An AI-enabled cyber-attack is an exponentially accelerated and scaled adversarial operation leveraging AI, ML, or LLMs to automate reconnaissance, exploitation, and polymorphic malware generation, collapsing attack timelines from weeks to minutes and demanding AI-driven defensive capabilities.

AI governance is the strategic framework, policies, and processes implemented to ensure the ethical, compliant, and secure development and deployment of AI systems, focusing on risk mitigation, bias monitoring, data protection, transparency, and establishing clear accountability for AI-driven decisions within the enterprise.

AI TRiSM, or Artificial Intelligence Trust, Risk, and Security Management, is a critical governance framework from Gartner. It comprehensively addresses the imperative for AI models to exhibit high standards in trustworthiness, fairness, reliability, robustness, efficacy, and ensure stringent data protection controls for cybersecurity resilience.

AI threat detection employs sophisticated artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to autonomously identify and analyze emerging cyber threats, operating continuously to scale security event processing and threat hunting capabilities beyond human capacity for enhanced security posture.

AI in cybersecurity leverages advanced machine learning algorithms and computational models to autonomously analyze vast datasets, rapidly identify sophisticated digital threats, and implement automated countermeasures, thereby enhancing detection, prevention, and response capabilities at scale for robust organizational defense.

API-based email security is an advanced method integrating directly with email platforms (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace) via APIs for real-time, continuous threat monitoring. This solution provides comprehensive protection by leveraging machine learning to detect phishing, malware, and BEC, offering automated responses like retraction of malicious emails after delivery, enhancing post-attack forensics, and facilitating flexible security scalability.

A protocol that allows intermediate servers (like mailing lists) to "sign off" on the original authentication results so the final recipient knows it was valid at the start. Watch out for: "Authentication-Results" headers that show arc=fail, which often indicates the email was tampered with by a malicious middleman.

AWS security is the critical strategy and implementation of controls—including encryption, access management (IAM), network firewalls, and logging/monitoring (CloudTrail/Config)—required to protect corporate data stored in shared cloud infrastructure from unauthorized access, loss, corruption, and to maintain regulatory compliance.

Account takeover (ATO) fraud, or account compromise, is a malicious activity where an unauthorized cyber attacker obtains legitimate user credentials to gain control of and exploit a valid account for fraudulent purposes.

Active Directory is Microsoft's centralized directory service acting as a critical identity and access management (IAM) database within Windows domain networks. For cybersecurity professionals, it defines and stores formal definitions of all network objects (users, computers, groups) and their attributes via the schema, enabling centralized authentication (Kerberos) and authorization for resources, making its security and integrity paramount to the overall enterprise security posture.

An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a sophisticated, multi-stage cyber-espionage campaign where highly skilled threat actors establish covert, long-term unauthorized access within a target network to exfiltrate sensitive data or disrupt operations.

An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a highly targeted and sophisticated cyber-attack where an intruder gains access to a network and remains hidden for an extended period. Unlike common malware, APTs are often orchestrated by well-funded groups like nation-states with specific objectives, such as stealing intellectual property or monitoring communications. These attacks frequently begin with a targeted spear-phishing email designed to gain an initial foothold. Once inside, the attacker moves slowly and carefully to avoid detection by traditional security monitoring tools.

Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) encompasses integrated security solutions designed to proactively identify, block, and mitigate sophisticated and polymorphic cyber-attacks, including zero-day exploits, advanced persistent threats (APTs), and evolving malware that evade conventional perimeter defenses.

Software that automatically displays unwanted advertisements.

Agentic AI refers to autonomous systems capable of sophisticated planning, independent decision-making, and executing multi-step tasks with minimal human oversight to achieve complex goals. For cybersecurity, these goal-oriented agents introduce unique risks requiring new security frameworks, governance, and real-time defense mechanisms.

