Cybersecurity Fundamentals Lecture (Chapter 1)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key cybersecurity concepts, controls, and technologies from the lecture notes.

CIA Triad

The foundational cybersecurity model emphasizing Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Confidentiality

Security objective that prevents unauthorized access to sensitive information.

Integrity

Security objective that ensures information or systems are not altered without authorization.

Availability

Security objective that guarantees information and systems are accessible to authorized users when needed.

Privacy

Focuses on how organizations collect, use, and share personal information.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Data that can identify an individual and is protected by regulations and ethical standards.

Generally Accepted Privacy Principles (GAPP)

Ten privacy practices organizations should follow, covering areas such as notice, consent, use, security, and monitoring.

Vulnerability

A weakness in a device, system, application, or process that could be exploited.

Threat

An external force that might exploit a vulnerability.

Risk

The combination of a vulnerability and a corresponding threat.

Adversarial Threat

Deliberate attempts by individuals or groups to undermine an organization’s security.

Accidental Threat

Security issues caused unintentionally by routine user actions.

Structural Threat

Failures of equipment, software, or controls due to resource exhaustion or aging.

Environmental Threat

Natural or human-made disasters outside an organization’s control.

Network Access Control (NAC)

Technology that limits network access to authorized devices and checks they meet security requirements (often via 802.1X).

Agent-Based NAC

NAC method requiring client software on devices for authentication.

Agentless NAC

NAC method using a web browser for authentication, requiring no client software.

In-Band (Inline) NAC

NAC that places dedicated appliances between devices and resources, often using captive portals.

Out-of-Band NAC

NAC leveraging existing infrastructure to authenticate devices and then reconfigure the network for access.

Firewall

Device or software that enforces security rules at a network boundary, typically using access control lists.

Packet-Filtering Firewall

Basic firewall that examines packet headers against predefined rules without state awareness.

Stateful Inspection Firewall

Firewall that keeps track of active connections and makes decisions based on connection state.

Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW)

Advanced firewall that incorporates user, application, and contextual information for deeper inspection.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Specialized firewall that protects web applications from attacks like SQL injection and XSS.

Network Segmentation

Isolation of networks with different security levels to create separate zones of trust.

Jump Box

Hardened server that acts as a secure bridge between two networks, accessed via protocols like SSH or RDP.

Honeypot

Decoy system designed to attract attackers and study their methods.

DNS Sinkhole

Service that provides false DNS responses to redirect or disable malicious traffic.

System Hardening

Securing endpoints by disabling unnecessary services and applying secure configurations.

Patch Management

Process of testing and deploying software updates to remediate known vulnerabilities.

Group Policy

Windows feature that applies a defined set of security settings to multiple devices simultaneously.

Endpoint Security Software

Tools such as antivirus and host-based firewalls that protect individual devices from threats.

Mandatory Access Control (MAC)

Strict permission model set by administrators that users cannot alter.

Discretionary Access Control (DAC)

Common permission model where resource owners can modify access rights.

Complementary Controls

Additional safeguards (e.g., segmentation, IDS/IPS) used when patching is not feasible.

Penetration Testing

Simulated attack using real-world techniques to evaluate an organization’s security posture.

NIST Pentesting Phases

Planning, Discovery, Attack, and Reporting—structured steps for penetration tests.

NIST Attack Phase

Sequence of gaining access, escalating privileges, system browsing, and installing additional tools.

Sandboxing

Malware detection technique that observes code behavior in an isolated environment.

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)

Platforms that automate and coordinate security tasks across multiple systems.

Machine Learning in Security

Use of algorithms to analyze large security datasets and improve threat detection based on experience.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Programmatic interface enabling software to interact with services without a web UI.

Webhook

Mechanism to send real-time data or signals from one application to another via web requests.

Plugin

Small program that extends the functionality of a larger application.