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• Include defensive security in your cybersecurity strategy

  Is your company's cybersecurity strategy comprehensive enough to protect against an expanding threat landscape? Learn how developing defensive security strategies can help. Continue Reading

• Nmap use cases, tools and product comparisons

  Nmap is historically known for port scanning, but thanks to several subprojects, its use cases have expanded. Learn how Nmap is used, along with other comparable tools. Continue Reading

• quantum cryptography

  Quantum cryptography is a method of encryption that uses the naturally occurring properties of quantum mechanics to secure and transmit data. Continue Reading

• How to use Nmap to scan specific ports

  One of Nmap's primary functions is conducting port scans. In this walkthrough, learn how to launch a default scan, along with other options that affect Nmap port scan behavior. Continue Reading

• one-time pad

  In cryptography, a one-time pad is a system in which a randomly generated private key is used only once to encrypt a message that is then decrypted by the receiver using a matching one-time pad and key. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • What is application allowlisting?
  • What is a checksum?
  • What is Transport Layer Security (TLS)?
  • What is an attack vector?

  • What is email spoofing?
  • What is challenge-response authentication?
  • What is defense in depth?
  • What are social engineering attacks?

  View All Definitions

• What is shellcode and how is it used?

  Shellcode is a set of instructions that executes a command in software to take control of or exploit a compromised machine. Read up on the malware term and how to mitigate the risk.Continue Reading

• How to start implementing passwordless authentication today

  Everyone is tired of passwords, but a truly passwordless world isn't quite there yet. Learn what options companies currently have to implement passwordless authentication.Continue Reading

• Top cloud security standards and frameworks to consider

  Cloud security standards and frameworks are key to securing systems and maintaining privacy. Read up on available options and advice for selecting the best for your organization.Continue Reading

• Introduction to automated penetration testing

  Automated penetration testing, which speeds up the process for companies and vendors, is maturing. Is it ready to close the time gap between vulnerability discovery and mitigation?Continue Reading

• Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)

  Pretty Good Privacy or PGP was a popular program used to encrypt and decrypt email over the internet, as well as authenticate messages with digital signatures and encrypted stored files.Continue Reading

• Cloud-native security architecture principles and controls

  Building a sound cloud security framework is challenging, and it's even more so when implementing a cloud-native architecture. Here are steps you can take to make the job easier.Continue Reading

• click fraud (pay-per-click fraud)

  Click fraud -- sometimes called 'pay-per-click fraud' -- is a type of fraud that artificially inflates traffic statistics for online advertisements.Continue Reading

• Rijndael

  Rijndael (pronounced rain-dahl) is an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.Continue Reading

• Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS)

  Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) are a set of standard protocols, numbered from 1 to 15.Continue Reading

• honeynet

  A honeynet is a network set up with intentional vulnerabilities hosted on a decoy server to attract hackers.Continue Reading

• trusted computing base (TCB)

  A trusted computing base (TCB) is everything in a computing system that provides a secure environment for operations.Continue Reading

• elliptical curve cryptography (ECC)

  Elliptical curve cryptography (ECC) is a public key encryption technique based on elliptic curve theory that can be used to create faster, smaller and more efficient cryptographic keys.Continue Reading

• access log

  An access log is a list of all requests for individual files -- such as Hypertext Markup Language files, their embedded graphic images and other associated files that get transmitted -- that people or bots have made from a website.Continue Reading

• ciphertext feedback (CFB)

  In cryptography, ciphertext feedback (CFB), also known as cipher feedback, is a mode of operation for a block cipher.Continue Reading

• Editor's picks: Top cybersecurity articles of 2021

  As we call it a wrap on 2021, SearchSecurity looks at the top articles from the last 12 months and their sweeping trends, including ransomware, career planning and more.Continue Reading

• International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA)

  The International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA) is a symmetric key block cipher encryption algorithm designed to encrypt text to an unreadable format for transmission via the internet.Continue Reading

• cryptographic checksum

  Generated by a cryptographic algorithm, a cryptographic checksum is a mathematical value assigned to a file sent through a network for verifying that the data contained in that file is unchanged.Continue Reading

