Glossary

Security terms

41 security terms in plain words, and the guides where they matter.

• Anti-malware Anti-malware is software that detects, blocks and removes malware, meaning code intended to harm a device or the data on it. It covers viruses, worms, spyware, ransomware and similar threats.
• Black web The black web is a popular name for the dark web: the part of the internet that runs on overlay networks and needs special software, such as the Tor Browser, to reach.
• Case-sensitive password A case-sensitive password is one where upper and lowercase letters count as different characters, so "Password" and "password" don't match.
• Confidential information Confidential information is information that only authorized people are allowed to see, such as personal details, medical records, financial data or business secrets, and that must be protected from unauthorized access or disclosure.
• Cyber Essentials Plus Cyber Essentials Plus is the higher level of the UK government-backed Cyber Essentials scheme. It covers the same 5 technical controls, but adds independent technical testing to check they work in practice.
• Data at rest Data at rest is information kept in storage, such as files on a laptop, photos on a phone, rows in a database or a backup, rather than being sent across a network or used in memory.
• Data blocker A data blocker is a small USB adapter that lets a device charge while blocking the data wires, so a public charging port can't send or receive files or code. It is often called a USB condom.
• Data integrity Data integrity means data hasn't been changed in an unauthorized way since it was created, sent or stored. It's one of the three core goals of information security, along with confidentiality and availability.
• Data logging Data logging is the automatic recording of events or measurements over time. In security, a log is a chronological record of system activity, such as who accessed a system and what they did.
• Data recovery agent A data recovery agent is a person or role authorized to unlock encrypted data when its owner can't, by using backed-up key information. NIST calls the closest term a key-recovery agent.
• Digital certificate A digital certificate is an electronic credential that ties a public key to its owner, such as a website or a person, and is signed by a trusted authority so others can check the owner's identity.
• Digital forensics Digital forensics is the process of finding, collecting, examining and analyzing data from computers, phones and other devices in a way that keeps the evidence intact, so it can be used to investigate an incident or in court.
• Digital keys Digital keys are secret values that a cryptographic algorithm uses to lock, unlock or sign data. Whoever holds the right key can read protected data or prove a message came from them.
• Digital literacy Digital literacy is the set of skills you use to find, evaluate, organize, create and communicate information with technology, along with using it responsibly. US federal law defines it this way.
• Digital signature A digital signature is a code made from a document and the signer's private key. Anyone with the matching public key can use it to check who signed the document and that nobody changed it afterwards.
• Fraud protection Fraud protection means the steps, tools and services that make it harder for someone to use your identity, accounts or money without your consent, such as credit freezes, fraud alerts, account alerts and strong logins.
• Google Password Manager Google Password Manager is Google's built-in service for saving passwords and passkeys in your Google Account and filling them in on sites and apps in Chrome and on Android.
• IP theft (intellectual property theft) IP theft (intellectual property theft) is taking or using someone else's inventions, designs, software, writing or brand names without their permission. It is not the same as IP address theft or identity theft.
• Jailbreaking Jailbreaking a phone means removing the limits its maker built in so you can run software the manufacturer doesn't allow. On Android the same thing is usually called rooting.
• Keychain password A keychain password is a login saved in Apple's keychain, the built-in password manager that stores and autofills your passwords, passkeys, card details and Wi-Fi passwords across your Apple devices.
• Link verification Link verification is checking where a link really goes before you click it, so you don't land on a fake site that steals your login, card details or personal information.
• OSINT (open source intelligence) OSINT (open source intelligence) is intelligence built from publicly or commercially available information, such as news, websites, social media, public records and commercial databases, rather than secret sources.
• Password A password is a secret string of characters, such as letters, numbers and symbols, that you use to prove you are who you say you are and to get into an account, device or service.
• Password characters Characters in a password are the individual symbols you type to make it up: letters, numbers, spaces and symbols such as ! or #. Password length is the number of characters.
• Password hash A password hash is a scrambled, one-way version of a password that a website stores instead of the password itself, so the real password isn't kept in readable form.
• Password hint A password hint is a short clue a person saves with an account to help them remember their password, shown to them when they can't log in. Security guidance says hints that anyone can see are a risk.
• Password manager A password manager is an app that creates, stores and fills in a different strong password for each of your accounts, so you only have to remember one strong password: the master password for the manager.
• Password vaulting Password vaulting is storing your passwords in an encrypted vault, usually inside a password manager, that you unlock with one master password, so you don't have to remember or reuse a password for each account.
• Screening calls on iPhone Screening calls on iPhone is a setting that asks callers from unsaved numbers why they are calling before your phone rings, or silences those calls and sends them to voicemail. It is built into the Phone app.
• Security clearance A security clearance is an official decision that a person is eligible to access classified government information, based on a background check of their loyalty, character, trustworthiness and reliability.
• Security cleared Security cleared means you have passed a background check, called vetting, that lets you work in a job with access to sensitive government information, sites or people. In the UK the main levels are CTC, SC and DV.
• Security code A security code is a short, usually one-time number that a company sends you to confirm you are really you when you log in, reset a password or approve a payment. Anyone who has it can act as you, so never share it.
• Security delay Security delay is an iPhone feature, part of Stolen Device Protection, that makes some sensitive changes wait one hour and need a second Face ID or Touch ID check when the phone is away from familiar places.
• Security engineer A security engineer is a person who designs, builds and tests the protections that keep computer systems and data safe, such as secure software, networks and access controls.
• Security key A security key is a small physical device, usually USB or NFC, that you plug in or tap to prove it's really you when you sign in. It's a hardware form of two-step verification.
• Security posture Security posture is the overall security status of a network, system or organization: the people, hardware, software and policies in place to defend it, and how well it can react as the situation changes.
• Strong password A strong password is one that's long enough and unusual enough that criminals can't guess or crack it, and that you don't reuse anywhere else.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a login check that asks for a second proof of identity, such as a code from your phone or a security key, on top of your password, so a stolen password alone can't open your account.
• Unknown caller on iPhone An unknown caller on iPhone is a call from a phone number that isn't saved in your contacts. iPhone can screen these calls, silence them or sort them into an Unknown Callers list.
• VPN on iPhone VPN on iPhone means the phone is connected to a network through a virtual private network (VPN), which is shown by a VPN icon in the status bar at the top of the screen.
• Web filter A web filter is software or a service that blocks or allows websites based on rules, such as known malicious addresses or unwanted categories of content.

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