Alert fatigue, or notification fatigue, is the desensitization and diminished responsiveness experienced by cybersecurity professionals due to an overwhelming volume of alerts and alarms, leading to missed critical threats, delayed incident response, and compromised security posture across the organization.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity refers to the deployment of machine learning and autonomous systems to automate, scale, and enhance threat detection, incident response, vulnerability management, and predictive analytics, while also presenting an escalating risk landscape due to AI-driven, faster, and more sophisticated attacks by threat actors.

The "attack surface" represents the aggregate sum of all potential vectors—hardware, software, network configurations, human factors, and operational processes—that unauthorized threat actors could exploit to breach security controls, compromise assets, or gain access to sensitive organizational data.

An attack vector is the specific path or method an attacker uses to gain unauthorized access to a computer system or network. In the digital landscape, email is considered the single most targeted attack vector in the world. Attackers use this vector to deliver various threats, including malicious attachments, phishing links, and social engineering lures. By identifying and closing off different attack vectors through a layered defense strategy, organizations can significantly reduce their overall risk of a successful security breach.

A way to verify that a user is who they claim to be to prevent unauthorized access.

A Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy allows staff to utilize personal devices on the corporate network for work access, presenting security challenges like data leakage risk from unmanaged endpoints, necessitating robust security protocols, data encryption, network segmentation, continuous monitoring, and mandatory employee training to protect sensitive company data.

A hidden way to bypass normal authentication in a computer system.

Bad Rabbit is a 2017 strain of disk-encrypting ransomware, suspected to be a Petya/NotPetya variant, which utilized worm-like capabilities, leveraging exploits like EternalRomance to spread laterally across corporate networks, demanding ransom in Bitcoin for file decryption.

Baiting is a form of social engineering that exploits human curiosity or greed. In a baiting attack, a hacker leaves a malware-infected item, such as a USB flash drive or a CD, in a public or conspicuous place where a victim is likely to find it. The attacker hopes the victim will pick up the device and plug it into their computer to see what is on it. Once connected, the malware automatically installs itself, granting the attacker access to the system and potentially the entire corporate network.

A technique where attackers split a malicious URL into multiple Base64-encoded chunks across different HTML tags to bypass keyword scanners. Watch out for: Large blocks of gibberish text in the HTML source code that, when concatenated and decoded, reveal a hidden powershell command.

Biometrics involves the measurement and analysis of unique, distinctive biological characteristics or behavioral patterns, such as fingerprints, iris scans, voice, or keystroke dynamics, to reliably identify and authenticate individuals within cybersecurity infrastructure, significantly strengthening multi-factor authentication and reducing credential-related risks.

A list of email addresses or domains blocked from sending email.

Security professionals who defend the network.

A botnet constitutes a distributed network of compromised computing devices or machines (bots) remotely controlled by an attacker, often utilizing Command and Control (C2) infrastructure, to execute coordinated malicious operations such as DDoS attacks, spam dissemination, or malware propagation against designated targets.

A security incident resulting in the exposure of confidential data.

Browser isolation is a critical Zero Trust security model component that utilizes remote servers or client-side sandboxing/virtualization to execute web content away from local endpoints and infrastructure. This insulates devices from sophisticated web-based threats, including zero-day vulnerabilities, drive-by downloads, and malicious scripts, neutralizing malware in disposable environments.

Using automated tools to inject lists of stolen credentials to break into systems.

A brute-force attack is a systematic, often automated method where an adversary attempts every possible combination of credentials, keys, or passwords until the correct entry is discovered, typically leveraging dictionaries or sophisticated algorithmic permutations.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a sophisticated cybercrime scam utilizing spear-phishing or email spoofing, often disguised as a trusted source, to trick specific employees into revealing confidential information or executing fraudulent financial transactions, ultimately defrauding the targeted business.

A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is a security policy enforcement point, deployed between cloud consumers and providers, offering centralized visibility, data loss prevention (DLP), threat protection, and compliance assurance across sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services and applications to mitigate risk and govern cloud usage.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is a landmark privacy law mandating covered businesses to implement reasonable security measures, ensure transparency regarding data collection, and protect consumer rights including the right to know, delete, opt-out of sale/sharing, and limit the use of sensitive personal information.

