Q.Distinguish between Hacking and Phishing. (Additional practice — the real Semester II paper for this unit carries exactly one 2-mark and one 3-mark question, 5 marks total.)

Both are cyber threats, but they attack in fundamentally different ways — one breaks in directly, the other tricks the victim into opening the door.

Hacking (Section b) means dishonestly or fraudulently gaining unauthorised access to a computer, computer system, or network — typically with intent to damage, alter, or steal the data or resources found there. The wrongdoer's method is to break into a system that they have no permission to access.

Phishing, by contrast, does not require any unauthorised technical access at all. It is a fraudulent attempt — usually a deceptive email, message, or fake website designed to look like it comes from a genuine organisation such as a bank — intended to trick the victim into voluntarily revealing sensitive information such as passwords, PINs, or card details. The wrongdoer's method here is deception of the victim, not a technical break-in of a system. …

Students often use 'hacking' as a catch-all word for any cybercrime, including phishing. Keep the distinction precise: hacking is unauthorised SYSTEM access; phishing is deceiving a PERSON — the two are frequently connected in a real attack (a …