Allows access to computer systems that are unavailable to most users and allows the execution of actions that would otherwise be restricted

This is software that automatically starts, launches, downloads advertising material onto your computer (e.g. pop-up banners)

A security measure that enable s a secure network to be isolated unsecure networks in all manners – physically, electrically, and electromagnetically

Comparison process to define what activity is considered normal against observed events to identify significant deviations

This is software that will protect your computer from viruses that it encounters on the internet. It is important to keep this regularly updated as new viruses are constantly being introduced

This is an attack on a network by an unauthorised person who wants to gain access and remain hidden for a period of time. Due to it’s nature it is usually associated with stealing data rather than someone trying to cause damage and is mainly aimed at companies in sectors that hold high-value information such as the financial industry

Specific sequence of events symptomatic of an unauthorized access attempt

Process of verifying the identity of a user, machine or any other entity

Something that is of value to an individual or business NB in tech speak this refers to a list of all your hardware such as servers and computers so we may need to change this a bit

To make a copy of data stored on a computer or system

The capacity to communicate data through a given channel in a set amount of time

Set of specifications for a system that have been officially reviewed and agreed on at a given point in time, and that can be changed only through official procedures

This method is usually used by an (ISP) Internet service provider to stop a (DDoS) Distributed denial of service from attacking on one of its customers. However, this approach makes the actual site completely inaccessible to all traffic, both malicious and legitimate

Malware that gets what it needs and then destroys its target or renders its host unusable if it is detected by security systems

Device found at an organisations boundary to an external network

Is a network of computers that is controlled by cyber criminals

A fast data transmission system where the communications set-up can be shared between multiple users

A process for preparing and maintaining continued business operations during and after disruption or crisis

The systems required to manage and support a business (e.g. email)

Bring Your Own Device

Broad processes for managing organisational change, including planning, governance, project management, testing, and implementation

A transaction made using a payment card where the supplier initially receives payment but is later disputed and the transaction is rejected by the cardholder causing the suppliers account to be debited

The practice of using a network of remote (usually shared) servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer

Content Management System

The configuration or arrangement of a network including its nodes and connecting communication lines

Process of managing a company’s operations in event of an emergency that puts business continuity under threat including its ability to communicate with employees, customers, and the media

Includes all the systems and assets that are so important that the incapacity or destruction of them could have a debilitating impact

Attack via cyberspace to damage, disrupt or gain unauthorised access to a computer, computer system, or network with the aim of either disrupting, disabling, destroying or controlling a computing environment or infrastructure, or destroying the integrity of the data or stealing controlled information

Criminal/illegal activities using computers and/or networks

The environment through which digitised information is distributed on networks of computers

Events, actions, or people with the potential to exploit technology-based vulnerabilities and to have a negative impact on operations, assets (including information) or individuals
Data loss prevention (DLP)

A format of implementing policies and controls designed specifically to protect data when it is stored, used or being moved around a network .

Process of analysing information to find unrevealed patterns or correlations

Electronic equivalent of an ID card that authenticates the instigator of a digital signature

Plan describing processes to recover from significant processing interruptions

Form of attack that makes a computer resource or resources unavailable to its intended users

Part of a network that allows less trusted users to access certain servers

Technology developed to protect against such attacks by providing a digital signature to data so as to be assured it is valid

These attacks are aimed at stopping the normal running of a server, network or website.. The most usual format is to slow down the function by overloading with requests which could eventually lead to a complete crash so that access to users is denied

Is an attempt to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources

Dynamic provable data possession

This is when hackers are intent on stealing funds by exploiting system vulnerabilities via the HR / salary process. Often there’s an automatic regular repetitive process that processes employee salaries using data from the company HR system. The hacker logs into the HR system and simply changes the payment information to another bank account. Then the hacker sits back and waits for the normal weekly or fortnightly payroll process to run. The first sign of detection is staff realising their regular pay hasn’t been deposited they call HR by which time the money has been moved. A side effect of access to the HR system is that other personal information is accessed too.

A computer can become compromised simply by visiting a website that itself contains a malicious code. Cybercriminals can inject a vulnerable web page without their knowledge and in turn anyone who visits that website without their own protection in place will inadvertently download the malicious programme to their own computer

Transforming data into a code to hide its content so only those with the knowledge of the code can access the information

Refers to the date when a software product no longer receives automatic fixes, updates or online technical assistance from the producer

Configuration of computer systems within an organisation that include local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), bridges and applications

A communications system connecting a number of computer systems to form a local area network (LAN)

Technique or code that intentionally takes advantage of a vulnerability allowing an attacker to access a system and impact an operating system or application program

Standard high-level protocols to transfer files from one computer to another

General Data Protection Regulation

The Snapchat of malware. Snapchat, the popular social app, allows users to send photos and videos to friends that, once viewed, “disappear” and cannot be viewed again. The concept of ghostware is similar: The malware enters a system, completes its task then disappears without leaving a trace

This is the process by which to identify and rectify vulnerabilities on a system

This is the collection of valuable information such bank details, email addresses, passwords

Transformation of a string of characters into a usually shorter fixed-length value or key that represents the original string, and used to index and retrieve items in a database because it is faster to find the item using the shorter key than to find it using the original value

Ability to dynamically add hardware, virtual or physical, to a running system without downtime

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) within a connection encrypted by TLS or SSL

Executing a defensive response when a network’s security is threatened

Action process including resources and communication strategy when an actual or potential threat has been identified

