Glossary
Building your knowledge, one term at a time.
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Brute-Force Attack
A brute-force attack against passwords involves systematically trying every possible character combination until the correct password is discovered. Attackers employ software to submit each guess to a login form or authentication system. The time required…
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BSSID
BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) is the unique identifier for a Wi-Fi cell. In normal networks it is the MAC address of the access point’s radio interface. An access point can host several Wi-Fi networks…
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Buffer Overflow
Buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data into a memory buffer than it was designed to hold causing data to overwrite adjacent memory cells. This can corrupt data, trigger a system crash and…
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Cable Broadband
Cable broadband uses existing coaxial television wiring to carry internet traffic. Fibre-optic lines connect neighbourhood nodes, and coaxial cable brings the signal into homes. A cable modem converts between the cable network and your devices.…
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CAM Table
A CAM table (Content Addressable Memory table) is the list a switch keeps that maps MAC addresses to the ports and VLANs where it last saw them. The switch learns this by reading the source MAC on…
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CCMP
Counter Mode with CBC-MAC Protocol (CCMP) is the AES-based protection used by modern Wi-Fi to keep data confidential and to spot tampering. It combines two ideas: Counter Mode to encrypt the payload, and CBC-MAC to…
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Cellular
Cellular refers to the mobile network system that lets devices such as smartphones connect to voice and data services without wires. The coverage area is divided into many small regions called cells, each served by…
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CISA
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the United States government agency that supports the protection of critical infrastructure from cyber and physical threats. It sits within the Department of Homeland Security and works…
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Cisco IOS
Cisco IOS, short for Internetwork Operating System, is the software platform that runs on most Cisco routers and many Catalyst switches. It provides the command-line interface, the networking features and the services that let the…
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Classful IP Addressing
Classful IP addressing was the original method used in IPv4 to divide the 32-bit address space into fixed-size network blocks called classes. The first few bits of an address determined its class, which in turn…
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Client
A client is a piece of software or a device that connects to a server to request and use services or resources over a network. When you open a web browser you are using a…
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Cloud Cluster
A cloud cluster is a group of virtual machines or containers deployed within a cloud environment which operate as a unified platform. They allow applications to distribute workloads, scale resources on demand and maintain availability…
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Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is the on demand delivery of computing resources over the internet, priced on usage rather than large upfront purchases. Instead of buying and maintaining servers and data centres, an organisation rents what it…
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Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a service where your data is saved on remote servers run by a provider and reached over the internet instead of living only on your own device. You rent capacity and pay for…
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Coaxial Cable
A Coaxial cable is a type of electrical cable designed to carry high-frequency signals with low loss. It consists of a central metal conductor surrounded by an insulating layer, a woven metal shield that blocks…
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Command-Line Interface (CLI)
A command-line interface (CLI) is a text-based way to control a computer or service by typing commands at a prompt rather than clicking through menus. It’s fast, precise and scriptable, making it ideal for automation, remote administration…
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Confidentiality
In cyber security, confidentiality is the principle of ensuring that sensitive information is accessible only to those authorised to view it. It relies on measures such as encryption, access controls and data classification to keep…
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Cookies
Cookies are small text files that a website sends to your browser and are stored on your device. They record details such as your login state, site preferences and session identifiers so that when you…
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CPU
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the main processor in a computer that runs instructions from software and the operating system. It follows a simple loop called fetch, decode and execute, using internal parts such as registers,…
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Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) is a web attack where a user’s browser is tricked into sending a valid, state-changing request to a site where the user is already signed in, for example submitting a form…