APT
Advanced Persistent Threat
A long-running, targeted attack, often state-backed, that stays hidden in a network to steal data.
Related: Threat intelligence, Lateral movement, MITRE ATT&CK
Threats & Attacks
Glossary category
Threats & Attacks
How common cyber attacks work, from phishing to ransomware.
29 terms
Terms in Threats & Attacks
Attack surface
All the points where an attacker could try to enter or extract data from an organisation.
Related: Shadow IT, Vulnerability management
Threats & Attacks
BEC
Business Email Compromise
Email fraud in which attackers impersonate executives or suppliers to trick staff into transferring money or data.
Related: Phishing, Spear phishing, Social engineering
Threats & Attacks
Botnet
A network of infected devices controlled by an attacker, often used for DDoS attacks or spam.
Related: DDoS attack, Malware
Threats & Attacks
Brute force attack
Guessing passwords or keys by trying many combinations until one works.
Related: Credential stuffing, MFA, Passwordless authentication
Threats & Attacks
Credential stuffing
Using usernames and passwords leaked from one site to break into accounts on other sites.
Related: MFA, Brute force attack, ITDR
Threats & Attacks
Cross-site scripting
Cross-Site Scripting
An attack that injects malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Related: SQL injection
Threats & Attacks
Cryptojacking
Secretly using someone's computing power to mine cryptocurrency.
Threats & Attacks
Data breach
An incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential data is accessed or disclosed without authorisation.
Related: DPDP Act, Incident response, DLP
Threats & Attacks
DDoS attack
Distributed Denial of Service
Flooding a website or network with traffic from many sources so it slows down or goes offline.
Related: Botnet, Network security, NGFW
Threats & Attacks
Deepfake fraud
Using AI-generated audio or video that imitates a real person to deceive victims, often to authorise payments.
Related: Vishing, BEC, Social engineering
Threats & Attacks
Fileless malware
Malware that runs in memory using legitimate system tools, leaving few files to detect.
Threats & Attacks
Insider threat
A risk to security from people inside the organisation, whether malicious, careless or compromised.
Threats & Attacks
Keylogger
Malware or hardware that records every key you press, often to steal passwords.
Threats & Attacks
Lateral movement
Techniques attackers use to move from one compromised system to others inside a network.
Related: Microsegmentation, APT, MITRE ATT&CK
Threats & Attacks
Malware
Any software designed to damage systems, steal data or gain unauthorised access.
Related: Ransomware, Trojan, Spyware
Threats & Attacks
Man-in-the-middle attack
Man-in-the-Middle
Secretly intercepting and possibly altering communication between two parties.
Related: Encryption, SSL inspection, VPN
Threats & Attacks
Phishing
Fraudulent messages that trick people into clicking malicious links, sharing credentials or sending money.
Related: Spear phishing, Smishing, Vishing
Threats & Attacks
RaaS
Ransomware as a Service
A model where ransomware developers lease their tools to affiliates in exchange for a share of the ransom.
Related: Ransomware, APT
Threats & Attacks
Ransomware
Malware that encrypts or steals an organisation's data and demands payment to restore or not leak it.
Related: Malware, RaaS, Ransomware rollback
Threats & Attacks
Smishing
Phishing sent by SMS, often posing as a bank, courier or government service.
Related: Phishing, Vishing, Social engineering
Threats & Attacks
Social engineering
Manipulating people into revealing information or taking actions that compromise security.
Related: Phishing, Vishing, Security awareness training
Threats & Attacks
Spear phishing
A targeted phishing attack crafted for a specific person or organisation.
Threats & Attacks
Spyware
Malware that secretly monitors a user's activity and steals information.
Related: Malware, Keylogger, EDR
Threats & Attacks
SQL injection
SQL Injection
An attack that inserts malicious database commands into an application's input fields.
Related: Cross-site scripting, API security
Threats & Attacks
Supply chain attack
Compromising an organisation through a trusted supplier, software update or service provider.
Related: APT, Zero-day vulnerability
Threats & Attacks
Trojan
Malware disguised as legitimate software to trick users into installing it.
Related: Malware, Spyware, EDR
Threats & Attacks
Vishing
Phishing by phone call, where attackers impersonate trusted organisations to extract information or money.
Related: Smishing, Phishing, Deepfake fraud
Threats & Attacks
Zero-day vulnerability
A software flaw that attackers exploit before the vendor has released a fix.
Related: Patch management, Vulnerability management, APT
Threats & Attacks
How NetNXT covers threats & attacks
These terms describe the work our XDR service does for clients. The service page sets out what it includes.