Common Cybersecurity Terms

Archived glossary: This 2016 vocabulary list is retained as a historical teaching artifact, not as the current idtprof.net cybersecurity glossary. Several definitions are simplified, dated, or too narrow for present-day instruction. In particular, firewalls do more than block malware, modern malware terminology is broader than the examples used here, and authentication terminology has changed substantially since this was written.

A cybersecurity glossary

The original list covered antivirus software, backups, bandwidth, botnets, computer networks and viruses, DDoS, encryption, firewalls, hacktivism, ISPs, keyloggers, malware, phishing, ransomware, servers, software, patches, vulnerabilities, spam, and USB devices. It also included Doxnet, a fictional teaching example modeled on Stuxnet.

The original vocabulary was adapted from a Khan Academy/NOVA cybersecurity presentation. Rather than silently modernizing those historical definitions, this page now preserves their provenance while preventing them from being presented as current instructional reference material.

Current security terminology should be based on maintained authoritative sources such as the NIST Computer Security Resource Center and OWASP.

Last reviewed: August 9, 2026.