A hand plugs a USB into a laptop in a data center with a glowing Wargrave College shield, server racks, and shadowy figures, representing cybersecurity.

Digital Systems as 'Targets' When a system is a target, criminals want to break into it directly to steal, destroy, or lock data. Evidence from Wargrave College: Unsecured IT room – The servers were in a room that anyone could walk into. That made them a physical target. A criminal could plug a USB drive directly into a server. Outdated operating systems – Old software has known weaknesses. Criminals use websites that list exactly how to break into those systems. This makes them easy digital targets. Basic firewall and antivirus – These failed against the ransomware. The college website likely promotes the computer science department, which advertises that valuable data exists there. Example: The student records database was a target. The ransomware encrypted it because there was no separation between the main network and the database. Digital Systems as 'Tools' When a system is a tool, criminals use it to attack other people or organisations. The owner of the system usually doesn't even know it is being used. Evidence from Wargrave College: The teacher's laptop – It was infected at home. Then the ransomware used that laptop as a tool to spread across the college network. The laptop became an attacker without the teacher knowing. The college email server – If compromised, criminals could send fake emails to parents, partner schools, or even other colleges. Because the emails come from a real college address, people would trust them. Student computers in the lab – If a Mostra altro