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Cybersecurity Glossary

Cybersecurity Glossary for Beginners: 40+ Terms

When the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack shut down fuel distribution across the U.S. East Coast in 2021, news anchors stumbled over terms like "ransomware," "threat actor," and "zero trust." Millions of people realized they didn't have the vocabulary to understand the

Carl B. Johnson May 11, 2020 8 min read
Cybersecurity Terms Explained

Cybersecurity Terms Explained: A Practical Guide

When the Colonial Pipeline attack shut down fuel distribution across the Eastern United States in 2021, news anchors stumbled over words like "ransomware," "threat actor," and "zero trust." Millions of people realized they didn't speak the language of cybersecurity — and that ignorance

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read
Malware

What Is Malware? A Security Pro's Real-World Guide

The Attack That Shut Down 100 Romanian Hospitals In February 2024, a ransomware attack hit over 100 hospitals across Romania, forcing them offline and back to pen-and-paper operations. Patient data was encrypted. Emergency services were disrupted. The attack vector? Malware that slipped through a single vulnerable system and spread laterally

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read
Types of Malware

Types of Malware: What Actually Hits Networks in 2026

A Single Click Cost One Hospital Chain $100 Million In 2024, Change Healthcare was hit by the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group. The attack disrupted insurance claims processing for thousands of healthcare providers across the United States. UnitedHealth Group eventually disclosed costs exceeding $870 million related to the incident. The entry

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read
Adware vs Spyware

Adware vs Spyware: What Security Teams Must Know

In 2023, a seemingly harmless browser extension called "PDF Toolbox" was downloaded over two million times from the Chrome Web Store before researchers at Palant discovered it was quietly injecting tracking code and redirecting ad revenue — a textbook adware operation that crossed hard into spyware territory. That single

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read
Trojan Horse Malware

Trojan Horse Malware: How It Gets In and How to Stop It

The Fake Invoice That Cost a Hospital $28 Million In 2024, Ascension Healthcare disclosed a ransomware attack that disrupted operations at 140 hospitals across 19 states. The initial entry point? An employee opened what appeared to be a routine file. It was trojan horse malware — a malicious payload disguised as

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read
Keylogger Attack

Keylogger Attack: How They Work and How to Stop Them

In 2023, a single keylogger embedded in a phishing email gave threat actors access to credentials at over 2,000 organizations worldwide as part of the Snake Keylogger campaign. The malware silently recorded every keystroke — passwords, credit card numbers, internal messages — and exfiltrated the data before anyone noticed. A keylogger

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read
Man in the Middle Attack

Man in the Middle Attack: How Hackers Steal Data

In 2015, a Belgian company called Crelan Bank lost over €70 million to a sophisticated fraud scheme that began with attackers intercepting email communications between executives. The threat actors positioned themselves between two parties, manipulated invoices, and redirected payments — all without either side realizing the conversation had been compromised. That&

Carl B. Johnson May 08, 2020 7 min read