Cybersecurity Terms for Beginners

Threat terms — quick glossary:

Malware       → malicious software (virus, worm, trojan)
Ransomware    → encrypts your files, demands payment
Spyware       → secretly collects data
Trojan        → disguised as legitimate software
Worm          → self-spreading malware
Phishing      → fake email/message to steal credentials
Vishing       → voice phishing (phone call)
Smishing      → SMS phishing
Social engineering → manipulating people, not machines
Zero-day      → unknown vulnerability with no patch yet

Attack terms — quick glossary:

DDoS           → distributed denial of service
MITM           → man-in-the-middle
Brute force    → trying many passwords
Credential stuffing → reusing leaked passwords
SQL injection  → injecting SQL via input
XSS            → cross-site scripting
CSRF           → cross-site request forgery
Privilege escalation → gaining higher access
Lateral movement → moving across a network after entry
Backdoor       → hidden access path

Defense terms — quick glossary:

Firewall     → network traffic filter
IDS / IPS    → intrusion detection / prevention
MFA          → multi-factor authentication
Encryption   → scrambling data (AES, RSA)
Hashing      → one-way fingerprint of data
VPN          → encrypted remote tunnel
Patch        → fix for a known vulnerability
Backup       → copy of data for recovery
Least privilege → only give minimum access needed
Zero trust   → verify every request, trust nothing

Types of controls:

Preventive   → stops an attack (firewall, MFA)
Detective    → spots an attack (IDS, logs, SIEM)
Corrective   → fixes after an attack (backup restore, patch)
Deterrent    → discourages attackers (warnings, policies)
Compensating → alternative control when primary fails

Security is layered — one control is never enough.

Networking terms — quick glossary:

IP address   → unique address of a device on a network
DNS          → translates domain names to IP addresses
TCP / UDP    → transport protocols (reliable / fast)
Port         → numbered endpoint for a service
HTTP / HTTPS → web protocols (HTTPS is encrypted)
Subnet       → smaller network inside a larger one
NAT          → maps private IPs to public IPs
Proxy        → intermediary between client and server
Packet       → small unit of data sent over a network

Cryptography terms — quick glossary:

Plaintext    → readable data
Ciphertext   → scrambled data
Symmetric    → one shared key (AES)
Asymmetric   → public + private key (RSA)
Hash         → one-way fingerprint (SHA-256)
Salt         → random data added before hashing
Digital signature → proves authenticity
Certificate  → binds a public key to an identity (TLS)
PKI          → public key infrastructure

Common acronyms:

SOC   → Security Operations Centre
SIEM  → Security Information & Event Management
IDS   → Intrusion Detection System
IPS   → Intrusion Prevention System
EDR   → Endpoint Detection & Response
XDR   → Extended Detection & Response
DLP   → Data Loss Prevention
IAM   → Identity & Access Management
PAM   → Privileged Access Management
GRC   → Governance, Risk & Compliance
CIA   → Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
CVE   → Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures

Popular security tools (beginner-friendly):

Wireshark    → packet analysis
Nmap         → network scanning
Burp Suite   → web app testing
Metasploit   → exploitation framework
Kali Linux   → security distro
Splunk       → SIEM
TryHackMe    → beginner labs
Hack The Box → intermediate labs
VirusTotal   → malware/file analysis
Have I Been Pwned → breach check

Common role terms:

Red team     → offensive, simulates attacks
Blue team    → defensive, monitors and responds
Purple team  → bridges red + blue
SOC analyst  → monitors alerts, triages incidents
Pentester    → authorised attacker, writes reports
GRC analyst  → policies, risk, compliance
Security engineer → builds and maintains controls
Incident responder → handles active breaches

Career terms — what they mean:

Pentest       → authorised simulated attack
Bug bounty    → paid program for finding vulns
CTF           → Capture The Flag (practice challenge)
CVE           → public ID for a vulnerability
CVSS          → severity score for a vuln
Threat hunting → proactively searching for threats
Incident response → handling an active breach
Compliance    → meeting standards (ISO 27001, SOC 2)
Security audit → formal review of controls
Blue team / Red team → defense / offense

Glossary Tracker:

Terms learned this week: _____

Confident about:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Still confusing:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Action for next week:
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- 
- 

Daily study plan (30-45 min):

□ Learn 5 new terms
□ Read one real-world breach summary
□ Practise one TryHackMe room
□ Note one term you want to revise
□ Review yesterday's terms

Week goal: 25 terms + 2 labs