Glossary of Common Cybersecurity Terms
Cybersecurity is a technical field rich with terminology. Familiarity with these terms is vital for effective communication and understanding:
Attack Surface: The total number of entry points where an attacker could exploit a system.
Backdoor: A secret method of bypassing security to access a system, often installed by malware.
Botnet: A network of compromised devices controlled remotely by attackers, often used in DDoS attacks.
Cryptography: The science of encrypting and decrypting data to ensure secure communication.
Firewall: A network security device or software that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined rules.
Hashing: A method of converting data into a fixed-length string of characters, used for data integrity verification.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): A security mechanism requiring multiple forms of verification for access.
Penetration Testing: Simulating cyberattacks to identify and fix vulnerabilities.
Phishing: Fraudulent attempts to steal sensitive information by impersonating trusted entities.