Think you can beat our quiz? Get a quick refresher on your cybersecurity ABCs, then put your inner techie to the test. Let’s see if you’re the next honor-roll cybersecurity pro or at risk of losing the lunch money in your digital wallet.
Study up as long as you like – or scroll to the end and skip today’s class altogether, we’re not taking attendance! Then click the link to start the short cybersecurity quiz. You’ve got 15 multiple-choice questions to work through before getting your report card at the end. Good luck, cyber student!
Cybersecurity ABCs
Antivirus
Antivirus software is your computer’s guard dog, always on the lookout for nasty viruses trying to sneak in. It works by scanning your system to spot, block, and get rid of these digital threats. Once you’ve got it installed, the program keeps a constant watch in the background, providing real-time protection to keep your device safe and sound.
Backdoor
Think of a backdoor as a secret entrance that lets someone bypass the usual security checks needed to get into a computer system, network, or software application. This can be used by both authorized users with special access rights, like manufacturers, and unauthorized ones, like cybercriminals looking to exploit the system.
Cookie
A cookie is like a small piece of data that an internet server sends to your browser. It tells your browser to save information about your visit, which can include your login details, banking information, and page preferences. Each time you revisit that server, your browser sends the cookie back. This helps the server recognize you and keep track of your activity on the site.
DDoS
A DDoS attack is like a traffic jam caused on purpose. It’s a nasty trick where attackers flood a targeted server, service, or network with so much traffic that it can’t function properly, disrupting its normal operations. This can prevent a website from loading or responding or disrupt an online game server. If your network gets targeted, it will prevent you from doing anything online.
Encryption
Encryption is the process of turning readable data into a coded format using an algorithm. This coded data can only be read by someone who has the right key to decrypt it, keeping the information secure from unauthorized access. There are different levels of encryption, some of which are more secure than others.
Firewall
Think of a firewall as a virtual security fence around your local network. It keeps out unwanted visitors like malware files and malicious actors, ensuring they can’t get in and cause trouble. Firewalls help routers manage incoming and outgoing traffic by filtering every data packet for suspicious code or unauthorized access requests. They automatically block suspicious traffic based on preset rules in the router’s settings.
Gateway
A gateway, sometimes known as a data guard or information exchange gateway, is a device that manages, checks, and filters the flow of information between different networks and internal parts of a network. Companies typically use gateways to securely connect remote branches to one internal network or section off different parts of an internal network with security access controls for every user.
Hacker
A hacker is someone who tries to break into computer systems or networks without permission. Some hackers are employed by companies to find vulnerabilities in their systems so they can patch them up. Hobbyist hackers like to find vulnerabilities in their spare time to warn others or fix open-source code. Those with the intent of causing harm or stealing information are often called malicious hackers, black-hat hackers, or cybercriminals.
IPSec
Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) is a set of protocols that secures data by authenticating and encrypting each data packet in transit, ensuring safe and encrypted communication between two networks. The protocol essentially decides how your traffic is packaged and sent across the web, with a focus on keeping it secure.
Jamming
Jamming is a type of cyber attack where someone deliberately disrupts wireless communication, like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cell phone networks, by creating interference. Criminals typically use a physical device for signal jamming and have to be in close proximity to the device or network they’re trying to target. A jamming device overloads a network with signals so connected devices can’t work properly.
Kill Switch
A kill switch is like an emergency off button for your system, application, or device, letting you quickly disconnect it from the internet to prevent any potential harm. It’s a feature commonly provided by VPN services to prevent data and IP address leaks on some devices if your connection drops and reconnects before the VPN is reconnected.
Loopback Test
A loopback test involves sending data from a device across a specific network and looping it back to the same point, unchanged. It’s a way for network admins to check if a device is working correctly and to identify any problem areas in a network.
Malware
Malware is harmful software that sneaks onto your computer without you knowing. Different types of malware exist – viruses, worms, spyware, adware, and ransomware are some of the more well-known ones. Depending on the type of malware and the attacker’s goals, it can perform nasty tasks like stealing your passwords or even your money.
