Cybersecurity is the activity of protecting data from being attacked. It covers data that is in electronic forms, such as computers, servers, networks, mobiles, etc. Cybersecurity helps us protect our data from unauthorized digital access. It strikes against cybercrimes, cyber fraud, or any other cyber activities that are against the law.

Cyber attacks aim to modify or delete sensitive information and acquire information like credit card details, passwords, etc. In cyber attacks, malware is inserted to harm or steal information.

There are various Cybersecurity Terms that are commonly used or even heard. So, let’s discuss these different terms in detail.

Most used Cyber Security Terms and Definitions

Cloud 

Cloud is a technology in which we can store and access our data from anywhere in the world. In this, you have to pay according to your use. Technically, it’s a group of computers with lots of storage space that handle remote requests. Cloud computing provides very good security for your data, and it lets you avoid continuously monitoring your data and managing security protocols.

Social Engineering 

Social Engineering is a concept in which the attacker manipulates the victim psychologically. So, that they can give them sensitive information or any security-related information. Once a hacker knows what drives someone’s behaviour, they can typically find exactly what they’re looking for, such as financial information and passwords.

Phishing

Phishing is a common type of social engineering technique. An attacker will send emails pretending to be from a legal source and encourage victims to get into their trap. The emails consist of information to send the credit card number, bank details, or any sensitive information.

Denial of Service (DoS)

Denial of service is another type of cyber attack. This type of attack affects computer systems and networks. The whole system gets shut down, and the user is not able to use it. 

Clickjacking

Clickjacking is a type of cyber attack in which attackers send malicious links through text messages (SMS), emails, or malicious websites. The victims get tricked into clicking on these links, and then attackers get access to the victims’ systems and steal sensitive data. An example of a clickjacking attack is loading a web page behind another visible page so that links and objects that could be clicked are only facades. This causes the user to select the link for the hidden page when they should actually be clicking on the obvious link.

Bring your own device

Bring your own device (BYOD) is a policy that specifies whether or not an employee can bring their device. They are strictly told that they cannot connect their devices to the company’s network for safety purposes.

Spyware

Spyware is a type of malware that is inserted into the system to secretly monitor the victim’s activities. Once it gets access to the system, then the attackers can control the devices and collect the data from that system (financial data, usernames, passwords, etc.).

Virus

A virus is a type of malicious malware that can modify or delete the data on a computer while it is spreading to others. It can spread to other systems through infected disk drives, infected files downloaded through any websites, or any email attachments.

Trojan Horse

A Trojan horse is a type of malware in which a harmful payload is inserted inside a safe host file. Victims are tricked into believing only viewable hosts are being retrieved. When they use the host file, the malicious payload is downloaded onto the victim’s system.

Man-in-the-middle (MITM)

Man-in-the-middle is a type of cyber attack in which a hacker exploits an open network established between people or systems. They target the servers that are left unsecured and inject malware into them. Whenever somebody accesses that server, threat actors get access to their system.

Two-Step Authentication 

Two-step authentication is mostly used on websites. If you want to log in the user has to type their username and password, then the OTP is sent to the mobile number, or any verification link is sent to their emails, and after clicking on that you will be logged in.

Two-Factor Authentication

Using two-factor authentication to establish identity is typically regarded as being more secure than using just one. It is a form of multi-factor authentication. In this case, the user has to first enter the password or PIN, then OTP, and then the biometrics. Two-factor authentication is much safer

Worms

Worms are malware that can replicate themselves and infect a system. It is a self-contained malicious program that tries to spread to other systems by duplicating itself. It only causes indirect harm.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents the user from accessing files on their systems. It encrypts files and demands a ransom in order to decrypt or recover the data. Ransomware could cause significant harm to an organization’s finances and reputation. These assaults have the potential to expose system weaknesses and expose data breaches.

Botnet

A botnet is a collection of different computers that are compromised by malicious code. It is controlled remotely by the hacker to perform illegal tasks. Some of the illegal tasks include DoS flooding attacks, transmitting SPAM, hosting false web services, etc. The person who controls these computers is known as a “bot-herder”.

Rootkit 

A rootkit is another type of malware that allows cyber criminals to remotely control computers. It can cause a lot of damage because it is difficult to detect and stay in your system for a longer period.

Vishing 

Vishing is a type of phishing attack. In this attack, attackers use voice calls to get the victim’s sensitive information. Attackers make calls to the victims, making them believe that they are receiving a call from a trustworthy source like a bank, a charity, etc., and asking for their financial details and other sensitive information.

Spoofing

Spoofing is a cybercrime in which the attackers pretend that they are a trustworthy authority and force the victim to share sensitive data. This enables threat actors to trick recipients of emails from the real sender into providing sensitive information by sending spoofed or phishing emails to victims.

Whitelist 

A whitelist is a list of the file names, file sizes, and hash values of the approved software. It is a security mechanism that only allows the owner to access the resources that are on the list of approved software. No code, good or bad, that is not on the list will be able to run on the data center.

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)

An advanced persistent threat is mainly faced by large companies and government agencies. In this form of attack, the hackers gain access to their networks and confidential information for a long period without the owners’ knowledge of the violation. It frequently exploits numerous unknown security flaws or zero-day attacks, which enables hackers to keep access to the target even after the attack vector is blocked.

White Hat/Black Hat

A white hat is an ethical hacker. It involves those individuals who gain access to the information with the owner’s consent.

A Black Hat is a malicious hacker. It involves hackers who use their hacking skills to steal the data that will be used against the owner or others. It is totally illegal.

Final Thoughts: Cybersecurity Terms

Want to protect your data from cybercriminals? You should know about the most commonly used cybersecurity terms and definitions. So, we have mentioned a few terms that will help you understand cybersecurity.

FAQs: Cybersecurity Terms

Why Cybersecurity Practices are Important?

Without the knowledge of cybersecurity, we will not be able to protect our data from major cyber attacks. It is important to have cybersecurity practices in your organization to secure it from data breach.

Why is Cybersecurity Important for Business?

Cybersecurity is important for every organization. Without the implementation of cybersecurity, businesses can suffer a huge loss, even if they are not technology-based. The knowledge of cybersecurity is important because it will protect your employees from the cyber fraud and crimes that are being committed by attackers frequently.

Where does an Organization Start to Learn Cybersecurity?

When it comes to cybersecurity, your organization should start by learning the fundamentals of IT systems and networks. As the CEO, it is your duty to educate your employees about cybercrime and how to protect themselves.

What is Security Terminology?

Terminology used by cybersecurity professionals describes defensive barrier mechanisms, practices, and regulations. This makes perfect sense because security itself is a term used for defensive activities, whereas hacking is an offensive activity focused on attackers and attack methodologies.

What is the cyberseurity goal?

The process of protecting data from deletion or unauthorized access on the internet and on devices is known as cybersecurity. The goal of cybersecurity is to protect data, networks, and devices from cyber attacks to create a risk free environment in an organization.

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