A student-friendly definition of the key terms used across this site.
- Phishing Attack
- Fraudulent message pretending to come from a trusted source to trick you into revealing data or clicking malicious links.
- Malware Attack
- Any software designed to harm: viruses, worms, spyware, trojans, ransomware…
- Ransomware Attack
- Malware that encrypts your files and demands a ransom to decrypt them. Backups are the only reliable recovery.
- Trojan Attack
- Malware disguised as a legitimate program. Once executed, it opens a backdoor for attackers.
- Spyware Attack
- Software that secretly records what you do — keystrokes, screenshots, browsing — and exfiltrates it.
- DDoS Attack
- Distributed Denial of Service: many devices flood a server with traffic to make it unavailable.
- Botnet Attack
- A network of compromised devices remotely controlled by an attacker to launch attacks (often DDoS or spam).
- Zero-day Concept
- A security flaw exploited by attackers before the vendor has released a patch.
- Vulnerability Concept
- A weakness in software, hardware or configuration that an attacker can exploit.
- Patch Defence
- A small update that fixes a vulnerability. Applying patches quickly is one of the strongest defences.
- Firewall Defence
- A filter that allows or blocks network traffic based on rules. Built into your OS and router.
- VPN Defence
- Virtual Private Network: encrypts your internet traffic, hiding it from local networks and attackers.
- 2FA / MFA Defence
- Two- or multi-factor authentication: a second proof (code, key) in addition to your password.
- Encryption Defence
- Converting data so only authorised users can read it. Used for files, emails, websites (HTTPS).
- Sandboxing Defence
- Running suspicious code in an isolated environment so it cannot affect the rest of the system.