Classes of vulnerability: human, software and hardware

This week’s topics

Classes of vulnerability: human, software and hardware

1. The classes of common vulnerabilities in software and hardware systems

What you will be able to do

• 3.1 Describe the classes of common vulnerabilities in software and hardware systems.

Activity

Start with this week’s 3 videos, then: Seminar, guided reading and a short written task: describe the classes of common vulnerabilities in software and hardware systems.

Study materials

Videos

• Hacking and brute force attacks · Oak National Academy, Key Stage 3 (lower secondary level) · for registered students
• Social engineering · Oak National Academy, Key Stage 3 (lower secondary level) · for registered students
• Validating data input in a program · Oak National Academy, Key Stage 4 (GCSE level) · for registered students

Further resources

• Foundations of Information Systems, 5.1: Types of Network Vulnerabilities · PDF · OpenStax Foundations of Information Systems (2025), 5.1 on hardware, configuration, password and software vulnerabilities, pp. 163–164 · for registered students
• Foundations of Information Systems, 6.2: Web App and IoT Vulnerabilities · PDF · OpenStax Foundations of Information Systems (2025), 6.2: SQL injection, zero-days, cloud and IoT weaknesses, pp. 218–226 · for registered students
• NIST SP 800-40r4: Why patching (updating) matters · PDF · NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4 (2022), executive summary and sections 1–2 on unpatched and unsupported software (a step up) · for registered students
• Before we knew it: an empirical study of zero-day attacks in the real world · Open-access article · Bilge & Dumitraş (2012), ACM CCS 2012. Measures how long software vulnerabilities are exploited before patches. · for registered students
• Folk models of home computer security · Open-access article · Wash (2010), Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS). How home users think about antivirus, updates and other security software. · for registered students