Glossary

Attacks terms

42 attacks terms in plain words, and the guides where they matter.

• Account takeover Account takeover is when a criminal gets into your online account, such as email, social media or banking, using stolen login details, and locks you out or uses it to commit fraud.
• Attack vector An attack vector is the route an attacker uses to reach a system, account or person, such as a phishing email, a stolen password or an unpatched flaw, in order to carry out an attack.
• Brute force attack A brute force attack is when an attacker tries many passwords or codes, one after another, until one works. Automated tools can make thousands of guesses.
• Clone phishing Clone phishing is a phishing attack that copies a real email you already received, such as a receipt or a document share, and resends it from a lookalike address with the link or attachment swapped for a malicious one.
• Computer worm A computer worm is a self-contained malware program that copies itself and spreads from computer to computer over a network, usually without anyone clicking anything.
• Credential stuffing Credential stuffing is an attack where criminals take username and password pairs stolen from one service and automatically try them on other services, hoping the same login works.
• Cyber abuse Cyber abuse is using the internet to send, post or share content that harms someone's physical or mental health, such as threats, harassment, stalking or sustained hate.
• Cyber flashing Cyber flashing is sending someone an unsolicited sexual image, usually a photo of genitals, by phone or online, often by AirDrop, text or social media. In England and Wales it is a criminal offence.
• Cyber trolling Cyber trolling is posting provocative, insulting or hostile messages online to upset people or get a reaction. The FTC counts trolling as one form of cyberbullying.
• Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is bullying that happens on phones, computers and tablets: sending, posting or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean content about someone, including their private information.
• Cyberstalking Cyberstalking is stalking carried out online or through electronic communication: repeated, unwanted contact or monitoring that makes someone afraid, distressed or feel unsafe.
• Data exfiltration Data exfiltration is the unauthorized transfer of information out of a system. In practice it means someone copying data out of a computer, account or network without permission.
• Data injection Data injection is an attack where someone feeds malicious or fake input into a program, such as a web form or an identity check, so that it runs unintended commands or accepts something false as genuine.
• Data interception Data interception is when someone secretly captures information while it travels between two parties, such as your device and a website, so they can read it or change it before it arrives.
• Data interception and theft Data interception and theft is when an attacker captures information as it travels between two parties, such as your device and a website, and copies or alters it without either side knowing.
• Deepfake A deepfake is an image, video or audio clip created or altered with artificial intelligence to make it look or sound like a real person said or did something they never did.
• Denial of service (DoS) attack A denial of service (DoS) attack stops legitimate users from reaching a website, service or system, or slows it down, usually by overwhelming it with traffic or requests.
• Dictionary attack A dictionary attack is a way of guessing a password by trying a long list of likely words and common passwords instead of every possible combination. It is a faster, more targeted cousin of a brute force attack.
• Hacker A hacker is a person who attempts to gain, or gains, access to a computer system without authorization. The word is also used more loosely for anyone skilled at breaking into or working around computer systems.
• Hacking a computer Hacking a computer means getting into it, or into its accounts and data, without the owner's permission. Hackers often do it to steal logins or personal information, spread malware or scam other people.
• Keylogger A keylogger is software that records what you type, usually to capture passwords and other sensitive information, and sends it to someone else.
• Malware Malware, short for malicious software, is any software or firmware placed on a device on purpose to harm it or its owner: to steal data, spy on activity, lock files or damage systems.
• Malware attack A malware attack is when an attacker gets malicious software, such as a virus, spyware or ransomware, onto your device or network to steal data, take control or demand money.
• Pretexting Pretexting is getting someone's personal information by lying about who you are or why you need it, for example by posing as a bank employee, a colleague or the account holder.
• Rainbow table attack A rainbow table attack cracks stolen password hashes by looking them up in a huge table of precomputed hashes, instead of guessing passwords one by one. Salting defeats it.
• Replay attack A replay attack is when an attacker records a valid message between two parties, such as a login exchange, and sends it again later to pass as the real user or system.
• SIM swapping SIM swapping is when a criminal gets your mobile carrier to move your phone number to a SIM card they control, so they receive your calls and texts, including the codes used to log in to your accounts.
• Skimming data breach A skimming data breach is when criminals secretly copy payment card details as they are entered, either on a tampered card reader or cash machine, or on a hacked online checkout page, then use them for fraud.
• Smurf attack A smurf attack is a denial-of-service attack where the attacker sends network ping requests to many devices with the victim's address forged as the sender, so all the replies flood the victim and knock it offline.
• Social engineering Social engineering is tricking a person into giving up information or taking an action, such as sharing a password or sending money, by exploiting trust, fear or urgency instead of breaking into a system.
• Social engineering examples Social engineering examples include a fake IT call asking for your password, a spoofed bank email or an urgent text with a link: any scam that tricks you into handing over information or access.
• Spear phishing Spear phishing is a phishing attack aimed at one specific person or organization, using personal details about the target to make the fake email or message look genuine.
• Spoofing Spoofing is disguising where a call, text or message really comes from by faking the sender information, such as the number on your caller ID, so you trust it and respond.
• Spyware Spyware is software that secretly collects information from your device, such as what you type, where you are or what you browse, and passes it to someone else without your knowledge.
• Swatting Swatting is making a hoax emergency call, often claiming an immediate threat to life, to send armed police or a SWAT team to a victim's address. It's done to harass, intimidate or retaliate, and it can be deadly.
• SYN attack SYN attack (also called a SYN flood) is a denial-of-service attack that sends a server a flood of connection requests it never completes, leaving half-open connections that block real visitors.
• Tailgating attack A tailgating attack is when an unauthorized person follows an authorized one through a secured door or gate to get into a restricted area without their own access credentials.
• Trojan horse A Trojan horse is malicious software disguised as something useful. NIST defines it as a program that appears to have a useful function but also has a hidden, potentially malicious function that evades security mechanisms.
• Trojan horse (Trojan malware) A Trojan horse is a program that looks useful but has a hidden, malicious function, so it does harm once you install and run it.
• Types of malware Types of malware are the main kinds of software built to gain unauthorised access, steal data or cause damage: viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware and spyware. They differ in how they spread and what they do.
• Virus (malware) A virus (malware) is harmful code that infects a computer, runs without your permission and can damage your data or system. Malware is the wider term that also covers worms, Trojans and spyware.
• Watering hole attack A watering hole attack is when an attacker infects a website that a specific group of people visit often, so that the computers of people in that group get infected when they visit it.

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