CEO fraud is a specific type of spear phishing attack where a threat actor impersonates a high-level corporate executive, often the Chief Executive Officer, to deceive an employee into performing unauthorized actions, typically wire transfers or releasing sensitive data.

The senior executive responsible for an organization's data security.

Catfishing involves creating a completely fake online identity to deceive a victim, often to trick them into a relationship for the purpose of fraud. While frequently seen on social media, catfishing is also used in business contexts for corporate espionage or financial theft. An attacker might spend weeks building a rapport with an employee under a false persona before asking for sensitive information, wire transfers, or for the victim to open a malicious file. This exploit relies on emotional manipulation rather than technical hacking.

Cerber is a prolific Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) malware, first discovered in March 2016, targeting Windows OS. It is typically distributed via phishing emails utilizing malicious macros or Windows Script Files, encrypting over 400 file types using algorithms like RC4, RSA, and AES-256. Later versions incorporated botnet functionality to execute distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

ChatGPT, a cutting-edge AI chatbot from OpenAI and fine-tuned from the GPT-3.5 series, can analyze large data sequences, such as vulnerabilities or threats, aiding cybersecurity professionals in threat analysis, filtering irrelevant data, and providing 24/7 support. However, it also presents risks, including the potential for generating highly convincing phishing emails.

A Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is an executive responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise's vision, strategy, and program to ensure information assets and technologies are adequately protected. This role encompasses developing cybersecurity strategies, managing risk, and strengthening cyber-defenses across the organization.

Clone phishing is a deceptive attack where an intruder takes a legitimate email that a victim has previously received and copies it almost exactly. The attacker then replaces a safe link or attachment from the original email with a malicious version and resends it from a spoofed address. Because the email looks identical to a trusted communication the user has seen before, they are much more likely to click the malicious link without suspicion, making this an extremely effective way to deliver malware or steal credentials.

A Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) serves as a critical security policy enforcement point placed between cloud service consumers and cloud service providers. It acts as a gatekeeper that allows organizations to extend their security reach into the cloud, providing deep visibility into "Shadow IT" and ensuring that sensitive data in systems like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is protected. By utilizing advanced encryption and identity mapping, a CASB helps prevent unauthorized access and potential data leaks.

A cloud application is a software program where cloud-based and local components work together in a hybrid model. These applications are accessed via the internet and rely on remote servers to process logic that is then delivered through a web browser. Standard examples include webmail services like Gmail or Office 365. Because these tools are essential for modern business, they require specialized security measures to ensure that user communications remain confidential and are not intercepted by malicious actors during transmission.

A cloud-based archiving solution securely stores data offsite on cloud servers, leveraging unlimited capacity, built-in redundancy, and automated backup for cost-effective, reliable, and accessible data preservation, critical for resilience against cyber threats like ransomware.

For cybersecurity professionals, regulatory compliance in third-party cloud data storage is defined as the mandatory adherence of external service providers to all pertinent data privacy and protection standards when hosting an organization’s sensitive information.

Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a critical security measure utilizing policies and technologies to detect, monitor, and protect sensitive data stored or transiting within cloud environments, mitigating risks from accidental exposure, malicious insider threats, and sophisticated external cyberattacks.

Cloud computing, encompassing the shift to cloud environments and a mobile workforce, inherently introduces new security and compliance risks. Cybersecurity professionals must address these by implementing robust policies, controls, and technologies, focusing on risks like data breaches, misconfigurations, shadow IT, compliance challenges (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), and insider threats across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructures.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) is a critical security discipline for continuously monitoring and assessing cloud environments—including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS—to automatically detect, evaluate in context, and remediate misconfigurations, compliance violations, and security risks, proactively reducing the attack surface.

The server an attacker uses to send instructions to compromised computers.

