Jargon-buster
The words, in plain English. No jargon used to explain the jargon.
33 of 33 terms
- Phishing
- A fake message that tricks you into clicking, signing in or paying.
- Spear-phishing
- Phishing written for one person, using real details to seem believable.
- Business email compromise (BEC)
- A scam where someone poses as your boss or a supplier to get money sent to them.
- Ransomware
- Software that locks and scrambles your files, then demands payment to unlock them.
- Malware
- Any harmful software - viruses, trojans, spyware and the rest.
- Two-step / two-factor sign-in (2FA / MFA)
- A second check at login - a code or a key - on top of your password.
- Passkey / FIDO2
- A modern, phishing-resistant way to sign in without a password, using your device or a security key.
- Security key
- A small physical device you tap or plug in to prove it is really you.
- Password manager
- An app that creates and remembers a different strong password for every account.
- Passphrase
- A password made of several unrelated words - long, strong and easier to remember.
- VPN
- A service that encrypts your internet traffic, useful on networks you do not trust.
- End-to-end encryption (E2E)
- Scrambling data so only the sender and recipient can read it - not even the provider.
- Encryption
- Scrambling data so it is unreadable without the key.
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC
- Email settings that stop other people forging messages from your domain.
- Zero-day
- A flaw attackers exploit before a fix exists.
- Patch
- An update that fixes a security hole; applying them promptly is one of the best defences.
- Backup
- A separate copy of your data, so you can recover after loss or ransomware.
- Credential stuffing
- Trying stolen password lists against many sites, betting that people reuse passwords.
- SIM-swap
- Hijacking your phone number to intercept your text security codes.
- Session cookie
- The token that keeps you logged in; if stolen, it can let someone skip your password.
- Firewall
- A barrier that controls what network traffic is allowed in or out.
- HTTPS / TLS
- The padlock - an encrypted, verified connection between you and a website.
- Social engineering
- Manipulating people, rather than machines, to get access or information.
- Supply-chain attack
- Compromising a supplier or software component you rely on, to reach you through it.
- Data breach
- When information is accessed or exposed without permission.
- Data broker
- A company that quietly collects and sells details about you, often without you ever dealing with it directly.
- People-search site
- A website that pulls together your name, address, age and relatives into a public profile anyone can look up.
- Open electoral register
- The version of the electoral roll that anyone can buy. You can ask to be removed from it and still stay registered to vote.
- Metadata / EXIF
- Hidden details tucked inside a file - a photo can carry the date, the device and even where it was taken.
- Tracking pixel
- A tiny invisible image in an email or page that tells the sender when you opened it and often roughly where you are.
- Advertising ID
- A code on your phone that lets apps and advertisers follow what you do across them. You can reset or delete it, and on iPhone tell apps not to track you.
- Subject access request (SAR)
- Your right to ask any organisation for a copy of the personal data it holds on you, usually free and within a month.
- Erasure request (UK GDPR)
- Your right to ask an organisation to delete the personal data it holds on you, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.