Cyber risks and the measures to protect yourself can get technical at times. The following glossary will help you understand some of the common cyber terms used throughout this website.
Terms and Definitions
Botnets
a network of computer robots, used to perform some malicious action en masse.
Business Email Compromise (BEC)
a seemingly legitimate internal email that is designed to trick users to disperse funds or to disclose financial or other sensitive information.
Denial-of-Service (DoS)
a type of cyber attack made from a one computer connection that denies legitimate users from utilizing the internet connected services of the victim by overwhelming the targeted system with excessive information or requests.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
a type of DoS attack that utilizes many botnet-controlled computers—often located in many parts of the world (distributed)—to attack another computer or computer system in order to deny service.
Encrypted
the process of encoding information or data to help prevent unauthorized access.
Hardware
physical components of a computer, smartphone or other electronic system.
Internet of Things (IoT)
the growing network of Internet-connected devices, such as home security systems, automobiles, and kitchen appliances, which are increasingly being targeted for malicious attacks.
Malware
malicious software that is developed with the express purpose of altering, manipulating, incapacitating or otherwise damaging computers or electronic systems.
Phishing
a type of social engineering attack designed to lure the victim into doing something ill-advised on email, such as execute an attachment, click on a link, or unwittingly give away sensitive information.
Ransomware
a malware tool used by cyber criminals to encrypt (lock-up) a victim’s data rendering it inaccessible unless a ransom payment is made to restore access.
Sabotage
any deliberate malicious act against a victim’s computer or computer system.
Social Engineering
a method utilized by nefarious cyber actors to trick or manipulate humans into taking actions on digital platforms in order to steal information, money, etc.
Software
programs and other operating instructions and data installed onto a computer, smartphone or other electronic system.
Spoofing
a cyber crime tactic in which the attacker poses as a legitimate user or known entity to gain access to information or trust from other legitimate users.
