Browse cybersecurity terms, acronyms, and vulnerability language including CVE, zero-day, ransomware, phishing, and threat intelligence.
Definitions for common cybersecurity concepts, incident response language, vulnerability tracking terms, and threat intelligence terminology.
A framework for describing the characteristics and severity of software vulnerabilities. Read the score together with its version, vector and context; it is not a complete measure of your organization's risk.
FIRST CVSS documentationA vulnerability database and data format for open-source software. Source records can map vulnerabilities to affected package versions or commit ranges.
OSV documentationA vulnerability unknown to the software vendor that attackers can exploit before a patch is available.
Security measures that regulate who can view or use resources in a computing environment.
A prolonged, targeted cyberattack where an intruder gains network access and remains undetected for an extended period.
Software designed to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software from computers and networks.
The total sum of vulnerabilities that can be exploited to carry out a security attack.
The process of verifying the identity of a user, device, or system before granting access.
The process of determining what permissions an authenticated user has within a system.
A hidden method of bypassing normal authentication to gain unauthorized access to a system.
A copy of data stored separately to protect against data loss from hardware failure, cyberattacks, or disasters.
A network of compromised computers controlled remotely by attackers to perform malicious activities.
A trial-and-error method of guessing passwords or encryption keys by systematically trying all possible combinations.
A reward program offered by organizations to ethical hackers who discover and report security vulnerabilities.
A test used to distinguish humans from bots, typically requiring users to identify images or solve puzzles.
A trusted organization that issues digital certificates to verify the identity of websites and organizations.
Chief Information Security Officer - the executive responsible for an organization's information security strategy.
The set of policies, technologies, and controls designed to protect data, applications, and infrastructure in cloud environments.
The infrastructure attackers use to communicate with and control compromised systems.
Adherence to laws, regulations, and standards that govern data protection and cybersecurity practices.
An attack using stolen username/password pairs to gain unauthorized access to user accounts through automated login requests.
The practice of securing communications and data through mathematical techniques that transform information into unreadable formats.
A standardized identifier for publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities, enabling consistent tracking and reference.
Information about threats and threat actors that helps organizations understand and defend against cyber risks.
A part of the internet accessible only through special software, often used for anonymous communication and illegal activities.
An incident where sensitive, protected, or confidential data is accessed or disclosed without authorization.
Tools and processes designed to prevent sensitive data from leaving an organization's network without authorization.
An attack that overwhelms a target with traffic from multiple sources, making it unavailable to legitimate users.
The process of converting encrypted data back into its original, readable form using a cryptographic key.
A security strategy using multiple layers of protection to guard against attacks if one layer fails.
The process of collecting, analyzing, and preserving digital evidence for investigating cybercrimes or security incidents.
The system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to communicate.
An attack that corrupts DNS cache data to redirect users to malicious websites.
The process of converting data into a coded format that can only be read by authorized parties with the decryption key.
Any device that connects to a network, such as computers, smartphones, tablets, or IoT devices.
Security solutions that monitor endpoints for suspicious activity and provide tools to investigate and respond to threats.
A piece of code or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to compromise a system.
A network security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules.
A fixed-length string generated from data using a mathematical function, used for data integrity verification.
A decoy system designed to attract attackers and study their methods while protecting real assets.
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure - an encrypted version of HTTP that protects data transmitted between browsers and websites.
A framework of policies and technologies ensuring the right individuals access the right resources at the right times.
The organized approach to addressing and managing the aftermath of a security breach or cyberattack.
Evidence that a security breach has occurred, such as unusual network traffic, suspicious files, or known malicious IP addresses.
A security risk originating from within an organization, such as employees, contractors, or business partners.
A system that monitors network traffic for suspicious activity and alerts administrators to potential threats.
A system that monitors network traffic and actively blocks detected threats in real-time.
The network of physical devices embedded with sensors and software that connect and exchange data over the internet.
A unique numerical identifier assigned to each device connected to a network for communication purposes.
Malicious software or hardware that records keystrokes to capture sensitive information like passwords and credit card numbers.
Techniques attackers use to move through a network after initial compromise to access additional systems and data.
A security principle that limits user access rights to only what is strictly required for their job functions.
Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems.
An attack where the attacker secretly intercepts and potentially alters communication between two parties.
A security method requiring two or more verification factors to prove identity before granting access.
A knowledge base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations, used for threat modeling.
Dividing a network into smaller parts to improve security and contain potential breaches.
National Institute of Standards and Technology - a U.S. agency that develops cybersecurity standards and guidelines.
A software update designed to fix security vulnerabilities, bugs, or improve functionality in existing programs.
The malicious code or action that an exploit delivers to a compromised system.
Authorized simulated attacks on a system to evaluate its security and identify vulnerabilities.
An attack that redirects website traffic to fraudulent sites by exploiting DNS vulnerabilities.
A social engineering attack using deceptive emails or messages to trick victims into revealing sensitive information.
Exploiting vulnerabilities to gain elevated access rights beyond what was originally authorized.
Malware that encrypts victim's files and demands payment for the decryption key.
Security professionals who simulate real-world attacks to test an organization's defenses.
The process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating potential security risks to an organization.
Malware designed to hide its presence and maintain persistent, privileged access to a compromised system.
An isolated environment used to safely execute and analyze suspicious code without affecting the main system.
A systematic evaluation of an organization's security policies, procedures, and controls.
A centralized unit that monitors, detects, and responds to cybersecurity incidents 24/7.
Software that collects and analyzes security data from across an organization to detect threats.
Psychological manipulation techniques used to trick people into revealing confidential information or taking harmful actions.
A targeted phishing attack directed at specific individuals or organizations using personalized information.
Disguising communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source.
Malware that secretly monitors and collects information about users without their knowledge or consent.
An attack that inserts malicious SQL code into application queries to manipulate or access database information.
Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security - protocols that encrypt data transmitted over the internet.
An attack targeting less-secure elements in a supply chain to compromise the final product or service.
An individual or group responsible for malicious activities targeting computer systems and networks.
Proactively searching for cyber threats that have evaded existing security solutions.
A digital object used for authentication or authorization, representing access rights or identity.
Malware disguised as legitimate software that performs malicious actions once installed.
A security process requiring two different authentication factors to verify a user's identity.
Voice phishing - a social engineering attack conducted over phone calls to extract sensitive information.
A technology that creates an encrypted connection over the internet to protect data privacy and anonymity.
A weakness in a system, application, or process that can be exploited to compromise security.
The process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing security vulnerabilities in systems and applications.
An attack that compromises websites frequently visited by a target group to infect their systems.
A phishing attack specifically targeting high-profile executives or senior management.
Self-replicating malware that spreads across networks without requiring user interaction.
A vulnerability allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
A security model that requires strict identity verification for every person and device trying to access resources, regardless of location.