The world of cybersecurity can seem confusing and complicated for those who aren’t familiar with the industry, with terms such as worms and trojan being thrown around that don’t mean what you may think! It is important to know some of these terms and we have created a jargon buster to help you become less confused.

Scams happen daily, and it is imperative to know what they are. Scams are fraudulent business schemes or promotions that aim to steal personal information or goods such as money from a user. Scams aren’t exclusive to the online world and can happen in real life or online. We are more exposed to scams every day with the internet growing more and more a part of everyday life.

Is when scammers will use emails, text messages or even call you to get you to download a virus. These are the reason you have that spam folder in your email! They can often appear to be legitimate corporations but have slight changes in either the email address origin or will not be from a business-related phone number.

Similar to Phishing, Vishing is also when someone tries to scam a person. Vishing is when a scammer will call you and try to ask for financial details or even install malware (see below) on your device. This could be a pre-recorded message or a live person and often will impersonate your bank. The main aim is to steal money or steal your identity.

Data is a set of info and details collected by anyone which can be used to make predictions and help customise what the user will experience.

Is when information with a company or in a database is stolen or exposed. This could be hackers trying to gain people’s email addresses or card details. It can cost companies millions of dollars by having to pay compensations and fines.

Malware is software that tries to damage your computer or network. Malware can come in many forms and can attack your software in a whole array of different ways.

Infect systems on the same network, infecting each device or system. If you had a device with worms in your house, then it would likely pass to everyone else on the same network. You don’t want to be the cause of other people’s misfortunes!

The term originates from the original Greek story about how soldiers hid in a non-threatening location to then attack. Online Trojans disguise themselves as legitimate software and slowly allow other viruses and malware into the system, damaging the laptop. Anti-virus software is key to combating this, as it helps to stop Trojans from sneaking in!

As you can see, many terms in cybersecurity come from real-world items and events and are very interesting! It is important that you are aware of them, and that you are protecting your privacy today.