Foundations of Cybersecurity Mod 1

Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate

Cybersecurity

The practice of ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information by protecting networks, devices, people, and data from unauthorized access

Threat actor

any person or group who presents a security risk

Benefits of security

protects from internal and external threats

maintains and improves business productivity

reduces expenses

maintains brand trust

reduces expenses

external threat

someone outside of the organization who is trying to gain access to private information

internal threat

a risk originating from within the organization, such as employees or contractors, that compromises data security. Can be accidental or intentional

Common security based roles

security analyst or specialist

security operations center analyst (SOC)

Information security analyst

job responsibilities of entry level security analyst

monitoring and protection information and systems

installing prevention software

conducting security audits

reviewing organizations security record and other documents

security professional duties

operations: responding to detections and doing investigations

projects: working with other teams to build or improve detections

compliance

adhering to laws, regulations, and standards related to information security and privacy

security frameworks

structured guidelines for managing security risks and controls.

security posture

a measure of an organizations ability to manage its defense of critical assets and data and react to change

security controls

the safeguards or countermeasures implemented to protect assets and reduce security risks. Used with security frameworks to build a strong security posture

network security

the practice of keeping an organizations network infrastructure secure from unauthorized access

Cloud security

The process of ensuring assets stored in the cloud are properly configured and access to those assets is limited to authorized users

The cloud

a network made up of a collection of servers or computers that store resources and data in remote physical locations that can be accessed with the internet

programming

a process that can be used to create a specific set of instructions for a computer to execute tasks

Confidentiality

ensures sensitive information is accessed only by authorized individuals

integrity

guarantees data remains accurate and unalted by unauthorized users

availability

ensures information and resources are accessible to authorized users when needed

CIA triad

a model that defines the three core principles of cybersecurity: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Malware

software designed to harm devices or networks.

Virus

Malicious code written to interfere with computer operations and cause damage to data and software. Needs to be downloaded by a user.

Social engineering

a manipulation technique that exploits human error to gain private information, access, or valuables

Phishing

the use of digital communications to trick people into revealing sensitive data or deploying malicious software

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

A threat actor sends an email message that seems to be from a known source to make a seemingly legitimate request for information, in order to obtain a financial advantage

Spear Phishing

A malicious email attack that targets a specific user or group of users. The email seems to originate from a trusted source

Whaling

A form of spear phishing. Threat actors target company executives to gain access to sensitive data

Vishing

The exploitation of electronic voice communication to obtain sensitive information or to impersonate a known source

Smishing

The use of text messages to trick users, in order to obtain sensitive information or to impersonate a known source

Worm

Malware that can duplicate and spread itself across systems on its own. Does not need to be downloaded by a user.

Ransomware

A malicious attack where threat actors encrypt an organization's data and demand payment to restore access

Spyware

Malware that’s used to gather and sell information without consent

Social media phishing

A threat actor collects detailed information about their target from social media sites. Then, they initiate an attack

Watering hole attack

A threat actor attacks a website frequently visited by a specific group of users

USB bating

A threat actor strategically leaves a malware USB stick for an employee to find and install, to unknowingly infect a network

Physical social engineering

A threat actor impersonates an employee, customer, or vendor to obtain unauthorized access to a physical location

Risk management

The process of identifying, assessing, and prioritizing risks followed by coordinated efforts to minimize, monitor, and control the probability or impact of unfortunate events