the transmitted block of data is ≤ 255, then the
checksum is this value. However, if the sum of all the bytes in the data block
> 255, then the checksum is found using the following simple algorithm.
In the example we will assume the value of X is 1185.
divide the sum, X, of the bytes by
① (X = 1185): 1185/256 = 4.629
256

Rounding down to nearest whole round the answer down to the

②
number gives Y = 4 nearest whole number, Y

Multiplying by 256 gives

③ Z = Y * 256
Z = Y * 256 = 1024

The difference (X – Z) gives the

④ calculate the difference (X – Z)
checksum: (1185 – 1024) = 161

⑤ This gives the checksum: 161 the value is the checksum

▲ Figure 6.7

When a block of data is about to be transmitted, the checksum for the bytes
is first calculated. This value is transmitted with the block of data. At the
receiving end, the checksum is re-calculated from the block of data received.
This calculated value is compared to the checksum transmitted. If they are the
same, then the data was transmitted without any errors; if they are different,
then a request is sent for the data to be re-transmitted.
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 Parity checks
A parity check is another method to check whether data has been changed or
corrupted following transmission from one device or medium to another. 6
A byte of data, for example, is allocated a parity bit. This is allocated before
transmission. Systems that use even parity have an even number of 1-bits;
systems that use odd parity have an odd number of 1-bits.
Consider the following byte:
1 1 0 1 1 0 0

6.2 Data integrity

parity bit

▲ Figure 6.8

If this byte is using even parity, then the parity bit needs to be 0 since there is
already an even number of 1-bits (in this case, four).
If odd parity is being used, then the parity bit needs to be 1 to make the
number of 1-bits odd. Therefore, the byte just before transmission would be:
either (even parity): 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
 
parity bit

or (odd parity): 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
 
parity bit

▲ Figure 6.9

Before data is transferred, an agreement is made between sender and receiver

regarding which of the two types of parity are used. This is an example of a
protocol.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY 6E
Find the parity bits for each of the following bytes:
1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 even parity used
2 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 even parity used
3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 even parity used
4 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 odd parity used
5 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 odd parity used

If a byte has been transmitted from ‘A’ to ‘B’, and even parity is used, an error
would be flagged if the byte now had an odd number of 1-bits at the receiver’s
end.
For example:
Sender’s byte: 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
 
parity bit

Receiver’s byte: 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0
 
parity bit

▲ Figure 6.10

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 In this case, the receiver’s byte has three 1-bits, which means it now has odd

6
parity, while the byte from the sender had even parity (four 1-bits). This means
an error has occurred during the transmission of the data.
The error is detected by the computer re-calculating the parity of the byte
sent. If even parity has been agreed between sender and receiver, then a
change of parity in the received byte indicates that a transmission error has
occurred.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY 6F
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

1 Which of the following bytes have an error following data transmission?

a) 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 even parity used
b) 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 even parity used
c) 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 even parity used
d) 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 odd parity used
e) 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 odd parity used
2 In each case where an error occurs, can you work out which bit is
incorrect?

Naturally, any of the bits in the above example could have been changed
leading to a transmission error. Therefore, even though an error has been
flagged, it is impossible to know exactly which bit is in error.
One of the ways around this problem is to use parity blocks. In this method,
a block of data is sent and the number of 1-bits are totalled horizontally and
vertically (in other words, a parity check is done in both horizontal and vertical
directions). As the following example shows, this method not only identifies
that an error has occurred but also indicates where the error is.
In this example, nine bytes of data have been transmitted. Agreement has
been made that even parity will be used. Another byte, known as the parity
byte, has also been sent. This byte consists entirely of the parity bits
produced by the vertical parity check. The parity byte also indicates the end
of the block of data.
Table 6.2 shows how the data arrived at the receiving end:
parity bit bit 2 bit 3 bit 4 bit 5 bit 6 bit 7 bit 8
byte 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0
byte 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1
byte 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
byte 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
byte 5 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1
byte 6 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
byte 7 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1
byte 8 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
byte 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
parity 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1
byte
▲ Table 6.2

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 A careful study of the table shows that
» byte 8 (row 8) has incorrect parity (there are three 1-bits)
» bit 5 (column 5) also has incorrect parity (there are five 1-bits). 6
First, the table shows that an error has occurred following data transmission.
Second, at the intersection of row 8 and column 5, the position of the incorrect
bit value (which caused the error) can be found. This means that byte 8 should
have been:

6.2 Data integrity

0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0

which would also correct column 5 giving an even vertical parity (now has four
1-bits).
This byte could, therefore, be corrected automatically, as shown above, or an
error message could be relayed back to the sender asking them to re-transmit
the block of data. One final point; if two of the bits change value following
data transmission, it may be impossible to locate the error using the above
method.
For example, using the above example again:
0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
This byte could reach the destination as:
0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1

or: 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

or: 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0

All three are clearly incorrect, but they have retained even parity so will
not trigger an error message at the receiving end. Clearly, other methods to
complement parity when it comes to error checking of transmitted data are
required (such as checksum).
Automatic repeat request (ARQ)
Automatic repeat request (ARQ) is another method to check data following
data transmission. This method can be summarised as follows:
» ARQ uses acknowledgement (a message sent to the receiver indicating that
data has been received correctly) and timeout (the time interval allowed to
elapse before an acknowledgement is received).
» When the receiving device detects an error following data transmission, it
asks for the data packet to be re-sent.
» If no error is detected, a positive acknowledgement is sent to the sender.
» The sending device will re-send the data package if
– it receives a request to re-send the data, or
– a timeout has occurred.
» The whole process is continuous until the data packet received is correct or
until the ARQ time limit (timeout) is reached.
» ARQ is often used by mobile phone networks to guarantee data integrity.

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 ACTIVITY 6B
6 1 The following block of data was received after transmission from a
remote computer; odd parity was being used by both sender and receiver.
One of the bits has been changed during the transmission stage.
Locate where this error is and suggest a corrected byte value:

parity bit 2 bit 3 bit 4 bit 5 bit 6 bit 7 bit 8

bit
6 Security, privacy and data integrity

byte 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
byte 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
byte 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
byte 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
byte 5 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
byte 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
byte 7 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
byte 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
byte 9 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0
parity 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0
byte

2 a) A company is collecting data about new customers and is using an

online form to collect the data, as shown below.
Describe a suitable validation check for each of the four groups of fields.

① Name of person

② Date of birth

③ Telephone number

④ Title

Sex Female: Male:

b) Explain the differences between validation and verification.

Why are both methods used to maintain the integrity of data?
3 A shopkeeper is populating a database containing information about
goods for sale in their shop.
They are entering the data manually, using both validation and verification
to ensure the integrity of the entered data.
Here is an example of a record:
A21516BX 25 205.50 03334445556
code of the item number in stock unit cost in telephone
NXXXXNN (1–100) dollars number of
(N = letter; supplier of item
X = digit)
a) Describe how verification could be used to ensure the accuracy of the
entered data.
b) Describe suitable validation checks for all four fields and give
examples of data which would fail your chosen validation methods.

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 End of chapter 1 A college is using a local area network (LAN) to access data from a database.
questions a) Give two security measures to protect the data on the college’s computer
system.[2]
6
b) Data regarding new students joining the college is being entered into the
database.
Each student has a 7-digit identification number (ID).
A check digit is used as a form of checking to ensure errors have not
been made when entering the ID numbers. The verification routine uses

6.2 Data integrity

modulo-11 with the check digit as the eighth (right-most) digit.
The weightings used to calculate the check digit are: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1;
the value 7 is the multiplier for the left-most digit.
The ID number is: 1 5 6 3 4 1 2
Calculate the check digit. [4]
c) Name and describe two validation checks that could be carried out on the
student ID number. [4]
2 a) Explain what antivirus software is and how it can be used to ensure data
security.[4]
b) Explain how a firewall can be used to identify illegal attempts at accessing a
computer system and how they can be used to keep data safe. [4]
3 The following block of data was received after transmission from a remote computer.
Odd parity was being used by both sender and receiver.
One of the bits has been changed during the transmission stage.
Locate where this error is and suggest a corrected byte value. [5]
parity bit 2 bit 3 bit 4 bit 5 bit 6 bit 7 bit 8
bit
byte 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
byte 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0
byte 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
byte 4 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
byte 5 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0
byte 6 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
byte 7 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1
byte 8 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1
byte 9 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0
parity 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1
byte

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