Cybersecurity and Digital Threats (United Kingdom)
Expert-defined terms from the Advanced Certificate in Digital Media Law course at London School of Planning and Management. Free to read, free to share, paired with a globally recognised certification pathway.
Cybersecurity and Digital Threats Glossary #
1. Advanced Certificate in Digital Media Law #
- Definition: An advanced certification program that focuses on legal iss… #
- Definition: An advanced certification program that focuses on legal issues related to digital media, including intellectual property rights, privacy laws, defamation, and cybercrime.
- Examples: Understanding how copyright laws apply to online content or h… #
- Examples: Understanding how copyright laws apply to online content or how to protect personal data in accordance with data protection regulations.
- Practical Applications: Providing legal advice to media companies on co… #
- Practical Applications: Providing legal advice to media companies on compliance with digital media laws or representing clients in lawsuits related to online defamation.
- Challenges: Keeping up with rapidly changing laws and regulations in th… #
- Challenges: Keeping up with rapidly changing laws and regulations in the digital media space, as well as understanding the complexities of cross-border legal issues.
2. Cybersecurity #
- Definition: The practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from… #
- Definition: The practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from digital attacks or unauthorized access.
- Examples: Installing firewalls to block malicious traffic, implementing… #
- Examples: Installing firewalls to block malicious traffic, implementing encryption to secure sensitive data, or conducting regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities.
- Practical Applications: Developing security policies and procedures for… #
- Practical Applications: Developing security policies and procedures for an organization, responding to security incidents, or educating employees on best practices for cyber hygiene.
- Challenges: Adapting to new and evolving threats, balancing security wi… #
- Challenges: Adapting to new and evolving threats, balancing security with usability, and addressing the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.
3. Data Privacy #
- Definition: The protection of personal information from unauthorized ac… #
- Definition: The protection of personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
- Examples: Obtaining consent before collecting personal data, implementi… #
- Examples: Obtaining consent before collecting personal data, implementing access controls to limit who can view sensitive information, or providing individuals with the right to request their data be deleted.
- Practical Applications: Creating privacy policies for websites, conduct… #
- Practical Applications: Creating privacy policies for websites, conducting privacy impact assessments for new projects, or responding to data subject access requests.
- Challenges: Compliance with global privacy laws, ensuring data security… #
- Challenges: Compliance with global privacy laws, ensuring data security in a digital environment, and addressing the growing concerns over data sharing and surveillance.
4. Digital Threats #
- Definition: Any potential danger or risk to digital assets, including d… #
- Definition: Any potential danger or risk to digital assets, including data, networks, and devices.
- Examples: Phishing emails that trick users into revealing sensitive inf… #
- Examples: Phishing emails that trick users into revealing sensitive information, malware that encrypts files and demands a ransom for decryption, or denial of service attacks that overload a website's servers.
- Practical Applications: Implementing multi-factor authentication, train… #
- Practical Applications: Implementing multi-factor authentication, training employees on how to spot phishing attempts, or conducting regular penetration testing to identify weaknesses in a system.
- Challenges: Identifying emerging threats, securing Internet of Things (… #
- Challenges: Identifying emerging threats, securing Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and mitigating the risks associated with human error in cybersecurity practices.
5. Encryption #
- Definition: The process of converting data into a code to prevent unaut… #
- Definition: The process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access or interception.
- Examples: Using a password to encrypt a file before sending it over the… #
- Examples: Using a password to encrypt a file before sending it over the internet, encrypting emails to protect their contents from eavesdroppers, or securing online transactions with encrypted connections.
- Practical Applications: Securing sensitive communications, protecting s… #
- Practical Applications: Securing sensitive communications, protecting stored data from theft or tampering, or complying with data security regulations that require encryption.
- Challenges: Key management, ensuring the integrity of encrypted data, a… #
- Challenges: Key management, ensuring the integrity of encrypted data, and balancing security needs with performance considerations in encryption processes.
6. Malware #
- Definition: Malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a compu… #
- Definition: Malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the user's consent.
- Examples: A virus that infects a computer and spreads to other devices,… #
- Examples: A virus that infects a computer and spreads to other devices, a Trojan horse that disguises itself as legitimate software to steal information, or ransomware that locks files until a ransom is paid.
- Practical Applications: Implementing antivirus software, educating user… #
- Practical Applications: Implementing antivirus software, educating users on safe browsing habits, or conducting regular malware scans to detect and remove infections.