• smart card

  A smart card is a physical card that has an embedded integrated chip that acts as a security token.Continue Reading

• white hat hacker

  A white hat hacker -- or ethical hacker -- is an individual who uses hacking skills to identify security vulnerabilities in hardware, software or networks.Continue Reading

• Encrypting File System (EFS)

  Encrypting File System (EFS) provides an added layer of protection by encrypting files or folders on various versions of the Microsoft Windows OS.Continue Reading

• Top infosec best practices, challenges and pain points

  Weak infosec practices can have irrevocable consequences. Read up on infosec best practices and challenges, as well as the importance of cybersecurity controls and risk management.Continue Reading

• copyright

  Copyright is a legal term describing ownership of control of the rights to the use and distribution of certain works of creative expression, including books, video, motion pictures, musical compositions and computer programs.Continue Reading

• stealth virus

  A stealth virus is a computer virus that uses various mechanisms to avoid detection by antivirus software.Continue Reading

• spam filter

  A spam filter is a program used to detect unsolicited, unwanted and virus-infected emails and prevent those messages from getting to a user's inbox.Continue Reading

• What is a micro VM (micro virtual machine)?

  A micro VM (micro virtual machine) is a virtual machine program that serves to isolate an untrusted computing operation from a computer's host operating system.Continue Reading

• Chernobyl virus

  The Chernobyl virus is a computer virus with a potentially devastating payload that destroys all computer data when an infected file is executed.Continue Reading

• password salting

  Password salting is a technique to protect passwords stored in databases by adding a string of 32 or more characters and then hashing them.Continue Reading

• virtual local area network hopping (VLAN hopping)

  Virtual local area network hopping (VLAN hopping) is a method of attacking the network resources of a VLAN by sending packets to a port not usually accessible from an end system.Continue Reading

• evil twin attack

  An evil twin attack is a rogue Wi-Fi access point (AP) that masquerades as a legitimate one, enabling an attacker to gain access to sensitive information without the end user's knowledge.Continue Reading

• OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol)

  OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) is one of two common schemes used to maintain the security of a server and other network resources.Continue Reading

• Elk Cloner

  Elk Cloner is the first personal computer virus or self-replicating program known to have spread in the wild on a large scale.Continue Reading

• biometric payment

  Biometric payment is a point-of-sale (POS) technology that uses biometric authentication physical characteristics to identify the user and authorize the deduction of funds from a bank account.Continue Reading

• Melissa virus

  Melissa was a type of email virus that initially become an issue in early 1999.Continue Reading

• Twofish

  Twofish is a symmetric-key block cipher with a block size of 128 bits and variable-length key of size 128, 192 or 256 bits.Continue Reading

• walled garden

  On the internet, a walled garden is an environment that controls the user's access to network-based content and services.Continue Reading

• Elastic Stack Security tutorial: How to create detection rules

  This excerpt from 'Threat Hunting with Elastic Stack' provides step-by-step instructions to create detection rules and monitor network security events data.Continue Reading

• plaintext

  In cryptography, plaintext is usually ordinary readable text before it is encrypted into ciphertext or after it is decrypted.Continue Reading

• black hat hacker

  A black hat hacker has been historically used to describe one who has malicious intent -- such as theft of information, fraud or disrupting systems -- but increasingly, more specific terms are being used to describe those people.Continue Reading

• footprinting

  Footprinting is an ethical hacking technique used to gather as much data as possible about a specific targeted computer system, an infrastructure and networks to identify opportunities to penetrate them.Continue Reading

• cookie poisoning

  Cookie poisoning is a type of cyber attack in which a bad actor hijacks, forges, alters or manipulates a cookie to gain unauthorized access to a user's account, open a new account in the user's name or steal the user's information for purposes such ...Continue Reading

• snooping

  Snooping, in a security context, is unauthorized access to another person's or company's data.Continue Reading

• Nimda

  First appearing on September 18, 2001, Nimda is a computer virus that caused traffic slowdowns as it rippled across the internet.Continue Reading

• CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart)

  A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response system designed to differentiate humans from robotic computer programs.Continue Reading