An organization's ability to meet specific standards or requirements.

Compliance management in cybersecurity involves establishing and maintaining organizational policies, processes, and controls to systematically ensure adherence to all relevant legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal information security standards, effectively mitigating legal and financial risks associated with non-compliance.

Compliance monitoring is the continuous and systematic process of verifying that an organization’s security controls and operational practices adhere to established regulatory requirements, internal policies, and industry standards to effectively mitigate cybersecurity risks and ensure data integrity.

Compliance risk is the potential legal, financial, and criminal exposure resulting from an organization's failure to adhere to industry laws, regulations, ethical standards, and internal policies, including those governing data protection, access control, and cybersecurity protocols, often leading to fines, litigation, or operational shutdowns.

An account compromise occurs when unauthorized threat actors successfully obtain valid credentials or access mechanisms, typically via phishing or social engineering, enabling them to execute malicious or unauthorized operations, thereby circumventing established security controls and exploiting the trusted user context.

A computer virus is a malicious software payload or authored code segment that necessitates a host program for activation, possesses the capability for self-replication, and is designed to propagate across systems, corrupting data and compromising the integrity of the computing environment.

Credential compromise is defined as the unauthorized acquisition of legitimate login details, such as usernames and passwords, enabling impersonation of authorized users and subsequent illicit access to systems and sensitive data, often leading to data exfiltration or financial malfeasance.

A cyber-attack where an actor obtains a user's identity to attempt unauthorized access.

Credential stuffing is an automated cyberattack where adversaries use large lists of previously stolen or compromised username and password combinations to attempt unauthorized access across multiple online services, exploiting the common practice of password reuse.

Credential theft involves the unauthorized capture of sensitive authentication secrets, such as usernames, passwords, session tokens, or private keys, from individuals or automated systems, posing a significant risk to network security and data integrity for organizations.

Critical infrastructure, vital for national security and economic stability, comprises essential physical and virtual systems (e.g., energy, transportation, IT) whose incapacitation by threats like cyberattacks or equipment failure would have a debilitating impact; securing these complex, often converged environments requires specialized, proactive cybersecurity strategies and compliance with standards like those from CISA and NIST.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a prevalent web application vulnerability where threat actors bypass security controls to inject client-side scripts, often JavaScript, into trusted web pages. This malicious code executes in the victim's browser, allowing attackers to steal session cookies, hijack user sessions, or redirect users.

CryptoLocker is a sophisticated variant of ransomware that employs strong encryption algorithms to restrict unauthorized access to a victim's files and operating system, demanding a payment, or ransom, typically in cryptocurrency, for the decryption key necessary to restore data access and system functionality.

Cryptojacking, or malicious cryptomining, is a cyber threat where an attacker secretly hijacks a victim's computing resources (processing power and electricity) via malware or browser-based scripts to mine cryptocurrency without consent, resulting in decreased system performance, overheating, and increased costs.

CryptoWall is sophisticated ransomware that typically propagates through malvertising and phishing, utilizing advanced encryption algorithms like RSA-2048 to lock files across network shares, demanding Bitcoin ransom for the private decryption key, thus disrupting organizational operations.

A cyber-attack is a calculated, hostile operation targeting digital assets, infrastructure, or network components, leveraging vulnerabilities to compromise system integrity, confidentiality, or availability, resulting in unauthorized access, data theft, disruption of services, or destruction of resources.

Cyber crime encompasses any criminal activity leveraging digital devices, computer systems, or networks, motivated primarily by financial gain or sometimes political objectives. It includes sophisticated attacks like malware, ransomware, and cyber espionage, as well as fraud schemes, identity theft, and unauthorized data breaches, requiring specialized expertise to prevent, detect, and mitigate.

Cyber espionage is the covert and illicit utilization of digital methodologies and advanced persistent threats (APTs) by state and non-state actors to infiltrate secure networks, exfiltrate intellectual property, sensitive data, and classified governmental or corporate intelligence without authorization, fundamentally compromising information security.