- Challenges: Evolving malware techniques, detecting zero-day threats, an… #
- Challenges: Evolving malware techniques, detecting zero-day threats, and addressing the increasing sophistication of malware attacks.
7. Phishing #
- Definition: A type of cyber attack where attackers impersonate a truste… #
- Definition: A type of cyber attack where attackers impersonate a trusted entity to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information.
- Examples: Sending an email that appears to be from a bank requesting lo… #
- Examples: Sending an email that appears to be from a bank requesting login credentials, creating a fake website that mimics a legitimate login page to steal passwords, or posing as a coworker to request wire transfers.
- Practical Applications: Training employees to recognize phishing attemp… #
- Practical Applications: Training employees to recognize phishing attempts, implementing email filters to block suspicious messages, or conducting phishing simulations to assess organizational vulnerability.
- Challenges: Sophisticated phishing tactics, educating users on phishing… #
- Challenges: Sophisticated phishing tactics, educating users on phishing risks, and detecting and responding to successful phishing attacks.
8. Social Engineering #
- Definition: Manipulating individuals into divulging confidential inform… #
- Definition: Manipulating individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security.
- Examples: Pretending to be a help desk technician to obtain login crede… #
- Examples: Pretending to be a help desk technician to obtain login credentials, calling a company posing as a vendor to request sensitive data, or befriending an employee to gain access to secure areas.
- Practical Applications: Educating employees on social engineering tacti… #
- Practical Applications: Educating employees on social engineering tactics, implementing access controls to limit information disclosure, or conducting social engineering tests to evaluate security awareness.
- Challenges: Recognizing social engineering attempts, addressing the hum… #
- Challenges: Recognizing social engineering attempts, addressing the human factor in security breaches, and developing strategies to mitigate social engineering risks.
9. Data Breach #
- Definition: The unauthorized access, disclosure, or acquisition of sens… #
- Definition: The unauthorized access, disclosure, or acquisition of sensitive data, often resulting in harm to individuals or organizations.
- Examples: Hacking into a company's database to steal customer informati… #
- Examples: Hacking into a company's database to steal customer information, accidentally exposing confidential records through a misconfigured server, or an insider leaking proprietary data to competitors.
- Practical Applications: Developing incident response plans for data bre… #
- Practical Applications: Developing incident response plans for data breaches, notifying affected individuals of a breach, or investigating the root causes of a security incident.
- Challenges: Data breach notification requirements, reputational damage… #
- Challenges: Data breach notification requirements, reputational damage from breaches, and preventing future breaches through improved security measures.
10. Cyber Attack #
- Definition: An intentional act that targets computer systems, networks,… #
- Definition: An intentional act that targets computer systems, networks, or data for the purpose of causing harm, disruption, or theft.
- Examples: Launching a DDoS attack to overwhelm a website's servers, inf… #
- Examples: Launching a DDoS attack to overwhelm a website's servers, infiltrating a government network to steal classified information, or spreading ransomware to extort money from individuals or organizations.
- Practical Applications: Implementing intrusion detection systems, condu… #
- Practical Applications: Implementing intrusion detection systems, conducting threat intelligence analysis, or collaborating with law enforcement to investigate cyber attacks.
- Challenges: Attribution of cyber attacks, defending against sophisticat… #
- Challenges: Attribution of cyber attacks, defending against sophisticated attack vectors, and coordinating response efforts across multiple stakeholders.
11. Vulnerability #
- Definition: A weakness in a system, application, or network that can be… #
- Definition: A weakness in a system, application, or network that can be exploited by attackers to compromise security.
- Examples: Using outdated software that contains known security flaws, m… #
- Examples: Using outdated software that contains known security flaws, misconfiguring server settings that expose sensitive data, or failing to apply security patches that address critical vulnerabilities.
- Practical Applications: Conducting vulnerability assessments, prioritiz… #
- Practical Applications: Conducting vulnerability assessments, prioritizing patches based on risk assessments, or implementing security controls to mitigate known vulnerabilities.
- Challenges: Identifying unknown vulnerabilities, managing vulnerabiliti… #
- Challenges: Identifying unknown vulnerabilities, managing vulnerabilities in third-party software, and addressing the complexity of modern IT environments.
12. Ransomware #
- Definition: Malware that encrypts files or locks systems until a ransom… #
- Definition: Malware that encrypts files or locks systems until a ransom is paid, often distributed through phishing emails or malicious websites.
- Examples: Displaying a ransom note demanding payment in exchange for a… #
- Examples: Displaying a ransom note demanding payment in exchange for a decryption key, encrypting files on a victim's computer and demanding payment to unlock them, or threatening to publish sensitive data unless a ransom is paid.
