Cybersecurity Terms Reference

Firewall

A network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic.

Phishing

A cyberattack that uses disguised email as a weapon to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need.

Encryption

The process of converting information or data into a code to prevent unauthorized access.

Malware

Software that is specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.

Two-Factor Authentication

An extra layer of security used to ensure that people trying to gain access to an online account are who they say they are.

VPN

A service that helps you stay private online by hiding your IP address and encrypting your traffic.

Ransomware

A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.

Social Engineering

The use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information.

DDoS Attack

An attempt to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources.

Zero-Day Exploit

A cyber attack that occurs on the same day a weakness is discovered in software.

Penetration Testing

An authorized simulated cyberattack on a computer system, performed to evaluate the security of the system.

Patch Management

The process of distributing and applying updates to software.

Spyware

Software that aims to gather information about a person or organization without their knowledge.

Antivirus

Computer software used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.

Biometrics

The measurement and statistical analysis of people's unique physical and behavioral characteristics.

Blockchain

A system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system.

BYOD

Bring Your Own Device - the practice of allowing employees to use their own computers, smartphones, or other devices for work purposes.

Data Breach

A security incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen or used by an individual unauthorized to do so.

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation - a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individual citizens of the European Union and the European Economic Area.

Keylogger

A type of surveillance software that has the capability to record every keystroke you make to a log file.

Man-in-the-Middle Attack

An attack where the attacker secretly relays and possibly alters the communications between two parties who believe they are directly communicating with each other.

Sandbox

A security mechanism for separating running programs, usually in an effort to mitigate system failures or software vulnerabilities from spreading.

SQL Injection

A code injection technique used to attack data-driven applications, in which malicious SQL statements are inserted into an entry field for execution.

Trojan Horse

A type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software.

Vulnerability

A weakness which can be exploited by a threat actor, such as an attacker, to perform unauthorized actions within a computer system.

Worm

A standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers.

Zero Trust

A security concept centered on the belief that organizations should not automatically trust anything inside or outside its perimeters.

Botnet

A network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge.

Cryptojacking

The unauthorized use of someone else's computer to mine cryptocurrency.

Dark Web

A part of the internet that exists on darknets, which are overlay networks that use the internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.

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