Cyber extortion is a sophisticated form of cybercrime involving threat actors compromising digital security infrastructure through exploitation of vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, subsequently leveraging the threat of data exposure, system downtime, or denial-of-service attacks to demand a ransom payment from the victim organization.

Cyber hygiene, or cybersecurity hygiene, encompasses the essential, routine practices and policies implemented by organizations and security personnel to proactively manage vulnerabilities, ensuring continuous resilience, operational integrity, and robust security posture across all critical systems, networks, devices, and sensitive data assets.

Cyber insurance, or cyber-liability insurance, is a risk management mechanism designed to mitigate the financial repercussions of cybersecurity incidents, including but not limited to, data breaches, network compromises, and ransomware attacks, thereby protecting organizational financial stability.

The Cyber Kill Chain, developed by Lockheed Martin, is an Intelligence Driven Defense model that identifies the seven critical stages—Reconnaissance, Weaponization, Delivery, Exploitation, Installation, Command and Control, and Actions on Objectives—an adversary must complete to achieve objectives like data exfiltration or system compromise.

A cyber threat is any malicious circumstance or event, internal or external, with the potential to adversely impact organizational operations by targeting data, systems, or networks. It often involves a cyber attacker seeking unauthorized access or exploiting vulnerabilities to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information resources.

Cybersecurity, for professionals, encompasses the comprehensive deployment of technologies, processes, and controls designed to protect information systems, networks, programs, and data from advanced digital threats, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability against unauthorized access, attack, or damage.

Cybersecurity analytics is the application of data analysis, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to monitor networks, correlate insights across security tools, detect threats, analyze traffic, and facilitate improved, proactive incident response and forensic investigations, providing a unified view of enterprise network activity.

Cybersecurity compliance is the mandated adherence to established laws, regulations, standards, and frameworks (like ISO 27001 or NIST CSF) designed to protect an organization's sensitive data and information systems. It functions as a critical risk management tool, reinforcing legal and ethical accountability while ensuring robust security controls to mitigate cyber threats, maintain customer trust, and avoid significant financial and legal penalties.

Cybersecurity litigation is the legal action initiated after a significant data breach, typically involving customer-victims of identity theft or projected financial losses who file lawsuits seeking appropriate compensation and restitution from the compromised organization.

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a mandated, tiered Department of Defense (DoD) program establishing required cybersecurity standards for contractors within the defense industrial base (DIB), focusing on protecting Federal Contract Information (FCI) and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) across the supply chain against evolving cyber threats.

A security protocol that uses DNSSEC to bind TLS certificates to domain names, preventing an attacker from using a fake cert to intercept mail. Watch out for: TLS connection errors in your mail logs that indicate a "Certificate Mismatch," a sign of a potential Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) interception.

A Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack constitutes a concerted, malicious effort utilizing multiple compromised computer systems to overwhelm a targeted network, server, or service infrastructure, thereby successfully disrupting the availability of normal traffic and legitimate user access.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication protocol that uses cryptographic signatures tied to a domain's DNS to allow receiving mail servers to verify message integrity and sender legitimacy, mitigating email spoofing and phishing attacks.

Injecting invisible "tags" or specific metadata into sensitive outgoing documents so they can be traced back to the sender if they are leaked via email. Watch out for: Files that trigger a "Sensitivity Label" warning in your Data Loss Prevention (DLP) system when they are attached to an external email.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is a powerful security rule that ties SPF and DKIM together. It provides instructions to the receiving mail server on what to do if an email fails authentication—such as doing nothing, quarantining it in the spam folder, or rejecting it entirely. DMARC also provides reporting back to the domain owner, giving them visibility into who is sending mail on their behalf and helping them spot and block unauthorized spoofing attempts across the internet.

Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system fundamental to internet navigation, translating human-readable domain names into numerical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that devices use for identification and location. For cybersecurity professionals, its integrity is critical, as DNS attacks (spoofing, tunneling, amplification) are frequently exploited to redirect traffic, compromise data, or launch Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

Often described as the "phonebook of the internet," the Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for translating human-readable website names, such as https://www.google.com/search?q=google.com, into the numerical IP addresses that computers use to identify each other. This system is foundational for email security because it hosts essential records like MX, SPF, and DKIM. These records verify the identity of the sender and provide instructions to receiving servers on how to handle incoming mail, ensuring messages reach the correct destination securely.

DNS spoofing, often accomplished through cache poisoning, is a cyberattack where malicious actors alter DNS server entries to redirect users to a fraudulent website, often for phishing, malware delivery, or data theft, by providing an incorrect IP address translation for a domain name.

The dark web is the intentionally hidden, encrypted segment of the deep web, inaccessible via standard browsers, often utilizing networks like Tor. While notoriously associated with illegal activities such as illicit trade and stolen data exchange, it also provides critical infrastructure for secure, anonymous communication, crucial for whistleblowers, journalists, and defending against censorship and surveillance.

Secure data archiving is the comprehensive process of systematically migrating and storing infrequently accessed, non-volatile data assets to a highly secure, immutable, and cost-effective secondary repository, ensuring long-term data integrity, regulatory compliance, and availability for forensic investigation and advanced data analytics while maintaining robust encryption and access controls.

A data breach is a security incident involving unauthorized access, exfiltration, or misuse of sensitive, confidential, or protected data, frequently resulting from vulnerabilities, hacker attacks, phishing, or insider threats, leading to significant financial, reputational, and legal consequences.

A data center is a centralized, specialized facility housing a vast array of IT infrastructure, including servers, networking equipment, and storage, designed for managing and processing critical data, requiring robust physical and cyber defenses to maintain availability, integrity, and confidentiality against threats.

Data center security encompasses the comprehensive physical and virtual cybersecurity measures implemented to safeguard corporate data and infrastructure housed within third-party data center locations, ensuring protection against unauthorized access and malicious attackers.

Data classification is the process of organizing and categorizing structured and unstructured data based on its sensitivity, importance, and predefined criteria, enabling organizations to efficiently manage, protect, and handle data assets by assigning appropriate classification levels for enhanced security and compliance.

Data exfiltration is the illicit, unauthorized transfer, copying, or retrieval of sensitive or proprietary data assets from a secure perimeter, server, or individual endpoint device, often constituting a significant security breach and intellectual property theft.

Data governance is the essential, holistic framework encompassing security strategies, established policies, and defined rules to rigorously manage and enforce the continuous security, comprehensive availability, verifiable integrity, and regulatory compliance of all organizational enterprise data assets.

Data labeling, or data tagging, is the critical process of annotating raw data points with informative labels to create "ground truth" datasets. This enables machine learning algorithms, crucial for applications like threat detection and natural language processing, to accurately interpret data and make reliable predictions, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of security models.

A data leak is the accidental, non-malicious disclosure or exposure of sensitive, proprietary, or confidential data—such as credentials, intellectual property, or customer records—due to human error, system errors, or infrastructure misconfigurations, making the information accessible outside its authorized environment.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is an essential cybersecurity strategy utilizing a suite of integrated technologies, policies, and procedural controls to identify, monitor, and prevent the unauthorized movement, access, sharing, or transmission of sensitive and regulated organizational data assets, ensuring compliance and mitigating risk.

Data masking is a critical cybersecurity technique, also known as data obfuscation or anonymization, used to create realistic yet non-sensitive versions of production data for use in non-production environments like development and testing, thereby protecting personally identifiable information (PII) from accidental exposure or theft through methods such as substitution, shuffling, and variance.

Cybersecurity professionals identify, monitor, and mitigate threats like data poisoning—a sophisticated cyber-attack that corrupts AI/ML training datasets—by implementing systems for threat detection, incident response, network security, and continuous vulnerability analysis to protect organizational systems and data integrity.