Cyber Security Terms, Explained
The words you will meet in our courses and in job listings, in one or two sentences each. No prior knowledge needed.
The Terms, A to Z
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active Directory (AD) | Microsoft's system for managing the users, computers and permissions of a Windows network. Most companies run one, which is why attackers target it. |
| API | The way two programs talk to each other. A mobile app or website fetches your data through an API. API testing checks who can see or change what. |
| BloodHound | A tool that draws a map of an Active Directory network and shows the paths an attacker could take from one account to another. |
| bloodyAD | A tool for reading and changing Active Directory objects during an authorized test, often used to prove a permissions weakness. |
| BOLA | Broken object-level authorization: an API flaw where changing an ID in a request shows another person's data. It tops the OWASP API Top 10. |
| Burp Suite | The standard tool for testing websites and APIs. It sits between your browser and the site so you can read and change every request. |
| CEH, CPENT, WAHS, CND, CSA, CHFI | EC-Council certifications: ethical hacking, advanced penetration testing, web application security, network defense, SOC analyst, and forensics. |
| CTF (capture the flag) | Timed practical challenges. You solve a security puzzle in a lab to find a hidden flag. Every course here includes them. |
| CVE and CVSS | A CVE is the public ID of a known vulnerability. CVSS is the 0 to 10 score of how severe it is. |
| DFIR | Digital forensics and incident response: working out what happened in an attack, from evidence on disks, memory and logs, and stopping it. |
| EC-Council ATC | An Accredited Training Center of EC-Council, the body that issues CEH and the other certifications. |
| Exploitation | Using a weakness to prove what an attacker could do. In a lawful test it is done only with written permission and within scope. |
| IOC (indicator of compromise) | A clue that an attack happened, such as a malicious file hash, an attacker's IP address or a suspicious domain. |
| Impacket | A Python toolkit for Windows network protocols, used in authorized tests of Active Directory, for example for Kerberos and NTLM weaknesses. |
| Malware analysis | Examining a suspicious file to learn what it does and to extract indicators of compromise. Here it is taught inside DFIR. |
| Metasploit | A framework for running known exploits in authorized tests and labs. |
| MITRE ATT&CK | A public catalog of the techniques attackers use. SOC teams map their detections to it. |
| Nessus | A vulnerability scanner. It lists known weaknesses on systems, which a tester then checks by hand. |
| NetExec (nxc) | A tool for testing Windows and Active Directory networks at scale: checking credentials, shares and settings. |
| Nmap | A network scanner that finds which hosts are up and which ports and services they expose. |
| OSINT | Open-source intelligence: information gathered from public sources, such as websites, DNS records and social media. |
| OWASP Top 10 | A widely used list of the most serious web application security risks. There is also an API Top 10 and a Top 10 for AI (LLM) applications. |
| Penetration test (pentest) | An authorized, simulated attack that proves which weaknesses are real and how far an attacker could get, ending in a report. |
| Prompt injection | Tricking an AI application with crafted input so it ignores its instructions or leaks data. The top risk in the OWASP Top 10 for LLM applications. |
| SIEM | Security information and event management: a system that collects logs in one place so analysts can search them and raise alerts. Splunk is one. |
| Sigma | A shared format for writing detection rules once and using them in different SIEMs. |
| SOC | Security operations center: the team that watches an organization's systems for attacks and responds to them. |
| Splunk | A widely used platform for searching logs and running a SIEM. |
| VAPT | Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing: finding weaknesses (assessment), then proving which are exploitable (penetration testing). |
| VirtualBox | Free software that runs virtual machines. You build your practice lab in it on your own laptop. |
| Wazuh | Free, open-source security monitoring: it collects alerts from endpoints and servers and helps detect threats. |
| Wireshark | A tool for capturing and reading network traffic packet by packet. |
Missing a term? Ask in a free trial class, or see which job, course and certification fit you.
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A real training room near Ameerpet Metro, open 7 days. Join in the room or live online: the classes, labs and assessments are the same. See the batch schedule.
More Student Guides
Jobs, Courses and Certifications
Which cybersecurity job fits you, and the one course and certification that prepare for it.
Read the guide →Course Fees in Hyderabad
What courses cost, what a fair fee includes, and our fee in full.
Read the guide →For Freshers and Graduates
B.Tech, BCA, B.Sc or MCA: how to start with no security background.
Read the guide →Placement: Our Answer
Why we do not offer placement, and how to judge placement claims.
Read the guide →Course Syllabus
The full syllabus: three 6-week courses, module by module.
Read the guide →What Is a Cyber Security Course?
Details, duration, fees and how to choose.
Read the guide →Which Certification First?
How CEH, Security+, OSCP and CISSP fit together.
Read the guide →Best Institute Checklist
The questions to ask every institute before you pay.
Read the guide →Common Questions
What is the difference between VAPT and a penetration test?
VAPT is the combination: a vulnerability assessment finds and ranks weaknesses, and a penetration test proves which of them an attacker could really use.
What is the difference between a SOC and a SIEM?
A SOC is the team. A SIEM, such as Splunk or Wazuh, is one of the main tools that team uses to collect logs and raise alerts.
Do I need to know these terms before I join?
No. Every course starts from the basics. This page is here so the course pages make sense before you start.
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