- Practical Applications: Backing up data to prevent data loss, educating… #
- Practical Applications: Backing up data to prevent data loss, educating users on ransomware prevention, or implementing security measures to detect and block ransomware attacks.
- Challenges: Recovering encrypted data without paying a ransom, preventi… #
- Challenges: Recovering encrypted data without paying a ransom, preventing ransomware infections through user awareness, and tracking cryptocurrency payments to ransomware operators.
13. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) #
- Definition: Any data that can be used to identify an individual, such a… #
- Definition: Any data that can be used to identify an individual, such as name, address, Social Security number, or biometric information.
- Examples: Storing customer names and email addresses in a marketing dat… #
- Examples: Storing customer names and email addresses in a marketing database, collecting employee Social Security numbers for payroll processing, or capturing biometric data for access control purposes.
- Practical Applications: Encrypting PII to protect data at rest and in t… #
- Practical Applications: Encrypting PII to protect data at rest and in transit, obtaining explicit consent before processing sensitive information, or implementing data retention policies to minimize PII exposure.
- Challenges: Compliance with data protection regulations, securing PII i… #
- Challenges: Compliance with data protection regulations, securing PII in cloud environments, and balancing data collection needs with privacy concerns.
14. Denial of Service (DoS) #
- Definition: An attack that floods a targeted system with excessive traf… #
- Definition: An attack that floods a targeted system with excessive traffic or requests, causing it to become slow or unresponsive.
- Examples: Sending a large volume of traffic to a website to overwhelm i… #
- Examples: Sending a large volume of traffic to a website to overwhelm its servers, exploiting vulnerabilities in network protocols to amplify attack traffic, or using a botnet to coordinate a coordinated DDoS attack.
- Practical Applications: Implementing DDoS mitigation tools, monitoring… #
- Practical Applications: Implementing DDoS mitigation tools, monitoring network traffic for signs of an attack, or collaborating with Internet service providers to block malicious traffic.
- Challenges: Defending against large-scale DDoS attacks, differentiating… #
- Challenges: Defending against large-scale DDoS attacks, differentiating between legitimate and malicious traffic, and maintaining service availability during an attack.
15. Firewall #
- Definition: A security device or software that monitors and controls in… #
- Definition: A security device or software that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
- Examples: Blocking unauthorized access to a corporate network, filterin… #
- Examples: Blocking unauthorized access to a corporate network, filtering out malicious traffic from the Internet, or enforcing policies that restrict certain types of data from leaving the network.
- Practical Applications: Configuring firewall rules to allow or deny spe… #
- Practical Applications: Configuring firewall rules to allow or deny specific traffic, logging firewall events for analysis and auditing, or updating firewall firmware to patch security vulnerabilities.
- Challenges: Managing complex firewall configurations, preventing miscon… #
- Challenges: Managing complex firewall configurations, preventing misconfigured rules that expose the network to risk, and ensuring firewall effectiveness in protecting against advanced threats.
16. Cybercrime #
- Definition: Criminal activities carried out using digital technologies,… #
- Definition: Criminal activities carried out using digital technologies, such as hacking, identity theft, fraud, or online harassment.
- Examples: Stealing credit card information through a data breach, condu… #
- Examples: Stealing credit card information through a data breach, conducting ransomware attacks to extort money from victims, or spreading malware to compromise computer systems for financial gain.
- Practical Applications: Investigating cybercrime incidents, collaborati… #
- Practical Applications: Investigating cybercrime incidents, collaborating with law enforcement to prosecute cybercriminals, or implementing security measures to prevent cyber attacks.
- Challenges: Tracing cybercrime back to perpetrators, gathering digital… #
- Challenges: Tracing cybercrime back to perpetrators, gathering digital evidence for prosecution, and addressing the global nature of cybercrime that crosses jurisdictional boundaries.
17. Incident Response #
- Definition: A structured approach to addressing and managing security i… #
- Definition: A structured approach to addressing and managing security incidents, including preparation, detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.
- Examples: Notifying affected parties of a data breach, isolating infect… #
- Examples: Notifying affected parties of a data breach, isolating infected systems to prevent further spread of malware, or recovering data from backups after a ransomware attack.
- Practical Applications: Developing incident response plans and playbook… #
- Practical Applications: Developing incident response plans and playbooks, establishing incident response teams with defined roles and responsibilities, or conducting tabletop exercises to simulate security incidents.
