Cyber Security Awareness Trivia

October is Cyber Security Awareness month at Planet Mainframe, so over here at Trivia Challenge we’ll be focusing our trivia topics on the ever-evolving topic of mainframes and cybersecurity.

Mainframes have long been the backbone of critical industries, particularly in financial services, where they process vast quantities of sensitive data like credit card transactions and ATM withdrawals. As cyber threats evolve, the security of mainframes has become more crucial than ever. 

Despite their reputation for robust security, it has become all too clear that mainframes are not immune to attacks, especially from insiders or sophisticated hackers who breach perimeter defenses. With cyber-attacks increasing in frequency and sophistication, the role of mainframes in safeguarding data through proactive security measures is going to be essential to maintaining trust and stability in global systems.
Take our quiz and see how well you understand the world of cyber security! All the answers can be found in Trevor Eddoll’s article: “Cyber security and cyber resiliency for financial institutions (and everyone else).”

1. What is cyber resiliency primarily concerned with?

 External threats

 Protection against attacks

 Strengthening network defenses

 Detection, forensics, and recovery

2. What was a key outcome, related to cyber security, of the financial crisis in 2008?

 Cybersecurity became less important

 Regulators started ignoring cyber risks

 Financial system destabilization led to stronger regulations

 Financial institutions became immune to attacks

3. Who are the international agencies responsible for setting guidelines for cyber resiliency in financial markets (responsible for publishing “Guidance on Cyber Resilience for Financial Market Infrastructures”)?

 FCA and NIST

 PCI/DSS and ISO

 IOSCO and BIS

 RACF and PCI SSC

4. What does NIST (The National Institute of Standards and Technology) recommend for software verification?

 Regular updates

 Integrity checking through hash codes

 Whitelisting only

 Disabling unused software

5. What is the purpose of whitelisting in cybersecurity?

 To blacklist unauthorized software

 To ensure only authorized software runs

 To enable continuous monitoring

 To block internal threats only

6. What percentage of credit card transactions does IBM estimate are processed on mainframes?

 75%

 50%

 87%

 60%

7. Which major attack method involves hackers targeting backups before encrypting data?

 ATM Cash-out attacks

 Ransomware attacks

 Phishing attacks

 Man-in-the-middle attacks

8. What is the risk if a financial institution is found non-compliant with PCI/DSS regulations after a breach?

 Their compliance status will be unaffected

 They can issue a public apology and move on

 Their credit card processing privileges could be revoked

 They can ignore the breach and continue operations

9. What is the purpose of file integrity monitoring (FIM) on mainframes?

 Monitor unauthorized changes and breaches

 Manage user access control

 Perform regular software updates

 Improve perimeter security

10. Why is it important for companies to have FIM software installed on mainframes?

 To decrease system performance

 To avoid software updates

 To enable free access for all users

 To secure credit card transactions and meet compliance requirements

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