• virus hoax

  A virus hoax is a false warning about a computer virus.Continue Reading

• cross-site scripting (XSS)

  Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a type of injection attack in which a threat actor inserts data, such as a malicious script, into content from otherwise trusted websites.Continue Reading

• cache poisoning

  Cache poisoning is a type of cyber attack in which attackers insert fake information into a domain name system (DNS) cache or web cache for the purpose of harming users.Continue Reading

• vulnerability disclosure

  Vulnerability disclosure is the practice of reporting security flaws in computer software or hardware.Continue Reading

• Report on Compliance (ROC)

  A Report on Compliance (ROC) is a form that must be completed by all Level 1 Visa merchants undergoing a PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) audit.Continue Reading

• shoulder surfing

  Shoulder surfing is using direct observation techniques, such as looking over someone's shoulder, to get information.Continue Reading

• adware

  Adware is any software application in which an advertising banner or other advertising material displays or downloads while a program is running.Continue Reading

• Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the U.S. government agency that oversees the nation's securities industry.Continue Reading

• Digital Signature Standard (DSS)

  The Digital Signature Standard (DSS) is a digital signature algorithm (DSA) developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) as a means of authentication for electronic documents.Continue Reading

• encryption key

  In cryptography, an encryption key is a variable value that is applied using an algorithm to a string or block of unencrypted text to produce encrypted text or to decrypt encrypted text.Continue Reading

• payload (computing)

  In computing, a payload is the carrying capacity of a packet or other transmission data unit.Continue Reading

• script kiddie

  Script kiddie is a derogative term that computer hackers coined to refer to immature, but often just as dangerous, exploiters of internet security weaknesses.Continue Reading

• cipher

  In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for encrypting and decrypting data.Continue Reading

• cryptographic nonce

  A nonce is a random or semi-random number that is generated for a specific use.Continue Reading

• decompression bomb (zip bomb, zip of death attack)

  A decompression bomb -- also known as a zip bomb or zip of death attack -- is a malicious archive file containing a large amount of compressed data.Continue Reading

• What is an SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer virtual private network)?

  An SSL VPN is a type of virtual private network (VPN) that uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol -- or, more often, its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol -- in standard web browsers to provide secure, remote access VPN ...Continue Reading

• What is a next-generation firewall (NGFW)?

  A next-generation firewall (NGFW) is part of the third generation of firewall technology that can be implemented in hardware or software.Continue Reading

• What is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)?

  Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is a certification and globally recognized standard for appraising an IT auditor's knowledge, expertise and skill in assessing vulnerabilities and instituting IT controls in an enterprise environment.Continue Reading

• IP spoofing

  Internet Protocol (IP) spoofing is a type of malicious attack where the threat actor hides the true source of IP packets to make it difficult to know where they came from.Continue Reading

• How to use Ghidra for malware analysis, reverse-engineering

  The Ghidra malware analysis tool helps infosec beginners learn reverse-engineering quickly. Get help setting up a test environment and searching for malware indicators.Continue Reading

• Get started with the Ghidra reverse-engineering framework

  Malware analysts use Ghidra to examine code to better understand how it works. Learn what to expect from the reverse-engineering framework, how to start using it and more.Continue Reading

• 10 CIPP/US practice questions to test your privacy knowledge

  Advance your privacy career by becoming a Certified Information Privacy Professional. Use these 10 practice questions from Wiley's IAPP CIPP/US study guide to prepare for the exam.Continue Reading

• How to prepare for the CIPP/US exam

  The co-authors of a CIPP/US study guide offer advice on the IAPP certification, including career benefits, how to prepare and how the U.S. exam differs from other regions' exams.Continue Reading

• RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service)

  RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) is a client-server protocol and software that enables remote access servers to communicate with a central server to authenticate dial-in users and authorize their access to the requested system or ...Continue Reading

• Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)

  Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) is a system and electronic protocol to ensure the integrity and security of transactions conducted over the internet.Continue Reading

• brute-force attack

  A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method used by application programs to decode login information and encryption keys to use them to gain unauthorized access to systems.Continue Reading

