Flashcards: Module 05 Digital Security, Ethics, and Privacy: Avoiding and Recognizing Threats

digital security risk

Any event or action that could cause a loss of or damage to computer or mobile device hardware, software, data, information, or processing capability.

computer crime

Any illegal act involving the use of a computer or related devices.

Cybersecurity

A term used to encompass protection of systems and networks from hacking, data theft, viruses, and other issues that disrupt service.

digital detox

A period of time during which an individual refrains from using technology.

Digital forensics

The discovery, collections, and analysis of evidence found on computers and networks.

threat actor

A general term used to describe individuals who launch attacks against other users and their computers.

dark web

A part of the web that is accessed using specialized software, where users and website operators can remain anonymous while performing illegal actions.

Script kiddies

An individual who wants to attack computers, but lacks the knowledge of computers and networks needed to do so. Script kiddies download freely available automated attack software (scripts) from websites and use it to perform malicious acts.

Cyberterrorists

Someone who uses the Internet or network to destroy or damage computers for political reasons.

Hactivists

Attackers who are strongly motivated by principles or beliefs.

hacker

A person who intends to access a computer system without permission.

cracker

A hacker with criminal intent.

nation state actors

Government-sponsored attacker that launches computer attacks against their enemies.

backup

A copy of a file or message that is stored in another location for safekeeping.

cyberwarfare

A cybercrime attack whose goal ranges from disabling a government’s computer network to crippling a country.

cyberextortionist

Someone who demands payment to stop an attack on an organization’s technology infrastructure.

Data mining

The process of sifting through big data to find the important questions that will yield fruitful results.

Social engineering

A category of attacks that attempts to trick the victim into giving valuable information to the attacker. At its core, social engineering relies on an attacker’s clever manipulation of human nature in order to persuade the victim to provide information or take actions.

virtualization

The practice of sharing computing resources, such as servers or storage devices, among computers and devices on a network.

botnet

A group of compromised computers or mobile devices connected to a network such as the Internet that are used to attack other networks, usually for nefarious purposes. Also called a zombie army.

payload

The destructive event or prank a virus was created to deliver.

zombie

A device infected with malware that an attacker uses to control the device remotely.

Technology ethics

The moral guidelines that govern the use of computers, mobile devices, information systems, and related technologies.

power usage effectiveness (PUE)

A ratio that measures how much power enters the computer facility or data center against the amount of power required to run the computers and devices.

bot

A program that performs a repetitive task on a network.

back door

A program or set of instructions in a program that allows users to bypass security controls when accessing a program, computer, or network.

Spoofing

A technique intruders use to make their network or Internet transmission appear legitimate to a victim computer or network.

distributed DoS attack (DDoS attack)

A denial of service attack that uses multiple computers to attack a server or other network resource.

denial of service attack (DoS attack)

A type of attack, usually on a server, that is meant to overload the server with network traffic so that it cannot provide necessary services.

digital footprint

The records of everything a user does online; can be nearly impossible to completely erase.

virtual private network (VPN)

A private, secure path across a public network that allows authorized users secure access to a company or other network.

MAC address

A unique hardware address identified for the user’s computer or device.

audit trail

A record of both successful and unsuccessful attempts to access data on a network or device.

proxy server

A server outside the organization’s network that controls which communications pass into the organization’s network.

evil twin

A normal-looking yet fraudulent Wi-Fi network that allows hackers to capture personal information users transmit.

Authentication

The process of identifying a user to the network.

password manager

A program that helps the user create and store multiple strong passwords in single user “vault” file that is protected by one strong master password.

PIN (personal identification number)

A numeric password, either assigned by a company or selected by a user.

password

A string of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols that when entered correctly, allow the user to open a password-protected database or to obtain access to a Window user’s account.

passphrase

A combination of letters, numbers, and symbols in more than one word that the user uses to access computer or network resources.

passcode

Numeric password, either assigned by a company or selected by a user. Also called a PIN (personal identification number).

biometric security

A way to verify the user’s identity based on physical characteristics.

two-factor authentication (2FA)

A method that combines multiple types of authentication to increase security. This is most often used with passwords (something a user knows) and the approved user having a specific item in their possession (something the user has) that no one else would have. This is commonly used by combining passwords and codes sent to a cell phone using a text message.

CAPTCHA

A program developed at Carnegie Mellon University that displays an image containing a series of distorted characters for a user to identify and enter in order to verify that user input is from humans and not computer programs. Short for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

decryption

The process of unlocking encrypted information back into a readable format.

code of conduct

A written guideline that helps determine whether a specific action is ethical/unethical or allowed/not allowed.

digital signature

An electronic attachment not visible in the file that verifies the identity of the creation of the file by comparing the digital signature to a digital certificate.

Content filtering

The process of restricting access to certain material.

Web filtering software

A program that restricts access to specified websites.

disaster recovery plan

A written plan that describes the steps an organization would take to restore its computer operations in the event of a disaster.

Digital inclusion

The movement to ensure that all users, regardless of economic or geographic constraints, have access to the devices, data, and infrastructure required to receive high-speed, accurate, reliable information.