Threats Glossary

Browse 67 threats terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

67 Threats Terms

Adversarial Machine Learning
Adversarial Machine Learning is the study of attacks and defenses involving machine-learning systems, including evasion, poisoning, and model extraction....
Algorithm Downgrade Attack
Algorithm Downgrade Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary forces peers to negotiate weaker algorithms or protocol options than the secure...
Binary Exploitation
Binary Exploitation is an offensive or defensive malware-related concept that affects code execution, persistence, or analysis. Security teams use it to...
Birthday Attack
Birthday Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary uses the birthday paradox to make hash or signature collisions more likely than brute force...
Blind SQL Injection
Blind SQL Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary sends database queries and infers true or false outcomes from timing, content, or error...
Brute Force Attack
Brute Force Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary systematically guesses credentials or keys until the target accepts one. Defenders analyze it...
Buffer Overflow Attack
Buffer Overflow Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary writes beyond an allocated buffer and corrupts adjacent memory, control flow, or data...
Clickjacking Attack
Clickjacking Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary tricks a user into clicking hidden or disguised interface elements inside a malicious page....
Code Injection
Code Injection is the introduction of attacker-controlled code or executable instructions into an application or processing context. Security teams use it to...
Cold Boot Attack
Cold Boot Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary retrieves residual data from memory shortly after power loss to recover secrets such as keys....
Collision Attack
Collision Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary tries to find two different inputs that produce the same cryptographic digest or signature state....
Command Injection
Command Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary causes an application to execute attacker-controlled operating-system commands. Defenders...
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing Attack
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary abuses permissive cross-origin policies to read or send data across trust...
Cross-Site Request Forgery Attack
Cross-Site Request Forgery Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary causes a victim browser to send an authenticated request the user did not...
Cross-Site Scripting Attack
Cross-Site Scripting Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary injects script into trusted pages so code runs in another user's browser context....
Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis is the study of how to break or weaken cryptographic systems by exploiting mathematical or implementation flaws. Security teams use it to enforce...
Cryptojacking Attack
Cryptojacking Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary abuses victim compute resources to mine cryptocurrency without authorization. Defenders...
Cyber Threat
Any actor, capability, or condition that could exploit digital systems to cause harm, theft, disruption, or unauthorized access. A cyber threat can be a...
Deauthentication Attack
Deauthentication Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary sends forged wireless management frames to disconnect clients from an access point....
Dictionary Attack
Dictionary Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary tries likely passwords, keys, or hashes from curated wordlists instead of random guesses....
DNS Spoofing
DNS Spoofing is an attack technique in which an adversary returns forged name-resolution answers so traffic is redirected or observed. Defenders analyze it to...
Email Spoofing
Email Spoofing is an attack technique in which an adversary forges sender identity in email headers or delivery paths to mislead recipients. Defenders analyze...
Evil Maid Attack
Evil Maid Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary uses brief physical access to tamper with a powered-off or unattended device. Defenders analyze...
Exfiltration Channel
Exfiltration Channel is a path or protocol used to move stolen data out of a controlled environment. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce exposure,...
Exploit Chain
Exploit Chain is an attack technique in which an adversary combines multiple weaknesses so each step enables the next stage of compromise. Defenders analyze it...
Exploit Kit
Exploit Kit is a packaged collection of exploits, delivery logic, and tracking used to compromise targets at scale. Security teams use it to enforce trust,...
Format String Attack
Format String Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary passes crafted formatting input to unsafe functions and gains memory disclosure or writes....
Golden Ticket Attack
Golden Ticket Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary forges Kerberos TGTs after stealing the KRBTGT secret and grants domain-level persistence....
Hash Extension Attack
Hash Extension Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary abuses length-extension properties in certain hash constructions to forge authenticated...
Host Header Injection
Host Header Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary supplies a malicious Host header that changes routing, links, or security logic. Defenders...
Injection Attack
Injection Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary places untrusted data into an interpreter or execution context so it is treated as code or...
IP Spoofing
IP Spoofing is an attack technique in which an adversary forges the source IP address on packets to mislead filters or attribution. Defenders analyze it to...
Kernel Exploit
Kernel Exploit is an offensive or defensive malware-related concept that affects code execution, persistence, or analysis. Security teams use it to enforce...
Keystroke Injection
Keystroke Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary emulates keyboard input to execute commands or alter a target system. Defenders analyze it to...
Known Plaintext Attack
Known Plaintext Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary uses access to both plaintext and ciphertext samples to infer keys or weaknesses. Defenders...
LDAP Injection
LDAP Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary alters directory queries by inserting untrusted input into LDAP filters or attributes. Defenders...
Living off the Land
Living off the Land is the use of legitimate system tools and administration features to execute attacker objectives with minimal malware. Security teams use...
Logic Bomb
Logic Bomb is malicious code that stays dormant until a specific trigger or condition causes it to execute. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce...
Log Injection
Log Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary injects untrusted data into logs to corrupt analysis or trigger downstream issues. Defenders analyze...
MAC Address Spoofing
MAC Address Spoofing is an attack technique in which an adversary changes a device MAC identifier to impersonate another client or avoid controls. Defenders...
Malware
Malware is software intentionally designed to disrupt operations, steal data, establish persistence, or enable unauthorized access. Security teams use it to...
NoSQL Injection
NoSQL Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary injects operators or structured values into a NoSQL query parser. Defenders analyze it to...
Null Byte Injection
Null Byte Injection is an attack technique in which an adversary uses a null terminator to truncate or alter how input is processed by lower-level code....
On-Path Attack
On-Path Attack is an attack technique in which an adversary places an attacker on the network path where traffic can be inspected or influenced. Defenders...
Phishing Kit
A security concept covering phishing kit and its role in protecting systems, users, data, or operations. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Post-Exploitation
A security attack or exploit technique associated with post-exploitation in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Race Condition Exploit
A security attack or exploit technique associated with race condition exploit in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security,...
Ransomware Attack
A security attack or exploit technique associated with ransomware attack in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Remote Access Trojan
A security attack or exploit technique associated with remote access trojan in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Replay Attack
A security attack or exploit technique associated with replay attack in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Rootkit Detection
A defensive security practice involving rootkit detection to measure exposure, improve controls, or find malicious activity. It shows up in application...
Serialization Attack
A security attack or exploit technique associated with serialization attack in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Session Hijacking
A security attack or exploit technique associated with session hijacking in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Side-Channel Attack
A security attack or exploit technique associated with side-channel attack in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Smishing
A security concept covering smishing and its role in protecting systems, users, data, or operations. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Social Engineering Attack
A security attack or exploit technique associated with social engineering attack in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security,...
Spyware
A security attack or exploit technique associated with spyware in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Subdomain Takeover
A security attack or exploit technique associated with subdomain takeover in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
SYN Flood
A security attack or exploit technique associated with syn flood in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
TCP Reset Attack
A security attack or exploit technique associated with tcp reset attack in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Trojan Horse
A security attack or exploit technique associated with trojan horse in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
UAC Bypass
A security attack or exploit technique associated with uac bypass in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
WAF Bypass
A security attack or exploit technique associated with waf bypass in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
WebSocket Hijacking
A security attack or exploit technique associated with websocket hijacking in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Wolf Ticket
An empty threat, boast, or show of force that sounds serious without real substance behind it. In engineering slang, wolf tickets appear in vendor claims,...
Worm Virus
A security attack or exploit technique associated with worm virus in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...
Zip Bomb
A security attack or exploit technique associated with zip bomb in real-world systems and networks. It shows up in application security, identity,...

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