Cybersecurity Terms (Basic)

Question 1

Software that automatically displays or downloads advertising material (often unwanted) when a user is online.

Answer 1

Adware

Question 2

A method by which an authorized user can gain access to a system by bypassing normal security mechanisms.

Answer 2

Backdoor

Question 3

Malicious hackers who break into systems for personal gain or to cause harm. They often engage in illegal activities such as stealing data, vandalizing websites, and spreading malware.

Answer 3

Black Hat

Question 4

A network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners’ knowledge.

Answer 4

Botnet

Question 5

An attempt to guess a password or PIN by systematically trying every possible combination of letters, numbers, and symbols until the correct one is found.

Answer 5

Brute Force Attack

Question 6

An attack meant to shut down a machine or network, making it inaccessible to its intended users by overwhelming the target with a flood of Internet traffic.

Answer 6

Denial of Service (DoS)

Question 7

Similar to DoS but the attack is launched from many computers (often part of a botnet) simultaneously.

Answer 7

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)

Question 8

A piece of software, a chunk of data, or a sequence of commands that takes advantage of a bug or vulnerability to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior to occur on computer software, hardware, or something electronic.

Answer 8

Exploit

Question 9

A network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organization’s previously established security policies.

Answer 9

Firewall

Question 10

The first step in the hacking process, where a hacker gathers information about a target system to find ways to intrude. It involves both passive and active reconnaissance techniques.

Answer 10

Footprinting

Question 11

In the context of malware and antivirus, FUD refers to malware that is undetectable by antivirus software. Hackers aim to create FUD to keep their malicious activities hidden from security measures.

Answer 11

FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)

Question 12

Hackers who fall somewhere between white hats and black hats. They might violate laws or ethical standards but usually without malicious intent. They may find a vulnerability and report it (sometimes requesting a fee for the fix) without permission.

Answer 12

Grey Hat

Question 13

A type of surveillance technology used to monitor and record each keystroke typed on a specific computer’s keyboard.

Answer 13

Keylogger

Question 14

Software specifically designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system.

Answer 14

Malware

Question 15

A method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites.

Answer 15

Phishing

Question 16

A server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. Proxies provide varying levels of functionality, security, and privacy.

Answer 16

Proxy

Question 17

A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.

Answer 17

Ransomware

Question 18

A type of malware that provides the attacker with administrative control over the target computer. RATs are typically downloaded invisibly with a user-requested program, such as a game or app.

Answer 18

RAT (Remote Access Trojan)

Question 19

A type of shell where the target machine connects back to the attacking machine. This is often used to bypass firewalls and other security measures that might block an incoming connection to the target machine.

Answer 19

Reverse Shells

Question 20

A collection of computer software, typically malicious, designed to enable access to a computer or an area of its software that is not otherwise allowed (such as to an unauthorized user) while masking its existence or the existence of other software.

Answer 20

Rootkit

Question 21

An unskilled individual who uses scripts or programs developed by others to attack computer systems and networks and deface websites.

Answer 21

Script Kiddie

Question 22

Intercepting and logging traffic that passes over a digital network or part of a network.

Answer 22

Sniffing

Question 23

The use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.

Answer 23

Social Engineering

Question 24

Software that enables a user to obtain covert information about another’s computer activities by transmitting data covertly from their hard drive.

Answer 24

Spyware

Question 25

A code injection technique used to attack data-driven applications by inserting malicious SQL statements into an entry field for execution (e.g., to dump the database contents to the attacker).

Answer 25

SQL Injection

Question 26

A text-based interface to the system. It provides the user with access to a shell, where commands can be entered to perform operations. The terminal is a powerful tool for managing system functions and scripts.

Answer 26

Terminal

Question 27

Free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication. It directs internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network consisting of more than seven thousand relays to conceal a user’s location and usage.

Answer 27

Tor (The Onion Router)

Question 28

A type of malware that is often disguised as legitimate software.

Answer 28

Trojan Horse

Question 29

A type of malicious software that, when executed, replicates by reproducing itself or infecting other programs by modifying them.

Answer 29

Virus

Question 30

A service that encrypts your internet connection and hides your IP address, providing online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection.

Answer 30

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Question 31

A virtual machine sold as a service by an Internet hosting provider. A VPS runs its own copy of an operating system, and customers have superuser-level access to that operating system instance.

Answer 31

VPS (Virtual Private Server)

Question 32

Ethical hackers who use their skills to improve security by finding and fixing vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. They typically work with permission from the system owners.

Answer 32

White Hat

Question 33

A standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers.

Answer 33

Worm

Question 34

Refers to a vulnerability that is unknown to those who would be interested in mitigating the vulnerability (including the vendor of the target software).

Answer 34

Zero-Day