Understanding Cyber Threats
Threat Glossary
A comprehensive guide to cyber threats, attack techniques, and security concepts.
A
- Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) – A prolonged, targeted cyber attack where adversaries infiltrate a network to steal sensitive data or disrupt operations.
- Attack Surface – The sum of all entry points (hardware, software, networks) that an attacker can exploit.
B
- Botnet – A network of compromised computers remotely controlled by an attacker to launch cyber attacks, such as DDoS attacks or credential stuffing.
- Brute Force Attack – A method where attackers try numerous password combinations to gain unauthorised access.
C
- Command and Control (C2/C&C) – A technique used by attackers to remotely control compromised systems or devices.
- Credential Stuffing – Using stolen username-password pairs to gain unauthorised access to multiple accounts.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) – An attack where malicious scripts are injected into websites to steal user data.
- Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) – The process of gathering, analysing, and applying information about potential or active cyber threats, enabling organisations to anticipate, prevent, and respond to attacks.
- Cyber Kill Chain – A model outlining the stages of a cyber attack, from initial reconnaissance to actions on objectives, helping security teams disrupt adversaries at each phase.
D
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) / Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack – An attack that overwhelms a system or network, making it unavailable to legitimate users.
- Data Breach – An incident where sensitive or confidential data is accessed or leaked without authorisation.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP) – Systems and strategies designed to prevent the unauthorised transfer or leakage of sensitive data.
- Deception Technology – Security tools that deploy decoys, traps, and misleading information to divert and study attackers.
E
- Endpoint Security – Protection of devices (laptops, servers, mobile phones) against cyber threats.
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) – Solutions that monitor endpoints for suspicious activities, enabling quick investigation and remediation.
- Exfiltration – The unauthorised transfer of data from a compromised system.
F
- Firewall – A security system that monitors and controls incoming/outgoing network traffic based on predefined security rules.
- Fileless Malware – Malicious software that operates in-memory rather than installing files, making detection more difficult.
G
- Greyware – Software that may not be explicitly malicious but poses security risks, such as adware or spyware.
- Group Policy Object (GPO) Attack – A cyber attack that manipulates Active Directory policies to gain persistence.
H
- Honeypot – A decoy system designed to attract cyber attackers to study their techniques.
- Honeynet – A network of interconnected honeypots used to gather detailed information about attacker tactics.
- Hashing – A cryptographic technique that converts data into a fixed-length string, commonly used for password storage.
I
- Insider Threat – A security risk posed by employees or trusted individuals with access to an organisation’s systems.
- Incident Response – A structured approach to handling and mitigating cyber security breaches.
- Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) – Artifacts such as file hashes, IP addresses, or domain names that signal a potential security breach.
- Incident Management – The process of handling security incidents to minimise business disruption and recover quickly.
J
- Jailbreaking – The process of removing software restrictions on a mobile device, potentially exposing it to security risks.
K
- Keylogger – Malware that records keystrokes to steal sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
L
- Living-off-the-Land (LotL) Attacks – Cyber attacks that use legitimate system tools to evade detection.
M
- Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack – An attack where an adversary intercepts communications between two parties to steal or manipulate data.
- Malware – Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to systems.
- Managed Detection & Response (MDR) – A security service that combines advanced technology with human expertise to continuously monitor, detect, and respond to cyber threats—often delivered as a managed service.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – An authentication method requiring more than one form of verification to grant access.
N
- Network Segmentation – Dividing a network into smaller segments to limit the spread of cyber attacks.
- Nonce – A one-time value used in cryptographic communications to prevent replay attacks.
O
- Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) – Information gathered from publicly available sources to assess threats.
P
- Phishing – A social engineering attack where attackers trick users into revealing sensitive information via fraudulent emails or messages.
- Privilege Escalation – Exploiting vulnerabilities to gain higher access privileges in a system.
- Patch Management – The process of managing and applying updates to software applications and systems in order to fix vulnerabilities.
- Privileged Access Management (PAM) – Technologies and strategies to control, monitor, and secure accounts with elevated access rights.
Q
- Quarantine – The process of isolating infected files or systems to prevent malware spread.
R
- Ransomware – Malware that encrypts files and demands payment (ransom) for decryption.
- Remote Access Trojan (RAT) – Malware that enables an attacker to take full control of a compromised device remotely.
- Risk Management – The process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks to an organisation’s information assets.
S
- SQL Injection (SQLi) – An attack that exploits vulnerabilities in web applications to manipulate databases.
- Supply Chain Attack – An attack that targets an organisation by compromising third-party vendors or service providers.
- Social Engineering – A manipulation tactic where attackers trick individuals into divulging confidential information.
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) – A solution that aggregates and analyses security alerts generated by hardware and software, enabling real-time monitoring and threat detection.
T
- Trojan Horse – A type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate program to trick users into installing it.
- Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) – The methods and patterns used by cyber attackers to infiltrate and exploit networks.
- Threat Operations (ThreatOps) – A proactive approach that integrates threat intelligence, continuous monitoring, and incident response to detect and disrupt adversary activity.
- Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs) – Tools that collect, correlate, and analyse threat data from multiple sources to help organisations make informed security decisions.
U
- Unauthorised Access – Gaining access to systems, networks, or data without permission.
- URL Spoofing – Creating a deceptive URL to trick users into visiting malicious websites.
V
- Vulnerability – A weakness in software, hardware, or processes that can be exploited by attackers.
- Vulnerability Assessment – A systematic review to identify security weaknesses within an organisation’s IT infrastructure.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN) – A security tool that encrypts internet traffic to protect privacy.
W
- Watering Hole Attack – An attack where cyber criminals compromise websites frequently visited by their target.
- Whaling Attack – A phishing attack that specifically targets high-profile executives or decision-makers.
X
- XDR (Extended Detection and Response) – A security solution that integrates threat detection and response across multiple layers, including network, endpoint, and cloud.
Y
- YARA Rules – A method used to identify malware patterns and detect cyber threats.
Z
- Zero-Day Attack – An attack that exploits unknown or unpatched vulnerabilities before the vendor releases a fix.
- Zero Trust Security – A security model that requires strict identity verification for every user and device attempting to access resources.
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