Glossary
Cybersecurity glossary
Clear, plain-English definitions of the phishing, malware and human-risk terms every team should know.
Phishing & social engineering
Phishing
Impersonating a trusted source to steal info or access.
Spear phishing
Targeted phishing tailored to a specific person.
Whaling
Phishing aimed at senior executives.
Clone phishing
Copying a real email and swapping in malicious content.
Smishing
Phishing over SMS text messages.
Vishing
Phishing carried out by voice call.
Quishing
Phishing using malicious QR codes.
Business email compromise
Impersonating an exec to authorize fraud.
Social engineering
Manipulating people into compromising security.
Pretexting
Using a fabricated scenario to win trust.
Malware, domains & impersonation
Malware
Malicious software that harms or infiltrates systems.
Ransomware
Malware that encrypts data and demands a ransom.
Deepfake
AI-generated fake audio or video used to deceive.
Pharming
Redirecting users to fake sites without a click.
Email spoofing
Forging an email's sender address.
Typosquatting
Lookalike domains that impersonate real brands.
Brand impersonation
Mimicking a trusted brand to deceive.
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