Cybersecurity: Protecting computers, networks and data from attack CIA triad: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability Confidentiality: Only authorized people can see the data Integrity: Data is accurate and has not been tampered with Availability: Systems and data are usable when needed Threat: Something that could cause harm Vulnerability: A weakness that can be exploited Exploit: A way to take advantage of a vulnerability Risk: The chance a threat uses a vulnerability and causes harm Malware: Harmful software Virus: Malware that attaches to files and spreads Worm: Malware that spreads by itself over networks Trojan horse: Malware disguised as something useful Ransomware: Malware that locks files and demands payment Spyware: Software that secretly watches what you do Adware: Software that shows unwanted ads Keylogger: Malware that records keystrokes Botnet: A network of infected computers controlled by an attacker Phishing: Fake messages that trick you into giving information Spear phishing: Phishing aimed at a specific person Smishing: Phishing by text message Social engineering: Tricking people rather than breaking technology Pretexting: Inventing a story to gain trust Brute force attack: Trying many passwords until one works Dictionary attack: Trying common words as passwords Credential stuffing: Reusing leaked passwords on other sites DDoS attack: Flooding a site with traffic to knock it offline Man-in-the-middle attack: An attacker secretly intercepts communication SQL injection: Sneaking harmful database commands into input Cross-site scripting (XSS): Injecting harmful scripts into web pages Zero-day: A vulnerability unknown to the maker, with no fix yet Patch: An update that fixes a vulnerability Software updates: Install them promptly to close security holes Strong password: Long and unique, not reused Passphrase: A long password made of several words Password manager: A tool that stores unique passwords safely Multi-factor authentication: Requiring two or more proofs of identity Authentication: Proving who you are Authorization: What you're allowed to do after logging in Biometrics: Using fingerprints or faces to identify you Encryption: Scrambling data so only holders of a key can read it Decryption: Unscrambling encrypted data Symmetric encryption: Uses the same key to lock and unlock Asymmetric encryption: Uses a public key to lock and a private key to unlock Public key: A key you can share Private key: A key you keep secret Hash: A fixed-length fingerprint of data, hard to reverse Salt: Random data added to a password before hashing Digital signature: Proof that a message came from a certain sender Certificate: A digital ID that proves a website is who it claims to be HTTPS: Secure web connections that use encryption VPN: Creates an encrypted tunnel for your traffic Firewall: Blocks unwanted network traffic Antivirus: Software that detects malware Intrusion detection system: Monitors a network for suspicious activity Sandbox: A safe isolated space to run untrusted code Backup: A copy of data kept separately 3-2-1 backup rule: 3 copies, 2 types of media, 1 offsite Least privilege: Giving users only the access they need Defense in depth: Using many layers of protection Penetration testing: Authorized hacking to find weaknesses White hat hacker: An ethical hacker who helps improve security Black hat hacker: A criminal hacker Gray hat hacker: A hacker between ethical and criminal Bug bounty: A reward for responsibly reporting security flaws Data breach: When private data is exposed Identity theft: Using someone's personal information without permission Public Wi-Fi risk: Others may snoop; avoid sensitive logins Suspicious email clues: Urgent threats, odd sender, bad links, requests for passwords Hover before clicking: Check where a link really goes Never share: Passwords or verification codes with anyone Incident response: The plan for handling a security event Cipher: A method of encrypting text Caesar cipher: Shifts each letter by a fixed number Enigma: A cipher machine used by Germany in World War II Kerckhoffs's principle: A system should be secure even if everything but the key is public Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/tech-cybersecurity-basics