Privacy Data Protection
Data Minimization
Collecting and retaining only personal data necessary for a defined purpose.
The CyberGuard field guide
Cybersecurity,
explained clearly.
A practical dictionary for the language behind digital safety. Start with a question, follow a topic, or browse the full collection.
151 published definitions20 security topicsExamples and source links on every page
03 / THE INDEX
The dictionary, A to Z.
151 definitions in the library.
AI Security
Data Prompt Leakage
Data prompt leakage is unintended disclosure of sensitive material supplied to, retrieved by, or generated within an AI application prompt context.
AI Security
Deepfake
A deepfake is synthetic or altered audio, video, or imagery made to depict a person saying or doing something they did not actually say or do.
Network Security
Denial of Service
An event or attack that prevents legitimate users from accessing a service.
Web Application Security
Dependency Confusion
Dependency confusion is a software supply chain attack in which a build resolves an unintended public package in place of an expected private package.
Web Application Security
Deserialization Vulnerability
A deserialization vulnerability occurs when an application unsafely reconstructs data or objects from untrusted input.
Incident Response
Detection Engineering
Detection engineering is the design, testing, and maintenance of logic that identifies meaningful signs of suspicious activity in security data.
Business Cybersecurity
Disaster Recovery
The restoration of technology systems and data after a major disruptive event.
Business Cybersecurity
Disaster Recovery Exercise
A disaster recovery exercise is a planned test of people, procedures, and systems used to restore technology after a disruptive event.
Network Security
Domain Name System
A distributed system that translates domain names into DNS records such as IP addresses.
Malware
Dropper
A dropper is a program whose main role is to deliver or install another malicious component onto a system.
Network Security
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol automatically supplies network settings such as an IP address, subnet information, gateway, and DNS servers to a device.
Endpoint Security
Endpoint Detection and Response
Technology for collecting endpoint activity and supporting detection and investigation of suspicious behavior.
Incident Response
Eradication
Eradication is the response work that removes the cause and remaining footholds of an incident after immediate harm has been contained.
Incident Response
Evidence Preservation
Evidence preservation is the protection of relevant records, devices, and data from alteration or loss during a security investigation.
Malware
Fileless Malware
Fileless malware is malicious activity that relies heavily on memory and legitimate system tools instead of a conventional standalone malicious file on disk.
Network Security
Firewall
A device or program that controls network traffic according to security rules.
Incident Response
Forensic Imaging
Forensic imaging is the controlled copying of a storage device or data source for analysis while retaining an identifiable original and documenting integrity.
Web Application Security
HTTP Security Headers
HTTP security headers are response fields that tell browsers how to apply selected protections when handling a page.
AI Security
Hallucination
An AI hallucination is a generated statement presented as if factual even though it is unsupported, incorrect, or invented.
Cloud Security
IAM Policy
An IAM policy is a set of access rules that determines which identities or resources may perform specified actions under specified conditions.
Network Security
IP Address
A numeric address used to identify a network interface in Internet Protocol communication.
Incident Response
Incident Containment
Incident containment is the set of actions taken to limit the spread and immediate impact of a security incident while preserving a path to investigate and recover.
Incident Response
Incident Response
Coordinated actions to prepare for, detect, contain, eradicate, and recover from a cybersecurity incident.
Incident Response
Incident Severity
Incident severity is a ranking of the actual or potential impact of a security incident used to guide urgency, escalation, and response resources.
Threat Intelligence
Indicator of Compromise
An observable artifact that may indicate a system was compromised.
Cloud Security
Infrastructure as Code
Infrastructure as code is the practice of defining cloud resources and settings in versioned, machine-readable configuration.
Web Application Security
Insecure Direct Object Reference
An insecure direct object reference (IDOR) exposes an object through a user-controlled identifier without checking the caller's permission for that object.
AI Security
Insecure Output Handling
Insecure output handling occurs when an application treats AI generated text as trusted code, markup, instructions, or commands without appropriate validation.
Security Technologies
Intrusion Detection System
A technology that monitors activity and alerts on signs of potential intrusion.
Network Security
Intrusion Prevention System
An intrusion prevention system monitors activity for signs of attack and can automatically block or interrupt traffic that matches its detection logic.
Malware
Keylogger
A keylogger is software or hardware that records keystrokes, often to capture credentials or other sensitive input.
Cloud Security
Kubernetes Security
Kubernetes security is the protection of container orchestration components, workloads, identities, network paths, and cluster data.
AI Security
Large Language Model Security
Large language model security is the protection of LLM applications, their data, tools, models, and users against misuse and unintended behavior.
Malware
Loader
A loader is code that prepares and starts another malicious component, often by unpacking, decrypting, downloading, or injecting it.
Incident Response
Log Retention
Log retention is the policy and practice of keeping event records for a defined period so they remain available for operations, investigations, and obligations.
Threat Intelligence
MITRE ATT&CK
A public knowledge base describing observed adversary tactics and techniques.
Fraud Online Safety
Malicious URL
A web address used to deliver harmful content, capture information, or redirect users deceptively.
Malware
Malware
Software or firmware intended to perform unauthorized actions that harm a system or its data.
Malware
Malware Persistence
Malware persistence is a mechanism that lets malicious access or code survive a restart, logout, credential change, or interruption.
AI Security
Model Exfiltration
Model exfiltration is unauthorized removal of model files, weights, parameters, or enough model behavior to reproduce a valuable system.
AI Security
Model Poisoning
Model poisoning is deliberate interference with a model or its update process so the resulting system behaves incorrectly or contains a hidden trigger.
AI Security
Model Supply Chain
Model supply chain security concerns the origin and integrity of models, datasets, dependencies, tools, and build steps used in an AI system.
Identity Access
Multifactor Authentication
Authentication using at least two different kinds of factors.