This encompasses all measures that are used to protect company or personal information from any compromising activity

Electronic or paper-based systems used to access, store, transmit, protect and finally dispose of information

Systems technologies that include operations such as central computer processing, end-user computing, local area networking, and telecommunications, devices that control transmission paths such as routers, aggregators and repeaters, and the software used to send, receive and manage transmitted signals

A security system that collects and analyses information to identify possible attempts of unauthorised access and security breaches, both internally and externally

A security system that blocks the unauthorised access and security breaches

A company that provides access to the internet and other related services

Internet Protocol

Internet Protocol Security

A communications network that links multiple computers in a defined location (e.g. a business office)

Any software programme that has been created to conduct a harmful/unauthorised action within a user’s device, usually intending to infiltrate damage or disable the device (e.g. Trojan viruses and keyloggers)

An attacker can monitor and change communications as they are positioned within the communication line between the server and the user

Quantitative measurements

Portable computing and communication devices with capacity for storing information including notebook and laptop computers, cellular telephones and smart phones, tablets, digital cameras and audio recording devices

Using two or more factors to achieve authentication including passwords, PIN’s, cryptographic identification device or some form of biometric

Baseline that is identified to determine typical patterns in order to detect significant deviations

Identified individual who is responsible for the installation, management and control of a network

A device put in place to control traffic to and from a network

Psychological syndrome in which a person is afraid of being out of mobile or cell phone contact

Process of using another entity to complete services that could otherwise be done in-house

A code that is used to update a system or software package that is released to fix a bug or known vulnerability

Payment Card Industry

If unauthorised access to sensitive data is obtained by skirting system protections

Software that is put on a PC to control network traffic to and from that computer

A method by which criminals try to get individuals to disclose valuable information such as bank details and passwords, they usually send an email that looks as though it is from an official source with a hyperlink to a fake site where the user will be asked to type in confidential information

This enables users and computers to safely exchange data over networks and to verify the identity of the other user by supporting the distribution of public encryption keys

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol

A small transportable computing device such as a smart phone, laptop or tablet computer

Security objective of gives users only the access that they needed perform official duties

Individuals who have been given the ability to override system or application controls

This is a server that acts as an intermediary between a workstation user and the internet in order to validate requests and ensure security. It is usually associated with or part of a gateway server and a firewall server

An immediate response when an attempt to penetrate has been detected and identified in time to prevent access

Obtaining access to a computer or network from a remote location

A utility that allows a user to login onto a network, as if it were directly connected but is an information exchange between devices where the information cannot be reliably protected the organisation’s security controls

Portable electronic storage media that can be inserted into and removed from a computing device and which is used to store text, video, audio, and image information, this includes hard disks, zip drives, compact disks (CD), thumb drives, pen drives and similar storage devices

Organisational ability to recover from a significant disruption and reinstate critical operations

Tests that identify an organisations ability to recover from a significant disruption

The recovery of data following computer loss or failure

The process of identifying, analysing and evaluating vulnerabilities both physical and digital

Identifying vulnerabilities in an organisation and developing a strategy to help deter and protect against an attack

Unauthorised wireless nodes on a network

These are programmes used by hackers to dodge detection while they try to gain access, once installed they are invisible and can avoid being detected by security software

Hardware device connecting two or more networks and routing incoming data to the appropriate network

Restricted and controlled execution environment that prevents potentially malicious software from accessing any system resources unless it has been authorised

Creates records that contain login, logout activity and other security events and can track security based information on a computer system

Computer that provides data, information or services to other computers over a network

Secure File Transfer Protocol

A mobile phone that has been constructed on a mobile computing platform offering a more advanced computing capability than a standard mobile phone

Format for attempting to trick people into revealing confidential or private information and/or performing certain actions

A software component that connects a computer programme to a LAN (local area network) or a WAN (wide area network), allowing data to be read and written over the network

Attack that targets a specific user or group aiming to trick them into performing an action, such as opening a document or clicking a link, that then launches an attack. It relies on the attacker knowing some personal piece of information about their target

Scalable, provable data possession

Is a form of Malware that is able to pass information about activity on a computer to a third party such as key strokes, passwords and contact details, as well as reducing the performance of the device itself

Secure Shell

Secure Sockets Layer

Transport Layer Security

Small device that has a computer chip embedded in it and is used to store/ transmit electronic information

A programme that pretends to be legitimate software but when activated it launches harmful activity however unlike other viruses and worms, a Trojan cannot spread by themselves

Developed to defeat Sandboxing. It behaves benignly while in the sandbox before performing its malicious process once it passes through security protocols. Sandbox solutions often employ a rating system based on the observation of the inspected files. If everything looks OK, the sandbox will assign an “innocent” rating. This rating could be applied to following items by security monitoring systems and so may enable future versions of files to be given the “all clear” without being sandboxed and therefore potentially able to bypass inspection by advanced security systems. Two-faced malware could be enhanced to game sandbox rating systems in a counter-intelligence move, making it much more difficult to detect

(Voice phishing)

A malware that loads into a programme on a computer without the user’s knowledge, it must have a host programme to be active, it cannot run by itself

Voice over IP

A weakness that can be used to penetrate or attack a system

Type of ‘Phishing’ aimed at senior executives such as CEO, CFO and individuals with executive authority relating to financial payments

A malware that does not need to attach itself to a programme, instead it replicates itself and sends copies to infiltrating other computers by using networks

Wi-Fi Protected Setup