Phishing

Hoax

A false warning.

Spyware

A general term used to describe software that spies on users by gathering information without consent, thus violating their privacy.

Computer Virus (Virus)

A malicious computer code that, like its biological counterpart, reproduces itself on the same computer.

Worm

A malicious program designed to take advantage of a vulnerability in an application or an operating system in order to enter a computer and then self replicate to other computers.

Social Engineering

A means of gathering information for an attack by relying on the weaknesses of individuals.

Pharming

A phishing attack that automatically redirects the user to a fake site.

Spear Phishing

A phishing attack that targets only specific users.

Whaling

A phishing attack that targets only wealthy individuals.

Adware

A software program that delivers advertising content in a manner that is unexpected and unwanted by the user.

Ransomware

A type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system or select files, unless a ransom is paid to restore access.

Identity Theft

An act of wrongfully obtaining and using another person's information that involves fraud or deception.

Impersonation

An attack that creates a fictitious character and then plays out the role of that person on a victim.

Trojan Horse (Trojan)

An executable program advertised as performing one activity, but actually does something else (or it may perform both the advertised and malicious activities).

Phishing

Sending an email or displaying a Web announcement that falsely claims to be from a legitimate enterprise in an attempt to trick the user into surrendering private information.

Malware

Software that enters a computer system without the user's knowledge or consent and then performs an unwanted - and usually harmful - action.

Spam

Unsolicited email.

Keylogger

Captures and stores each keystroke that a user types on the computer's keyboard.