Network
A network is a collection of two or more devices, like computers and servers, that can communicate with each other over the internet. These devices can be connected either through physical cables or wirelessly. Different types of networks exist. Your home Wi-Fi is an example of a local area network (LAN). Wide Area Network (WAN) connects devices or networks across a large area – the internet is the world’s largest WAN. A VPN is a virtual private network and it creates a private network over an existing WAN (the internet) to reroute connections through privately-owned servers on secure connections.
Open Source
Open source software is like a community project where the source code is available for anyone to see, modify, and share freely. While it’s still owned by a copyright holder, this person or entity grants permission for anyone to use the software as they please without fearing copyright infringement.
Phishing
Phishing is a type of cyber attack categorized as social engineering. It’s a scam where attackers trick you into giving up your personal information, like login details or credit card numbers. They often do this by sending messages that look like they’re from your bank or other trusted organizations, urging you to click on a link containing malware or leading to a fake website. These messages usually ask you to enter or update your information due to issues like “suspicious activity” or “password expiration.”
Quality Assurance
Think of quality assurance (QA) as the inspector at a factory who checks every product to make sure it meets the company’s standards. It’s a systematic process of making sure that a product or service meets the requirements set for it, ensuring reliability and consistency. In networking security, this means ensuring network setups, device operating systems, or software meet predefined security and privacy standards.
Ransomware
Ransomware is like a digital kidnapper holding your files hostage. It’s a nasty program that locks you out of your device or encrypts your files, demanding money to set them free. Sometimes ransomware attackers will try to add pressure by threatening to publicly release or sell the information they’ve locked away unless the victim pays the ransom.
Secure Socket Layer
Secure socket layer (SSL) is the virtual bodyguard of your internet connection. It encrypts the data traveling between your web browser and a website (or between servers), making it impossible for hackers to snoop on or steal any sensitive information you’re sending or receiving, like your credit card details. SSL is the reason you see an “S” in the HTTPS part of a URL instead of its unsecure older brother, HTTP.
Two-factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is like having a double lock on your door. It adds an extra layer of security beyond just a password by requiring you to provide a second form of identification, like a code sent to your phone or a fingerprint scan. This way, even if someone gets hold of your password, they still can’t get in without that second key to unlock the door.
Upload
Uploading is the act of moving files or data from one device to another through a network connection. You’re uploading bits of data when you copy photos from your phone to your computer or sharing a document on a cloud storage app for others to access.
Virtual Private Network
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is like sending your traffic down a secret tunnel through the internet. VPNs set up secure connections between your computer and a server owned by a VPN company. They encrypt all your personal data while masking your real IP address with one from the server. That in turn lets you stealthily change your virtual location and sneak past firewall blocks like a digital ninja.
Whitelist
Think of a whitelist (or allowlist) as the cybersecurity version of a VIP list. It’s a strategy where you give the green light to certain email addresses, IP addresses, domain names, or applications while keeping all the others out in the cold. This green light may give those VIPs access rights to specific networks, parts of a network, system resources, websites, servers, software, files, or documents depending on the situation.
XFF
The HTTP protocol provides an optional X-Forwarded-For (XFF) header request field to web services (websites) using that protocol. It functions like a detective revealing the true identity of an internet user’s IP address. Web servers can use this to figure out where you’re really connecting from if you’re using a proxy service or load balancer acting as a proxy server.
YubiKey
YubiKeys are used for multi-factor authentication, helping protect access to your accounts by providing a platform for biometric identification and generating one-time passwords. They work with multiple authentication protocols so can be used across a range of tech stacks.
Zero Day
Zero-day vulnerabilities are a type of security flaw that hackers can exploit in computer systems. The term “zero-day” implies that the device or software’s developers have just become aware of the vulnerability and have no time to fix it immediately. As a result, hackers may be able to exploit the vulnerability or may have already been doing so before a patch or fix is released. This poses a significant threat to the data security of anyone using that product until it’s updated.
Cybersecurity Quiz
How tech-savvy do you think you are when it comes to cybersecurity? Put your knowledge to the test with our quick 15-question quiz! From encryption to phishing, firewalls to malware, assess your cybersecurity know-how and uncover potential gaps in your digital defense know-how.
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