Domain 2 - Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations

Threat Actor

An individual or group responsible for a cybersecurity attack.

Nation-State Actor

Government-sponsored hackers with advanced resources and motives (espionage, disruption).

Hacktivist

A threat actor motivated by political or social causes.

Insider Threat

Malicious or careless employee/contractor who compromises systems.

Script Kiddie

Inexperienced attacker using pre-built tools/exploits.

Organized Crime

Groups motivated by financial gain, often running large cybercrime operations.

Attack Vector

Path or method used to launch an attack (e.g., phishing, removable media).

Attack Surface

All possible entry points into a system.

Zero-Day Exploit

Attack that occurs before a vulnerability is publicly known/fixed.

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)

Long-term, targeted attack often sponsored by nation-states.

Shadow IT

Unauthorized use of IT resources or applications without organizational approval.

Social Engineering

Psychological manipulation to trick people into revealing information.

Malware

Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access.

Virus

Malware that attaches to files/programs and requires user action to spread.

Worm

Self-replicating malware that spreads without user action.

Trojan Horse

Malware disguised as legitimate software.

Rootkit

Malware designed to hide presence and provide privileged access.

Spyware

Collects user activity/data without consent.

Adware

Displays unwanted ads, sometimes bundled with spyware.

Ransomware

Encrypts files or locks systems until ransom is paid.

Logic Bomb

Malicious code triggered by a condition or event.

Keylogger

Malware that records keystrokes.

Botnet

Network of infected machines under attacker's control.

Backdoor

Hidden method of bypassing normal authentication.

Phishing

Fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information via email/website.

Spear Phishing

Targeted phishing attack against a specific individual or group.

Whaling

Phishing attack targeting executives.

Vishing

Phishing conducted over phone calls.

Smishing

Phishing via SMS/text messages.

Pretexting

Fabricating a scenario to trick someone into providing data.

Baiting

Leaving infected media (e.g., USB drive) to tempt victims.

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Fraudulent emails impersonating executives/vendors to trick employees.

Password Spraying

Trying common passwords against many accounts.

Credential Stuffing

Using stolen usernames/passwords from one site to access others.

Brute Force Attack

Trying all possible password combinations.

Dictionary Attack

Using predefined list of words to guess passwords.

Rainbow Table

Precomputed hashes used to crack passwords quickly.

Salting

Adding random data to passwords before hashing to prevent rainbow table attacks.

Secure Coding Practices

Guidelines to prevent software vulnerabilities.

Input Validation

Ensuring data entered into a program is safe.

SQL Injection (SQLi)

Inserting malicious SQL code into a query.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Injecting malicious scripts into web pages.

Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Tricking a user into performing actions they didn't intend.

Directory Traversal

Exploiting improper file path validation to access restricted files.

Code Obfuscation

Making code difficult to read or reverse engineer.

Sandboxing

Running applications in isolated environments to limit damage.

Static Analysis

Reviewing code without execution.

Dynamic Analysis

Reviewing code during execution.

Fuzzing

Sending random or invalid data to software to find vulnerabilities.

Encryption

Converting plaintext into unreadable ciphertext using an algorithm and key.

Symmetric Encryption

Uses the same key for encryption and decryption.

Asymmetric Encryption

Uses a public/private key pair.

Hash Function

One-way cryptographic function producing a fixed-size output.

Digital Signature

Provides integrity and non-repudiation by signing data with a private key.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

System for issuing, distributing, and managing digital certificates.

Certificate Authority (CA)

Trusted entity that issues and verifies digital certificates.

Registration Authority (RA)

Verifies identities before a CA issues certificates.

Certificate Revocation List (CRL)

List of certificates that have been revoked.

Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)

Real-time check of certificate validity.

Key Escrow

Storing encryption keys securely with a third party.

Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)

Ensures session keys are not compromised if private key is exposed.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)

Strong encryption with shorter keys, efficient for mobile devices.

Diffie-Hellman

Key exchange protocol for securely sharing symmetric keys.

Steganography

Hiding data inside other files (e.g., images, audio).

Identification

Claiming an identity (e.g., username).

Authentication

Proving an identity (e.g., password, biometrics).

Authorization

Granting access to resources based on privileges.

Accounting (AAA)

Logging and monitoring user activity.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

One login grants access to multiple systems.

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Using two or more authentication factors.

Federated Identity

Linking user identity across multiple organizations.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Permissions assigned based on job role.

Mandatory Access Control (MAC)

System-enforced access, usually based on classification labels.

Discretionary Access Control (DAC)

Owner controls who can access resources.

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

Access based on policies evaluating attributes.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Tools for controlling and auditing admin accounts.

Identity Provider (IdP)

Service that authenticates and provides identity information.

Access Recertification

Periodic review of user access rights.

Redundancy

Duplication of systems to increase availability.

High Availability (HA)

Ensuring systems remain accessible with minimal downtime.

Load Balancer

Distributes traffic across multiple servers.

Failover

Automatic switching to backup system when primary fails.

Hot Site

Fully equipped backup facility ready for immediate use.

Warm Site

Backup site with partial resources requiring setup.

Cold Site

Backup location with infrastructure but no equipment.

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

Provides temporary power during outages.

Generators

Provide long-term backup power.

Mantrap

Two-door system that only allows one person through at a time.

Bollards

Physical barriers to prevent vehicle access.

Faraday Cage

Blocks electromagnetic signals.

HVAC Controls

Maintain proper environmental conditions for IT systems.

Defense in Depth

Layered security controls for protection.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Cloud model providing virtualized hardware resources.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Cloud model providing hardware + development tools.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Cloud-delivered applications.

Public Cloud

Services offered to multiple customers via internet.

Private Cloud

Dedicated infrastructure for a single organization.

Hybrid Cloud

Combination of private and public clouds.

Community Cloud

Shared infrastructure for organizations with similar needs.

Virtual Machine (VM)

Emulation of a computer system.