Five Cybersecurity Jargon Terms You Should Understand

There’s a lot of jargon in cybersecurity, so knowing the terms and phrases means being better prepared to protect yourself and your organization. Unfortunately, non-technical people are avoiding jargon as these terms can confuse them. So, we’ve compiled a list of five cybersecurity jargon terms you might want to understand. We also explain the difference between these terms and their meanings. 

Polyinstantiation

You’ve probably heard about polyinstantiation in cybersecurity jargon, but you may be wondering what it means. Polyinstantiation is the process of creating multiple copies of the same shared resource to prevent unauthorized users from viewing sensitive information. This technique involves creating a copy of an object, then altering its attributes while leaving the original untouched. As a result, you’ll have multiple views of a record based on the viewer’s rights, clearance level, and other characteristics.

Basic Authentication

The term “basic authentication” is often used to describe the most straightforward web-based authentication scheme, which sends a username and password with every request. Other terms that are used to describe authentication are “Form-Based Authentication” (FBAA), “Form-Based Authentication” (“Form-Based Authentication”), and “Form-Based Authentication,” which uses forms on webpages to determine access. Lastly, “forward proxies,” a server that handles all requests.

Zero-day

“Zero-day software” was obtained by breaking into a developer’s computer before release. The phrase was eventually attributed to the vulnerabilities that allowed this hacking, as well as the number of days it took the vendor to remedy them. Hackers can use newly identified flaws in security networks to target systems via zero-day attacks. When malicious actors take advantage of a security flaw before it can be repaired.

The more recent the vendor’s awareness of the vulnerability, the less probable a fix or mitigation has been created. As more users apply the fix over time, the likelihood of the exploit succeeding reduces. 

Polymorphism

You may have heard of polymorphism, but do you know how to use it? Polymorphism is an essential principle in cybersecurity because it helps to prevent repurposable attacks on protected areas. Polymorphism applies to various locations in cybersecurity, such as malware and web application security. It is also a proactive approach that helps to change the economic equation of attackers.

For example, polymorphic malware can adapt to various conditions and change its behavior to avoid detection. In one recent example, the AfterShock-3PC ransomware targeted media websites, constantly evolving its active code to avoid detection. The malware also attempted to compromise online payment systems, but it failed because it was too difficult to track the changing series of operations. Because of this, malware with polymorphic code can be more challenging to detect than the standard version.

Loopback address

If you’re wondering what the difference is between localhost and loopback addresses, this article will explain the two terms. For security purposes, localhost is used to make ping requests. A loopback address prevents stray data packets from activating services or being logged by public switches. Moreover, this address is useful for testing the performance of a connection or troubleshooting a problem.

A loopback address is a pseudo-address that sends outgoing signals to the same computer, usually the same internet interface. Pinging this address always returns a reply. On the other hand, Mac addresses are physical addresses assigned to each network interface. Most IEEE 802 network technologies make use of this address. However, these addresses may be confusing to your network administrators.