- Challenges: Timely detection and response to security incidents, coordi… #
- Challenges: Timely detection and response to security incidents, coordinating incident response efforts across teams, and learning from past incidents to improve future response capabilities.
18. Two #
Factor Authentication (2FA):
- Definition: A security mechanism that requires users to provide two dif… #
- Definition: A security mechanism that requires users to provide two different forms of identification to access a system or account.
- Examples: Logging into an online banking account with a password and a… #
- Examples: Logging into an online banking account with a password and a one-time code sent to a mobile device, accessing a work email account with a password and a fingerprint scan, or using a security key in addition to a password for account access.
- Practical Applications: Enabling 2FA for sensitive accounts, using auth… #
- Practical Applications: Enabling 2FA for sensitive accounts, using authenticator apps to generate one-time codes, or implementing hardware tokens for secure authentication.
- Challenges: User adoption of 2FA, managing multiple authentication fact… #
- Challenges: User adoption of 2FA, managing multiple authentication factors, and preventing social engineering attacks that bypass 2FA protections.
19. Cyber Resilience #
- Definition: The ability of an organization to withstand, adapt to, and… #
- Definition: The ability of an organization to withstand, adapt to, and recover from cyber attacks or security incidents.
- Examples: Maintaining backups of critical data to restore in case of ra… #
- Examples: Maintaining backups of critical data to restore in case of ransomware, having redundant network connections to mitigate DDoS attacks, or using incident response plans to minimize downtime after a security incident.
- Practical Applications: Conducting risk assessments to identify cyber t… #
- Practical Applications: Conducting risk assessments to identify cyber threats, developing resilience strategies to mitigate risks, or testing incident response plans through simulations and drills.
- Challenges: Balancing cybersecurity investments with business needs, en… #
- Challenges: Balancing cybersecurity investments with business needs, ensuring executive buy-in for resilience initiatives, and adapting to new threats that require updated resilience measures.
20. Cyber Hygiene #
- Definition: Best practices and habits that individuals and organization… #
- Definition: Best practices and habits that individuals and organizations should follow to maintain good cyber security posture.
- Examples: Updating software and operating systems to patch security vul… #
- Examples: Updating software and operating systems to patch security vulnerabilities, using strong and unique passwords for each account, or avoiding clicking on suspicious links in emails.
- Practical Applications: Educating users on cyber hygiene practices, imp… #
- Practical Applications: Educating users on cyber hygiene practices, implementing automated security updates, or conducting security awareness training to reinforce good habits.
- Challenges: Changing user behavior to prioritize security, ensuring con… #
- Challenges: Changing user behavior to prioritize security, ensuring consistent cyber hygiene practices across an organization, and addressing the human factor in security breaches.
21. Threat Intelligence #
- Definition: Information about potential or current cyber threats that c… #
- Definition: Information about potential or current cyber threats that can be used to proactively defend against attacks.
- Examples: Monitoring dark web forums for discussions of upcoming attack… #
- Examples: Monitoring dark web forums for discussions of upcoming attacks, analyzing malware samples to identify common tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), or sharing threat intelligence with industry partners to improve collective defenses.
- Practical Applications: Implementing threat intelligence platforms to a… #
- Practical Applications: Implementing threat intelligence platforms to aggregate and analyze threat data, conducting threat hunting to identify hidden threats within a network, or integrating threat feeds into security tools for real-time protection.
- Challenges: Evaluating the credibility of threat intelligence sources,… #
- Challenges: Evaluating the credibility of threat intelligence sources, correlating threat data to identify actionable insights, and ensuring timely sharing of threat information to prevent attacks.
22. Internet of Things (IoT) Security #
- Definition: The protection of internet-connected devices from cyber thr… #
- Definition: The protection of internet-connected devices from cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
- Examples: Securing smart thermostats to prevent unauthorized access to… #
- Examples: Securing smart thermostats to prevent unauthorized access to home networks, protecting medical devices from cyber attacks that could harm patients, or implementing encryption on IoT sensors to safeguard data transmission.
- Practical Applications: Conducting IoT security assessments, implementi… #
- Practical Applications: Conducting IoT security assessments, implementing device authentication mechanisms, or segmenting IoT networks to isolate compromised devices.
- Challenges: Securing legacy IoT devices with limited security features,… #
- Challenges: Securing legacy IoT devices with limited security features, managing IoT device updates and patches, and addressing privacy concerns related to IoT data collection.
23. Blockchain Security #
- Definition: The protection of blockchain networks and #
- Definition: The protection of blockchain networks and