security plus Flashcards
definitions and question (25 cards)
Threat actor
A person or entity responsible for an event that has been identified as a security incident or as a risk.
Internal/external
The degree of access that a threat actor possesses before initiating an attack. An external threat actor has no standing privileges, while an internal actor has been granted some access permissions.
Level of sophistication/capability
A formal classification of the resources and expertise available to a threat actor.
Resources/funding
The ability of threat actors to draw upon funding to acquire personnel, tools, and development of novel attack types.
Service disruption
A type of attack that compromises the availability of an asset or business process.
Data exfiltration
The process by which an attacker copies data from a private network to an external network.
Disinformation
A type of attack that falsifies an information resource that is normally trusted by others.
Blackmail
Demanding payment to prevent the release of information.
Extortion
Demanding payment to prevent or halt some type of attack.
Fraud
Falsifying records, such as an internal fraud that involves tampering with accounts.
Hacker
Often used to refer to someone who breaks into computer systems or spreads viruses. Ethical hackers prefer to think of themselves as experts on and explorers of computer security systems.
Unauthorized hacker
A hacker operating with malicious intent.
Authorized hacker
A hacker engaged in authorized penetration testing or other security consultancy.
Unskilled attacker
An inexperienced attacker that typically uses tools or scripts created by others.
Hacktivist
A threat actor that is motivated by a social issue or political cause.
Advanced persistent threat (APT)
An attacker’s ability to obtain, maintain, and diversify access to network systems using exploits and malware.
Nation-state actors
A type of threat actor that is supported by the resources of its host country’s military and security services.
Organized crime
A type of threat actor that uses hacking and computer fraud for commercial gain.
Internal threat
A type of threat actor who is assigned privileges on the system that cause an intentional or unintentional incident.
Unintentional or inadvertent insider threat
A threat actor that causes a vulnerability or exposes an attack vector without malicious intent.
Shadow IT
Computer hardware, software, or services used on a private network without authorization from the system owner.
Vulnerable software
Weakness that could be triggered accidentally or exploited intentionally to cause a security breach.
Unsupported systems
Product life cycle phase where mainstream vendor support is no longer available.
Unsecure network
Configuration that exposes a large attack surface, such as through unnecessary open service ports, weak or no authentication, use of default credentials, or lack of secure communications/encryption.
