Unit 5: AP Cybersecurity Vocabulary

Symmetric Encryption

Encryption that uses a single shared key for both encrypting and decrypting data.

Asymmetric Encryption

Encryption that uses a mathematically linked key pair, public and private, where one key encrypts and the other decrypts.

AES

Advanced Encryption Standard; a widely used symmetric encryption algorithm considered secure and efficient for protecting data.

RSA

A widely used asymmetric encryption algorithm based on the mathematical difficulty of factoring large prime numbers.

Public Key

The publicly shareable half of an asymmetric key pair, used to encrypt data or verify a digital signature.

Private Key

The secret half of an asymmetric key pair, used to decrypt data or create a digital signature; must never be shared.

Key Pair

The matched public and private keys used together in asymmetric cryptography.

PKI

Public Key Infrastructure; the framework of policies, roles, and technologies that manages public key encryption and digital certificates.

Certificate Authority

A trusted entity that issues and verifies digital certificates, confirming the identity of certificate holders.

Digital Certificate

An electronic credential issued by a CA that binds a public key to an identity.

HTTPS

HTTP communication secured by TLS/SSL encryption, protecting data in transit between a browser and server.

Input Validation

The process of checking user-supplied input to ensure it meets expected format, type, and range before processing it.

Input Sanitization

The process of cleaning or filtering user input to remove or neutralize potentially malicious content before it is processed.

Least Privilege

A security principle where users and systems are granted only the minimum access rights necessary to perform their function.

Data at Rest

Data stored on a physical or digital medium that is not actively moving through a network.

Data in Transit

Data actively moving across a network or between systems, requiring protection during transmission.

Data Integrity

Assurance that data has not been altered or corrupted in an unauthorized way, from creation through storage and transmission.