Cyber Security and Threats

Comprehensive vocabulary terms and definitions covering cyber security threats, attacks, malware classifications, and social engineering methods.

Brute force attack

A trial-and-error method used by cybercriminals to crack passwords by finding all possible combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols until the password is found.

Word list

A text file containing a collection of words used in a brute force attack to speed up password cracking.

Data interception

An attempt to eavesdrop on a wired or wireless network transmission, commonly executed using packet sniffing or wardriving.

Packet sniffing

A method used by a cybercriminal to examine data packets being sent over a network, find their contents, and send them back to the attacker.

Wardriving

The practice of using a laptop, antenna, GPS device, and software to intercept Wi-Fi signals and illegally obtain data; also known as access point mapping.

Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP)

An encryption protocol recommended alongside a firewall to safeguard against wardriving attacks.

Denial of Service (DoS) attack

A cyberattack where criminals disrupt the normal operation of a website by flooding it with requests, or clog a mailbox with thousands of spam emails.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack

A denial of service attack where fake requests are launched from many different computers simultaneously, making the attack harder to stop.

Hacking

The act of gaining illegal access to a computer system without the owner's permission.

Malicious hacking

Hacking that occurs without the user's permission and constitutes an illegal act.

Ethical hacking

Authorized hacking where companies hire paid professionals to evaluate security measures and test system robustness against attacks.

Malware

Programs installed on a user's computer with the intention of illegally deleting, corrupting, or manipulating data.

Virus

A program or program code that replicates itself to delete files, corrupt files, or cause system malfunctions, requiring an active host program to run.

Active host

Functioning software that a virus attaches itself to or alters to carry out its attack.

Worm

A stand-alone type of malware that self-replicates and spreads throughout a network without needing an active host or end-user intervention.

Trojan horse

A malicious program disguised as legitimate software that replaces parts of legitimate software to harm computer systems or steal sensitive data.

Spyware

A type of malware that monitors computer activity, such as web browsing, and transmits the collected information back to a cybercriminal.

Key logging software

A specific form of spyware that records every key press made by a user on a computer.

Adware

A type of malware that floods the end-user with unwanted advertising, often via pop-ups or browser search redirects.

Ransomware

Malware that encrypts a user's data and holds it hostage until a financial ransom is paid to receive a decryption key.

Social engineering

The manipulation of individuals into breaking normal security protocols to obtain illegal system access or install malware.

Scareware

A social engineering threat utilizing fake pop-up notifications about computer infections to frighten users into downloading fraudulent anti-virus software.

Phishing

A social engineering scam where deceptive emails entice users to click links leading to spoofed websites, exploiting trust in reputable companies.

Baiting

A social engineering attack in which an infected physical storage medium is left in an accessible location to entice a curious victim into plugging it in.