Further insights

Further Insights

Take a look at further advice to drive your cybersecurity strategy

Cybercrime is posing an unprecedented threat, it’s time to develop a proactive cybersecurity strategy.

Read article →

Threat intelligence is crucial to your cybersecurity strategy in 2022.

Read article →

Devising your Digital
Workplace Strategy

Download Advisory Report →

Glossary

Antivirus software or anti-malware
Software that is designed to detect, stop and remove viruses and other kinds of malicious software.

Attacker
Malicious actor who seeks to exploit computer systems with the intent to change, destroy, steal or disable their information, and then exploit the outcome.

Attack surface
The attack surface is also the entire area of an organisation or system that is susceptible to hacking. It includes assets such as endpoints, servers, applications and websites that can be exploited to achieve a security breach.

Alert Fatigue When employees are continually exposed to alerts and alarms they can become overwhelmed and desensitized.

Breach
An incident in which data, computer systems or networks are accessed or affected in a non-authorised way.

Cyber attack
Malicious attempts to damage, disrupt or gain unauthorised access to computer systems, networks or devices, via cyber means.

Cyber incident
A breach of the security rules for a system or service - most commonly;

Attempts to gain unauthorised access to a system and/or to data.
Unauthorised use of systems for the processing or storing of data.
Changes to a systems firmware, software or hardware without the system owners consent.
Malicious disruption and/or denial of service.

Cyber security
The protection of devices, services, information and networks from theft or damage.

Cyber threat
The possibility of a malicious attempt to damage or disrupt a computer network or system.

Download attack
The unintentional installation of malicious software or virus onto a device without the users knowledge or consent.

Encryption
A mathematical function that protects information by making it unreadable except to those with the key to decode.

End user device (EUD)
Collective term to describe modern smartphones, laptops and tablets that connect to an organisation's network.

Glossary

Firewall
Hardware or software which uses a defined rule set to constrain network traffic to prevent unauthorised access to or from a network.

Hacker
In mainstream use as being someone with some computer skills who uses them to break into computers, systems and networks.

Incident
A breach of the security rules for a system or service, such as:

attempts to gain unauthorised access to a system and/or data
unauthorised use of systems for the processing or storing of data
changes to a systems firmware, software or hardware without the system owners consent
malicious disruption and/or denial of service

Insider risks
The potential for damage to be done maliciously or inadvertently by a legitimate user with privileged access to systems, networks or data.

Internet of things (IoT)
Refers to the ability of everyday objects (rather than computers and devices) to connect to the Internet. Examples include kettles, fridges and televisions. OT refers to Operational Technology such as Air Conditioning Systems, Lifts and Machine Tools. All of these things form part of your extended Attack Surface

Malware
Malicious software - a term that includes viruses, trojans, worms or any code or content that could have an adverse impact on organisations or individuals.

Mitigation
Steps that organisations and individuals can take to minimise and address risks.

Nation state actors
A hacker or group of hackers working with an adversarial government that commits acts of cybercrime against another state.

Network
Two or more computers linked in order to share resources.

Patching
Applying updates to firmware or software to improve security and/or enhance functionality.

Pentest
Short for penetration test. An authorised test of a computer network or system designed to look for security weaknesses so that they can be fixed.

Glossary

Pharming
An attack on network infrastructure that results in a user being redirected to an illegitimate website despite the user having entered the correct address.

Phishing
Untargeted, mass emails sent to many people asking for sensitive information (such as bank details) or encouraging them to visit a fake website.

Platform
The basic hardware (device) and software (operating system) on which applications can be run.

Ransomware
Malicious software that makes data or systems unusable until the victim makes a payment.

Router
A network device which sends data packets from one network to another based on the destination address. May also be called a gateway.

Software as a service (SaaS)
Describes a business model where consumers access centrally-hosted software applications over the Internet.

Sanitisation
Using electronic or physical destruction methods to securely erase or remove data from memory.

Spear-phishing
A more targeted form of phishing, where the email is designed to look like it's from a person the recipient knows and/or trusts.

Virus
Programs which can self-replicate and are designed to infect legitimate software programs or systems. A form of malware.

Virtual private network (VPN)
An encrypted network often created to allow secure connections for remote users, for example in an organisation with offices in multiple locations.

Vulnerability
A weakness, or flaw, in software, a system or process. An attacker may seek to exploit a vulnerability to gain unauthorised access to a system.

Zero-day
Recently discovered vulnerabilities (or bugs), not yet known to vendors or antivirus companies, that hackers can exploit.

_{Source: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/ncsc-glossary}_{Source: https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/252499613/The-wide-web-of-nation-state-hackers-attacking-the-US}

Glossary of Acronyms

Acronym	Definition
AV	Antivirus
CAPTCHA	Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart
CERT	Computer Emergency Response Team
CIS	Center for Internet Security
CSIR	Computer (and Network) Security Incident Response
CSS	Central Security Service
CSSO	Computer Systems Security Officers
DLP	Data Loss Prevention
DNS (attack)	Domain Name Server
EDR	Endpoint Detection and Response
HTTPS	Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocal
ISO	International Organisation for Standardisation
JSM	Java Security Manager
MDR	Managed Detection and Response
NSCS	National Cyber Security Centre
SIEM	Security Information and Event Management platform
SOC	Security Operations Centre
SSO	Single Sign-On
UBA/UEBA	User Behaviour Analytics
VPN	Virtual Private Network

_Source:_{https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/67-top-cybersecurity-acronyms}