APCSP Unit 8 Vocab - Cybersecurity and Global Impacts

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Computing Innovation

includes a program as an integral part of its function. Can be physical (e.g. self-driving car), non-physical computing software (e.g. picture editing software), or non-physical computing concepts (e.g., e-commerce).

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or describes them such as name, address, email, or social security number.

Credentials

Information used to verify a user's identity, such as usernames and passwords.

Phishing

a technique that attempts to trick a user into providing personal information. That personal information can then be used to access sensitive online resources, such as bank accounts and emails

Spear Phishing

A targeted phishing attack aimed at a specific individual or organization, often using personalized information.

Keylogging/Keylogger

the use of a program to record every keystroke made by a computer user in order to gain fraudulent access to passwords and other confidential information

Intercept

To capture data as it is being transmitted over a network without the sender's or receiver's knowledge.

Malware

software intended to damage a computing system or to take partial control over its operation

Trojan Horse

A type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate program to gain access to a user's system.

Virus

A type of self-replicating malware that attaches itself to clean files and spreads throughout a computer system.

Worm

A standalone malware that replicates itself to spread to other computers, often using network connections.

Spyware

Software that secretly monitors and collects user data, often without their consent.

Ransomware

A type of malware that encrypts a user's data and demands payment for the decryption key.

Access Point

A device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network.

Rogue Access Point

a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks.

Encryption

a process of encoding messages to keep them secret, so only "authorized" parties can read it.

Decryption

a process that reverses encryption, taking a secret message and reproducing the original plain text.

Symmetric Key Encryption

involves one key for both encryption and decryption.

Public Key Encryption

pairs a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. The sender does not need the receiver’s private key to encrypt a message, but the receiver’s private key is required to decrypt the message

Multi-factor Authentication

a system that requires at least two steps to unlock protected information; each step adds a new layer of security that must be broken to gain unauthorized access

Computer Virus Scanning Software

protects a computing system against infection.

Caesar Cipher

a technique for encryption that shifts the alphabet by some number of characters.

Cracking encryption

When you attempt to decode a secret message without knowing all the specifics of the cipher.

Firewall

A security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.

Security Patch

An update to software designed to fix vulnerabilities and improve security.

Data Security

The protection of digital information from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft throughout its entire lifecycle.

E-commerce

The buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet.

Breach

An incident where unauthorized access to data occurs, potentially compromising its integrity or confidentiality.

Regulations

Official rules or laws designed to control how organizations handle data, particularly sensitive information like PII.

Cookies

Small pieces of data sent from a server to a user's web browser, used to track user activity and preferences on a website.

Tracking

The process of monitoring user behavior online, often through the use of cookies and other data collection methods.

Geolocation

The identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, often determined through GPS or IP address.

Anonymization

The process of removing personally identifiable information from data sets, making it impossible to identify individuals.

Trilateration

A method used to determine the position of an object by measuring its distance from three or more reference points.

Session Cookies

Cookies that are stored temporarily and deleted once the user closes their web browser.

Persistent Cookies

Cookies that remain on a user's device for a specified period, allowing user preferences to be saved across sessions.

IP Address

A unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A service that encrypts a user's internet connection to secure their online activities and protect their privacy.