Top 10 Cybersecurity Terms You Should Know

It’s easy to lose touch with technology, but with the increasing number of cyber threats, it is important for individuals and businesses to be familiar with cybersecurity terminology. Here are the top 10 cybersecurity terms everyone should be aware of in order to keep their digital assets safe before using onion links.

1. Encryption: Encryption is the process of encoding data in a way that only authorized parties can access and understand it. It is a crucial component of cybersecurity as it helps protect sensitive information from being intercepted or accessed by unauthorized individuals.
2. Firewall: A firewall is a network security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules. It acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, protecting the network from unauthorized access and malicious activities.
3. Privilege Escalation: Privilege escalation is a technique used by threat actors to gain higher levels of access or privileges within a system or network. By exploiting vulnerabilities or weaknesses, threat actors can escalate their level of control and access sensitive information or perform malicious activities.
4. Malware: Malware is a broad term that refers to any type of malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system. This includes viruses, worms, ransomware, spyware, and Trojan horses. Malware is often spread through malicious email attachments, infected websites, or compromised software downloads.
5. Botnet: A botnet is a network of computers infected with malware that allows threat actors to control them remotely. Botnets can be used to carry out large-scale attacks, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks or cryptocurrency mining.
6. Brute Force Attacks – Dictionary Attacks: Brute force attacks and dictionary attacks are methods used by threat actors to guess or stumble upon passwords and gain unauthorized access to accounts. Brute force attacks try every possible combination of characters, while dictionary attacks use a list of words or commonly used passwords.
7. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): A DDoS attack is a type of cyberattack that floods a website or network with traffic, making it inaccessible to legitimate users. These attacks are often carried out using botnets and can cause significant disruption to online services.
8. Advanced Persistent Threats (APT): APT refers to cyberattacks in which threat actors gain unauthorized access to a network and remain undetected for an extended period of time. These attacks are usually carried out by well-funded and highly skilled hacking groups, often sponsored by states.
9. Formjacking: Formjacking is an attack where threat actors inject malicious code into forms on e-commerce websites to steal sensitive information, such as credit card details, entered by users. This type of attack can go unnoticed for extended periods, allowing threat actors to gather a significant amount of data.
10. Exploit: An exploit is a technique used by threat actors to take advantage of vulnerabilities or weaknesses in a system or software. By exploiting these vulnerabilities, threat actors can gain unauthorized access, execute malicious code, or carry out other harmful activities.