(a) Describe how a magnetic stripe reader captures... | Information and Communication Technology 0417 | Paper 1 Mock 01 | Theory

Question 1 Report

(a) Describe how a magnetic stripe reader captures data from a card. [2]

(b) Give two types of data that can be stored on a magnetic stripe. [2]

(c) State two disadvantages of magnetic stripe cards compared to chip-based cards. [2]

Answer

Answer Details

(a) How a magnetic stripe reader captures data from a card:

The card is swiped through the reader, which contains a read head that detects the magnetic patterns encoded on the stripe. [1]
The patterns represent encoded data which the reader converts into digital signals and sends to the computer for processing and verification. [1]

(b) Two types of data that can be stored on a magnetic stripe:

(c) Two disadvantages of magnetic stripe cards compared to chip-based cards:

Magnetic stripes can be easily cloned using a card skimmer device, making them much more vulnerable to fraud than chip-based cards. [1]
Magnetic stripes store less data than chip-based cards and the data can be corrupted by exposure to strong magnets, making them less reliable. [1]

(a) Describe how a magnetic stripe reader captures data from a card. [2] (b) Give two types of data that can be stored on a magnetic stripe. [2] (c) State t...