Cybersecurity Glossary & Knowledge Center

Learn common cybersecurity terms, threats, technologies, security controls, testing methods, and security operations in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Welcome to the National Cyber Security Training Academy Cybersecurity Glossary and Knowledge Center. This resource explains common cybersecurity terms, technologies, threats, security controls, and cybersecurity practices. Whether you are new to cybersecurity, a student, business owner, IT professional, parent, or cybersecurity professional, these guides can help you understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity.

Use the links below to explore individual cybersecurity topics and continue building your cybersecurity knowledge.


Cybersecurity Threats


Cybersecurity Technologies


Cybersecurity Testing & Risk Management


Security Operations


Cybersecurity Intelligence & Investigation

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Additional Cybersecurity Topics

As the Cybersecurity Glossary grows, additional topics can include:

What Is a Computer Virus? What Is a Trojan? What Is Spyware? What Is Adware? What Is a Rootkit? What Is a Keylogger? What Is Credential Stuffing? What Is Brute Force? What Is a Zero-Day Vulnerability? What Is an Exploit? What Is a Security Vulnerability? What Is a CVE? What Is CVSS? What Is a Data Breach? What Is Identity Theft? What Is Password Security? What Is Passwordless Authentication? What Is SSO? What Is PKI? What Is a Digital Certificate? What Is DNS Security? What Is Network Segmentation? What Is a Honeypot? What Is Threat Intelligence? What Is Threat Hunting? What Is Security Awareness Training? What Is Cyber Risk? What Is Cybersecurity Compliance? What Is NIST Cybersecurity Framework? What Is CMMC? What Is PCI DSS? What Is GDPR? What Is a Cybersecurity Analyst? What Is a Penetration Tester? What Is an Ethical Hacker? What Is a White Hat Hacker? What Is a Red Team? What Is a Blue Team? What Is a Purple Team?

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