Question

A cyber consultant inspects a corporate desktop after receiving numerous complaints. What type of vulnerability can include instances where processors inside the computer allow malicious programs to steal data during processing?

a) Network Vulnerability
b) Physical Vulnerability
c) Software Vulnerability
d) Hardware Vulnerability

Answer 1

The vulnerability in question is a Hardware Vulnerability, which exists in the physical components of a computer such as processors, allowing data theft during processing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of vulnerability that includes instances where processors inside the computer allow malicious programs to steal data during processing is known as a Hardware Vulnerability. These vulnerabilities are present in the physical components of the computer system, like CPUs or motherboards, and can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. One well-known example of a hardware vulnerability is Spectre and Meltdown, which affect modern processors by exploiting speculative execution to access protected memory.

Answer 2

Option D: The vulnerability that allows malicious programs to steal data from processors is a Hardware Vulnerability, exemplified by notable vulnerabilities such as Meltdown and Spectre, and requires specialized mitigation efforts.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of vulnerability that can include instances where processors inside the computer allow malicious programs to steal data during processing is a Hardware Vulnerability. This sort of vulnerability comes from flaws in the design or implementation of hardware components. Notorious examples of this include the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities which affected many modern processors. These security flaws allowed attackers to exploit design weaknesses and access sensitive data. Unlike software vulnerabilities, which can often be patched with updates, hardware vulnerabilities can be harder to mitigate and may require physical replacements or changes to processor firmware.

The vulnerability that allows malicious programs to steal data during processing is a Hardware Vulnerability. One example of this type of vulnerability is Meltdown, a hardware vulnerability discovered in 2018. Meltdown exploits a feature called speculative execution found in many modern processors to access privileged memory. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can potentially gain access to sensitive data, such as passwords or encryption keys, that is being processed by the computer.