Cybersecurity Glossary

Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that aims to gather sensitive information from victims. These attacks can occur through email, text messages, social networks, or smartphone apps. Attackers may try to obtain login credentials, credit card details, system configurations, or personal identity information. Phishing attacks are successful because they mimic legitimate communications from trusted sources, such as false emails from banks or retail websites.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a victim's data on their computer, making it inaccessible to them. The attacker then demands payment, usually in the form of Bitcoin (an untraceable digital currency), in exchange for restoring access to the data.

Restoration process involves formatting the main storage device, re-installing the OS and applications, and copying data from backups onto the system.

To mitigate risks, a risk assessment is performed. Based on the findings, countermeasures are selected to eliminate, reduce, transfer, avoid, or deter the risks. The aim is to bring the level of risk down to an acceptable level.

Social engineering attacks are psychological and aim to gain access to information or a physical environment by tricking individuals. This can be achieved through tactics such as gaining entry to a facility by pretending to make a delivery or obtaining confidential data by encouraging a worker to paste it into an email or social media post.