• digital certificate

  A digital certificate, also known as a public key certificate, is used to cryptographically link ownership of a public key with the entity that owns it.Continue Reading

• key fob

  A key fob is a small, programmable device that provides access to a physical object.Continue Reading

• email virus

  An email virus consists of malicious code distributed in email messages to infect one or more devices.Continue Reading

• COBIT

  COBIT is an IT governance framework for businesses wanting to implement, monitor and improve IT management best practices.Continue Reading

• security policy

  A security policy is a document that states in writing how a company plans to protect its physical and information technology (IT) assets.Continue Reading

• shadow password file

  A shadow password file, also known as /etc/shadow, is a system file in Linux that stores encrypted user passwords and is accessible only to the root user, preventing unauthorized users or malicious actors from breaking into the system.Continue Reading

• browser hijacker (browser hijacking)

  A browser hijacker is a malware program that modifies web browser settings without the user's permission and redirects the user to websites the user had not intended to visit.Continue Reading

• Kerberos

  Kerberos is a protocol for authenticating service requests between trusted hosts across an untrusted network, such as the internet.Continue Reading

• promiscuous mode

  In computer networking, promiscuous mode is a mode of operation, as well as a security, monitoring and administration technique.Continue Reading

• macro virus

  A macro virus is a computer virus written in the same macro language used to create software programs such as Microsoft Excel or Word.Continue Reading

• certificate authority (CA)

  A certificate authority (CA) is a trusted entity that issues Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates.Continue Reading

• How to use Metasploit commands and exploits for pen tests

  These step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to use the Metasploit Framework for enterprise vulnerability and penetration testing.Continue Reading

• federated identity management (FIM)

  Federated identity management (FIM) is an arrangement between multiple enterprises or domains that enables their users to use the same identification data (digital identity) to access all their networks.Continue Reading

• Malware analysis for beginners: Getting started

  With the cybersecurity industry struggling to fill open positions, now is the time to start in the field. Infosec expert Dylan Barker shares what you should know to be a malware analyst.Continue Reading

• Top static malware analysis techniques for beginners

  Malware will eventually get onto an endpoint, server or network. Using static analysis can help find known malware variants before they cause damage.Continue Reading

• logic bomb

  A logic bomb is a string of malicious code that is inserted intentionally into a program to harm a network when certain conditions are met.Continue Reading

• Electronic Code Book (ECB)

  Electronic Code Book (ECB) is a simple mode of operation with a block cipher that's mostly used with symmetric key encryption.Continue Reading

• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

  Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol, specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard, 802.11b.Continue Reading

• electronic discovery (e-discovery or ediscovery)

  Electronic discovery -- also called e-discovery or ediscovery -- refers to any process of obtaining and exchanging evidence in a civil or criminal legal case.Continue Reading

• spear phishing

  Spear phishing is a malicious email spoofing attack that targets a specific organization or individual, seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information.Continue Reading

• MD5

  The MD5 (message-digest algorithm) hashing algorithm is a one-way cryptographic function that accepts a message of any length as input and returns as output a fixed-length digest value to be used for authenticating the original message.Continue Reading

• ILOVEYOU virus

  The ILOVEYOU virus comes in an email with 'ILOVEYOU' in the subject line and contains an attachment that, when opened, results in the message being re-sent to everyone in the recipient's Microsoft Outlook address book.Continue Reading

• nonrepudiation

  Nonrepudiation ensures that no party can deny that it sent or received a message via encryption and/or digital signatures or approved some information.Continue Reading

• cyberstalking

  Cyberstalking is a crime in which someone harasses or stalks a victim using electronic or digital means, such as social media, email, instant messaging (IM) or messages posted to a discussion group or forum.Continue Reading

• How to use the NIST framework for cloud security

  Aligning the NIST Cybersecurity Framework with cloud services such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud can improve cloud security. Read how to best use the framework for the cloud.Continue Reading

• How to prepare for the CompTIA CySA+ exam

  The author of the CompTIA CySA+ certification guide offers advice on how to prepare for the exam, discusses the benefits of the cert and more.Continue Reading